Supporting Rebuilding Together Seattle to Provide Safer Communities  

Rebuilding Together Seattle (RTS) is a key organization that Howard S. Wright, a Balfour Beatty company, has actively been involved with in Seattle for the last several years. RTS provides extensive home rehabilitation and modification services to low-income homeowners and nonprofit facilities and is supported by a number of different companies throughout Seattle. Our role is to provide critical home maintenance, accessibility modifications, energy-efficient upgrades, and other repairs to homeowners who are unable to afford these necessary improvements.
 
RTS serves a wide range of owners who are elderly, disabled, families with children and veterans who are in need of construction support. In 2015, our team worked on a number of home improvement projects that included both interior and exterior renovations and involved 435 volunteer man hours and $25,000 in donations. Completed projects for homeowners in need included:

• Bathroom: Everything but the original tub and vanity was demoed and abated. The tub and toilet were leaking into the living room below and all the plumbing was repaired. A shower head wall was framed in converting the tub into a tub/shower. New flooring, vanity top, sink and faucet, toilet, tub/shower fixture, grab bars, and toilet accessories were installed.
• Back Sun Room/Porch: The leaking roof, damaged GWB, insulation, and broken window were removed and replaced. Substantial rough carpentry renovations were made to the structure and stairs leading up to the room. A new roof, window, insulation, GWB, millwork, and flooring were constructed.
• Back Carport/Deck: The existing deck was covered with an indoor/outdoor carpet and the structure was unsafe. The decking was demoed and the steel frame and railing was ground free of rust, primed, and painted. New decking was installed and painted.
• Side Stair: The existing single stair at the side of the house had no railing and was is disrepair. A new double set of stairs were constructed with a railing.
• Main Roof: Leaking chimneys were flashed and missing or damaged shingles were replaced.
• House Exterior: Window trims and front porch were repainted.
• House Interior: Main hallway and stairwell was repainted. New light fixtures, GFCIs, receptacles, lamps, and light switched were replaced throughout. At the stairs leading to the basement, carpet was replaced and railings were added on the walls.
• Garden: The large yard was weeded and trimmed.

Our team would like to extend a special thank you to all Seattle employees who assisted with the project and the subcontractors who donated $12,500 in labor and $10,000 worth of materials.