AVON, Ohio – Northeast Ohio may face some of the chilliest days of the year, but a community has come together with an idea that will warm people’s hearts: the St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway.
“It`ll be nice to know that we helped to benefit children with special needs,” said Brett Stec, owner of Stec Construction.
Buckingham Homes helped bring the idea to Avon, and now Stec’s company is helping out. The home is almost entirely being built with donated materials and time. It’s located in the Red Tail Golf Community.
Stec said there have been a few hiccups this week, thanks to Mother Nature.
‘We started on Monday. We worked an eight-hour day on Monday, but yesterday was too cold, so we took the day off,” he said. “And this morning, we had problems with everything freezing up. But, we got, after about an hour, an hour-and-a-half of defrosting everything, we finally got working.”
Adam Maile, a foreman for Stec, said the project has otherwise run smoothly.
“We`re building the first-floor walls right now, and getting ready to brace that off and put up the second floor and basically the rough framing aspect of the house,” Maile said.
Once completed, the $400,000 home will be fully furnished by Lay-Z-Boy. Then, it will be raffled off for $100 a ticket. All proceeds from the Dream Home Giveaway will benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
“It’s 2,600-2,700 square feet, has a two car garage,” Stec said. “I think it`s got four bedrooms, all vaulted ceilings, fireplace. I mean, it` s a pretty nice house for a house that`s going to be given away.”
Raffle tickets will begin selling in spring and one lucky winner will be drawn in June.
But, the bigger prize is who the raffle will benefit.
Maile said it makes the crew’s time – even in the cold – worth every second.
“It`s a good cause,” he said. “Helps a lot of people that are going through some really rough times, families that need the help, and it`s great to be a part of it.”
Fox 8 is a proud sponsor of the Dream House Giveaway. We will continue to share progress of the house and details of the raffle when they become available.