#Ubuntu10Year: 2014
In 2014, the important work of preparing the future Ubuntu House began…
Eric and Melissa Hall, Ubuntu Staff members from 2014-2015, share a timeline of events from 2014 documenting the building progress of the Ubuntu House. It’s incredible to look back and see all the hard work that went into making the House into the Home that it is today, where we now cater to 30 boys rather than the original anticipated 15! Check out the gallery of “before” photos here and scroll to the bottom for the “after” photos.
May 2014
Ubuntu is making progress on the renovation of the Academy House. We finally have some plans in place with estimates coming in from contractors to start the renovation of the house. It is a huge project with so much work to be done to make it a great place for the boys to thrive. The Academy house will be home for 10-14 boys and the on-site cottages will be used for office space and housing volunteers and interns. This will definitely be an “extreme home makeover” and an incredible transformation!
June 2014
Workers started clearing the Ubuntu property of junk, trash, and brush just this week. Late last week all of the coaches met to pray at the property for God’s presence, protection, and favor throughout the project. There is so much work to be done but there is also so much potential! We hope that this house will be a safe place for our Academy kids. We want this to be a place where the feel the unconditional love of Jesus and they experience what it’s like to live in a healthy family environment.
July 2014
Big progress is happening with the Academy House! We had a huge answer to prayers with Journey Church in Raleigh and Coast to Coast in South Africa donating funds to cover the cost of the security wall around the property. This was a huge expense and was outside of our initial renovation budget. This wall is definitely necessary to keep the children living on the property safe. We have enough now to build a 2.4meter (8ft) wall with electric fencing at the top!
The guys started doing the brickwork to close up the garage (converting it into the dormitory), and they began removing walls inside the main house to make the space more usable. Things change daily and we will continue to document our progress. Some of our boys have had the opportunity to look at the house and the property. They are amazed that all of this is for them.
August 2014
Big progress is happening again this month with the Academy House! The security wall is going up and the new roof is going on. We had a huge local donation of kitchen appliances and some bedroom furniture! But wait there’s more…a friend donated $500 for books so that we could create a library at the house for reading! The house is constantly changing. Every day it looks different than the day before. There is still so much to do, but God is providing each and every need and even some wishes (like the books)!
September 2014
The wall around the Academy House was completed and the gate was put in place. The last of our squatters were evicted from the property as well. The main house roof and the dorm roof were completed. We also received a donation of furniture and kitchen appliances from a local group that was closing its residence house temporarily. We are now focusing on the interior spaces like bathrooms, bedrooms, and the kitchen. We also hope to have enough in the budget to complete the office space and cottage space that will be used to house both long-term and short-term volunteers. The Academy house is coming together!
October 2014
The gate is up and the roof is on BUT our progress is slow and our budget is shrinking! We have hit a few unexpected roadblocks along the way that have slowed the process. We are hoping to have the house move-in ready before the December Builder’s Holiday, but we still have some major plumbing, electrical and interior work to do. We also have all the stuff to do to make it look nice (trim, paint and landscaping)! There will be 16 boys living in our Academy House. The new school year starts in mid-January so everything must be totally complete soon!
November 2014
I wish I had great news about our progress with the house but instead we have had lots of challenges this month. We had problems with squatters and problems with damage to existing completed work. We do have a plan to have the house completed by January, so I am hopeful that we are going to see major changes soon. I know God’s timing is always better than mine, so I know He has this project covered. We are working on the electrical now and the plumbing is next! Excited to welcome 15 of our boys into this house soon.
January 2015
The boys moved into the Academy House this month! The house is beautiful, and God has been so faithful in helping us complete this project. In the end it is not just a house: it is truly a home. We have prayed that this property will be filled with the Holy Spirit and that He will breathe on anyone and everyone that comes to our gate.
