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Signature Homes - Our Heart's In The Right Place
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Forsyth family members view their new floor
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Mark Sainsbury from Close Up at the handover
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Waitakere Mayor Bob Harvey lays the first brick
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The Forsyths outside their new home
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Signature Homes West Auckland have recently been coordinating a remarkable community project that aims to provide a new home for the Forsyth family, who have recently experienced a very unfortunate series of events.
Click here to view a televised feature on this special project, presented by TVNZ's Close Up
Click here to view part 2 of the televised feature on this special project, presented by TVNZ's Close Up
Both Signature Homes West Auckland and the Forsyths would like to take this opportunity to thank the following organisations for their support in contributing to assist the Forsyth Family into a home that will meet their special needs. Without your kindness and generosity this project would not have been possible.
Able Stairs Service Ltd
ACC
Acrow Scaffolding Ltd
A C Martian Metalworks
BCL Surveyors
Boston Wardrobes
Cameron Dyer
Camolot Residential
Carpet Link
Carters
City View Heights
Dominator Garage Doors
Engineering Design Consultants
European Ceramic Tiles Ltd
Firth Industries
Fisher & Paykel
Floor Co
Gill & Gundry Concrete Construction Ltd
Global Linings Ltd
Gib Winstone Wallboards
Goode Industries Ltd
Graeme Robertson
Handle Solutions
H & R Bricklayers
Hydro-tech Drainage
Ian Cochrane Fencing
Kiwi Clotheslines
Lasque Construction Ltd
Lifestyle Architectural Services
Plumbing World
Monier Bricks & Roofing
Project 71
Shelley van Lierop Kitchen Designs
Sunnynook Plumbing
Premier Cleaners
Premier Insulation
Pryor Consultants Engineering
Super Loo
Texturite
The Shower Crewe
Tribro Bins
Triline
Vantage Aluminium Joinery
Signature Homes Ltd
Signs on Mars
Waitakere City Council
Wattyl Paints
Winstone Glass
Hardcase containers
Swanson Transport
Mike Dawson Builders
DVS
Geoff Stafford
Skiffington Outdoors
Euro Design Benchtops
Parbury
Laser Electrical
Zane Raphael builders
Wade Haldane builders
Hit and run victim James Forsyth had been living in a motel for 3 years. The partially paralysed 19 year old would have preferred to go home after his discharge from hospital, but the house he had once shared with his parents, two sisters and a brother wasn't suitable, especially with James' dad also in a wheelchair.
The Forsyths had been searching for a bigger more practical home ever since, and then finally, they found it.
Their new house in Massey, was designed and built by Signature Homes West Auckland, in true "Your Home. Your Way" fashion.
With generous support from their regular suppliers and sub-contractors, together with family friends, well wishers, Waitakere City Council and TV1, the goal of helping the whole family get back together under one roof was actually reached. James was able to move back in with his dad John, mum Priscilla, sisters Leilani and Lily, and brother Raynard, on March 14th 2009. No more trips to the motel or good nights over the phone. Back together at last.
The home was unveiled live on television show Close Up on March 12th with host Mark Sainsbury, to follow up on the previous stories and update the rest of NZ on the happy ending. "It's brilliant" says James "It's been a dream for a while but now it's a reality."
James then 17, was on a BMX heading to the dairy for some milk, when 2 men in a white stationwagon or van forced him off the road in September 2006. He was pedalling along Glengarry Rd when the vehicle pulled up alongside, around 5cm from his handlebars. His only escape was over a grass verge and into a retaining wall. Despite being featured on television show "Police 10/7" the culprits have never been caught.
James' father John Forsyth was diagnosed with motor neuron disease a few years ago. Motor neuron disease is an incurable degenerative disorder that progressively destroys the nerve cells controlling essential muscle activity such as speaking, walking, breathing and swallowing. John loves his family dearly and wants only the best for them, and they in turn would do anything for him.
The Challenge
Given the size of today's new sections, it was quite a challenge for the designers to come up with a design that worked for 2 wheelchairs and 4 others! The 2 storey home has 3 bedrooms and a standard bathroom upstairs with 2 bedrooms and 1 ½ special needs bathrooms downstairs. A large open plan living space for the kitchen, dining room and lounge flows out onto a covered patio and lawn overlooking the Waitakere ranges. A far cry from the 4, very close, walls of their old home!
Shear determination
Whilst the Forsyths were able to cover a fair chunk of the building costs by the sale of their family home and with contributions from ACC, more than 140 individuals, companies and suppliers got involved to help out. Donations and assistance ranged from a few hours labour to a house lot of furniture! Added all together, it was enough to deliver a finished, fully furnished, landscaped, suitable home right down to a vege garden and ready lawn, with meat in the freezer, paintings on the walls and sheets on new beds.
Waitakere City Council issued the Building Consent and the Resource Consent in double-quick time in December 2008 and the team at Signature Homes geared up for an early start on 5 January 2009. Through shear determination, the bulk excavation work and the concrete floor was completed before Christmas to be ready in time for the volunteer carpentry teams in the new year.
Later, Mayor Bob Harvey joined others involved with the building project during an official bricklaying ceremony. He had helped to raise community awareness of James' plight shortly after the crash, after reading the story in the local newspaper the "Western Leader". "At first I really wanted to find the person who did it because it just seemed so unfair. But that is the past and this is their future" he says.
A new door opens full of possibilities
Their home is currently the only one on a recently developed section of land but all the extra space provides ample room for James' siblings to practice their soccer skills. James says that being around his sporty family will provide him with the extra motivation he needs to exercise. He has already begun thinking about a possible sporting career despite his physical limitations. "I'm going to get into wheelchair rugby," he says. "It's a really hard sport but, who knows, I might make the Olympics one day." Getting out of the motel and back with his family has stimulated visions of a whole new range of future possibilities for this young man. Plenty of time for discussion around the family dining table, where there is much laughter, love and support.
Leilani, Lily and Raynard are now too eyeing their futures from the comfort of their own rooms, with bright smiles almost as big as their dad Johns. As well as removing the obvious struggle of having to raise one family member living 10 minutes away from the others, we certainly tried to ensure that Priscilla's incredibly busy days are made lighter by the features of her new home. Her biggest joy however, is in having James home again. A remarkable story of a remarkable, very deserving family.
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