Hammer with a Heart

Major Sponsor

The 2011 Hammer with a Heart event was a great success!  Our volunteer crews repaired 10 homes on its 10th Anniversary on May 7!

Project Home's Hammer with a Heart has been providing free major home repair for lower-income homeowners for 10 years! We have repaired 77 houses in 27 communities in Dane County.

Each year, 6-10 houses are headed up by volunteer Skilled Crew Leaders who choose a house and lead skilled crews in projects like roofing, siding, wheel chair ramps, doors, plumbing, and tree removal. Volunteer Community Leaders lead Community Volunteers in providing basic safety maintenance (smoke detectors, furnace filters, gutter cleaning), yard work and painting.

Highlights from May
Brenda and family in Stoughton

Led by Findorff and supported by Heartland Credit Union

Brenda's husband, 45, has Huntington's disease and is confined to a hospital bed at home.  Their daughter, 17, was diagnosed with Huntington's at a very young age of 9. Brenda had to quit her job to care for them.  They haven't had the money or time to make the repairs needed to their home they've lived in for 19 years.

Brenda and her family's house in Stoughton received a new roof, new kitchen flooring, new half bath, porch ceiling, and tree removal. (L-R) Findorff's skilled crew ZZ Zradicka; Dave Beck-Engel, VP Findorff; Monica Titley, volunteer leader; Stoughton Mayor Donna Olson, Brenda, homeowner; Home Savings Bank executives; Susan Buzby, program coordinator.  Heartland Credit Union sponsored this house.

Skilled roofers-current and retired Findorff employees and relatives.  Other skilled volunteers worked inside. The value of the work completed at this home was $20,000.

Community volunteer Joanne, with Brooke, Brenda's daughter.

Crew Leader, ZZ, loads shingles onto roof.

2011 Financial Sponsors

Hammer with a Heart is made possible by these business supporters:

Major Sponsors:
JH Findorff & Son
Community Shares of WI
American Family Insurance
Heartland Credit Union
Johnson Bank
Town Bank
Summit Credit Union

House Sponsors:
JH Findorff & Son
Carpenters Local #314
Madison Area Builders Association
NARI of Madison
Waunakee Remodeling
Veridian Homes
Hickory Ridge Log Homes

Material Sponsors:
Associated Bank
Wisconsin Community Bank
Wegner LLP
Godfrey & Kahn
Home Savings Bank
Hausmann-Johnson Insurance

Beverly's House

Led by Carpenters Local #314 and Summit Credit Union

Volunteers

Fill out a volunteer registration. Deadline for May 2012 will be February 15, 2012.

Roof Medix House, Paul, Volunteer Community Leader, and Mary, homeowner in Stoughton; right photo: NARI of Madison house, volunteers in McFarland).

Approximately 125 people volunteer each year in late April to early-mid May. The building materials are often discounted or donated by area businesses.  Business Sponsors provide funds to help underwrite the cost of providing significant repairs for each of the 6-10 homes. We also rely on corporate sponsorships to support the program and purchase materials and services that we cannot get donated or discounted. 

A new option through our website is the opportunity to donate items in good shape from area homeowners. Kitchen appliances, bath fixtures, and lumber are excellent products to receive, and we provide a donation letter for your taxes. JH Findorff & Son provides partial program underwriting, as well as a skilled crew for one of the houses each year. 

The Volunteer Crew Leaders are mostly employed in, or own construction companies. They create crews with other skilled tradespeople like electricians and plumbers when needed. The Community Volunteers are from local companies, churches, community service organizations, college groups, and lots of individuals, and many have volunteered for several years. Project Home staff match the selected houses with additional community volunteers to assist the skilled volunteers, and carry out a variety of other work like lawn care, window cleaning, etc. Typically there are between 10-20 people at each house the first Saturday in May. 

How Hammer with a Heart Works - For Homeowners

Each fall, Project Home seeks lower-income homeowners who live in Dane County to apply to receive free minor to major home repair through Hammer with a Heart. The 10th annual event was on Saturday, May 7, 2011. 

Applications are available online on the menu on the left or from our office, (608) 246-3737. The deadline has passed for the May 2012 event but the next deadline is October 31, 2012 for May 2013.  See income chart below.

Click here for more home owner information

Applying for Hammer with a Heart--The Process

Complete applications are reviewed and the first selections are made by late November. Two staff from Project Home visit all of the eligible and appropriate candidates to see if the work requested meets sufficient need, is within our skill level, and meets our time availability, and if we can obtain the needed materials and permits. We will schedule a visit to see the house issues usually between early November and mid December.

Staff then select the most appropriate applications and bring them to the committee of Volunteer Crew Leaders. Typically each select two houses to visit and choose one that is the best fit.  If your house is selected, you will likely be notified by early March. We will probably repair twelve houses this coming year.  The selection of houses is up to Project Home staff and Crew Leaders.  If turned down, homeowners can reapply the next year unless they are advised that they are not appropriate candidates.

The best homeowner candidates have work that can be completed mostly in one day on the first Saturday in May, although some houses have taken 3-4 weeks.  

If you are interested in replacement of many windows and/or doors, please know your application may not make it through the first round. New windows and doors are very expensive and rarely increase the comfort of a home or reduce energy bills by very much. There are many other places in a home that contribute to it being cold.  If you do not know if you have appropriate projects for Hammer with a Heart, call Susan at 246-3737 to discuss them.

Hammer with a Heart - Homeowner Eligibility Requirements

• Single family owner occupied home, not a mobile home or condominium (duplexes can be considered).
• Located in Dane County.
• House must be in need of repairs that impact health, safety, comfort or be accessibility improvements.
• House must be structurally sound.
• Repair needs must be mostly addressed through this work, not have serious problems remain (indicates project is too large).
• Homeowner must be cooperative to work with, polite and appreciative of volunteers.
• Total annual household income must meet these income guidelines.

If the repairs significantly increase the value of your home (like a kitchen or bath remodel which isn't very common), some homeowners may need to sign a five-year forgivable loan for the assessed value of the repairs (usually between $3,000 - $7,000). This loan will be forgiven at 20% per year and completely forgiven if the homeowner does not sell, transfer ownership, take equity out of, or move from this home for five years. The assessed value of the repairs will be determined after the home inspection and before any loan agreement is signed.

Call Susan or Kathy at 608.246.3737 for more information.

Archive photos

Hammer with a Heart 2010 was a Big Success!

In 2010, we repaired 12 homes plus a low-income apartment building for Hammer with a Heart.

Thanks very much to all of the volunteers, crew leaders, volunteer leaders, donors and material sponsors who helped make Hammer with a Heart such a success. Project Home and nearly 200 volunteers helped 12 homeowners and their families, and the Prairie Crossing Apartments by making significant home repairs inside and out for those who cannot afford to make the repairs themselves (for more photos from 2010 Hammer projects, click on Hammer with a Heart Gallery on the left).  If your company is interested in sponsorship, please call Susan or see the homepage HOW TO HELP/Become a Sponsor. 

Some of the highlights from Hammer with a Heart 2010 include:

Madison Area Builders Association

LeeAnne and her two young boys now have a newly sided home and gutters, plus a new furnace, water softener, air conditioner and safe steps from their front door. Crew led by Madison Area Builders Association (LeeAnne on right, and MABA crew)

W.E. Davies + Sons Remodeling

  Elizabeth with Ruby in new kitchen. W.E. Davies & Sons Remodeling led skilled crew, member of NARI of Madison)   Elizabeth is thrilled with her new kitchen cupboards, as she loves to cook for her extended family. She is also happy about the new front door, and also appreciates the grading to her yard that will help prevent water from coming into her basement.  

NARI of Madison  

             

(Jay and Tim, skilled NARI crew leaders, Marie, volunteer leader, Paul roofing) 

NARI and community volunteers assisted Donna, her daughter and grandchildren by removing a bathroom window and replacing a shower surround to fix a serious water problem, replaced the garage roof, and made several plumbing repairs, and community volunteers cleaned windows, cleaned up yard and spread grass seed.   

Assisting Elderly and Disabled Recipients 

Gertrude, 88, has a new bathroom - shower, sink and toilet, flooring, and wainscoting to replace the pink plastic tile, courtesy of Renew-It Bath Systems.   Michael, 55, who has a degenerative bone disease, has new siding and gutters on his garage, new gutters on his home courtesy of Hickory Ridge Log Homes, and a new toilet and flooring, and a well-maintained yard.   Jim, 57, has a new wheelchair-accessible deck which will allow him to get fresh air and sunshine while enjoying the outdoors with family and friends, courtesy of Carpenters Union #314 led by Randy Reitmann.  Peggy, 58, now has accessible doors, a wheel chair ramp, and a hazard-free garden that will allow her to stay in her home, also courtesy of Carpenters Union #314 led by Jim Bakken.

New Energy-efficiency and Safety Upgrades 

Community volunteers provide basic home maintenance work  including replacing old light bulbs with energy-saving compact fluorescent light bulbs, washing windows, installing needed smoke detectors and cleaning dryer vent pipes to improve energy efficiency.       (photo, Bobby installing a new dryer vent)  

A Hammer with a Heart recipient wrote:

"I wanted to write and say thank you again for all the wonderful things you and your staff have done for me. All day long as I watched the volunteers there were nothing but smiles and moods were nothing but positive. All seemed to be happy to be here helping and doing such hard work... I could never have done this on my own. A great stress has been lifted. Thank you all."  Ray

We are grateful to the hard-working people who participated in Hammer with a Heart.

Brief History

Even though Project Home’s two home repair programs charged low fees for repairs ($10/hour) for low- to moderate income residents, the cost was often too expensive for our low-income customers.

We determined that a program was needed to provide free home repair. As a result, Hammer with a Heart was formed in 2002 to meet that unmet need.