As a long-time resident of Durham and business owner, Loren Webster of One Call Plumbing, has a strong commitment to the community and customer service. Loren's company has seen much success and has quadrupled his business since starting in 2008. He contributes much of his success and support to his family, which is why the company did not hesitate to support another local family in need for the Owen Street Project. During the last several years of growth, Loren has remained

When Juan with Zarazua Painting came to paint the exterior of my house, the burst of activity got a lot of attention. It was clear from the start that this was not a superficial undertaking. Five years prior we had our house painted and it already looked like it was 2 years past due for a repainting. We live in a house that was built in 1932 and unfortunately the company we used before didn’t prepare the wood siding properly. With giant blue tarps and tents, Juan’s team work

When I initially asked Jon if he would be involved with our Owen Street project I spit out the question, held my breath and crossed my fingers. If you want to work with Jon Fish with Acanthus Construction, you typically wait patiently for an opening in his tightly-packed project calendar. Jon has been the one my husband and I have turned to for any major renovation on our home. Once you work with him, you quickly realize that he’s just as much an artist as he is a contractor.

I’ve known Chuck Wilson, president of CT Wilson Construction and the son of the founder, for about three years. I will never forget the first time I spoke with him. I was at a leadership meeting for Durham Public Schools which was being held with a theme entitled “Reconstructing Our Schools”. Of course there were no funds to purchase construction type props, tool kits, construction fencing, traffic cones, caution tape, etc. Therefore, I was reaching out to stores and con

It's always interesting to me how things work out sometimes. It's as if we are intentionally placed somewhere to receive gifts we haven't even considered. This is an example of one of those instances. My intent was to secure paint for the Owen Street Project. I had decided I would ask the Sherwin Williams Stores because of their history of support in the local communities. It was at one of these stores that I met Audrey Odom. Audrey was standing at the counter when I approa

It was late afternoon and I had been calling vendors all day. I was reluctant to make anymore calls because I knew mobs of Tricker-Treaters would soon be ringing my doorbell. We needed windows for our Owen Street Project. I started my search in the now habitual pattern googling "windows"; Renewal by Anderson came up first on the list. Their home office is located in Greensboro but I figured I'd give it shot anyway. The sweetest receptionist answered the phone. I told her

For about a month and a half, I made calls to roofers in Durham, Chapel Hill and Raleigh. Several stated they were just too busy working in Apex after a hail storm. Others had just finished donating materials and labor to repair and replace local churches and non-profits like the Boys and Girls Club. Others just never called back. On Wednesday morning, I was pulling out of my driveway, when I saw a company doing a roof repair at a house across the street. I thought to myse

A visit to Brian Brannock, manager at the Penn Station Lowe’s store reaped wonderful benefits. I went to the store the day before our official visit, to get a feel for what Lowe’s could do for our Owen Street Project. Brian asked where I had been, after calling on him for the last 3 years to secure donations for Durham Public Schools. He was always so supportive with gift cards for my parent meetings, as well as landscaping projects at several Durham Schools. I let him know

Patrick Holland of Holland Pest Control has agreed to help our project by offering a complimentary pest inspection and treatment. He has been a reliable and conscientious inspector for many of our company's clients for many years, providing exceptional service as a residential pest inspector and treating pest infestations, Patrick committed his expert services without hesitation to the Owen Street house because, in his words, "I was taught at a young age that it takes a villa

When Brian Heath, owner of Heath Home Services, received our request to help with this project, he enthusiastically agreed. "I love things like this," he said. Not only is Brian a talented carpenter and handyman, but it turns out he studied social work in college and worked for the VA for several years, so a project like this is a perfect fit and an opportunity for him to use his talents directly to help someone in need. Brian has been invaluable to many Urban Durham agents