Custom Designs Incorporated

Wayland to Waveland

On October 10th, 2006 Custom Designs, Inc. in conjunction with the town of Wayland, Massachusetts will lead a relief effort to Waveland, Mississippi. This will be our third trip to the Gulf Coast and the 1st time that we will be able to make a substantial step in helping to rebuild this devastated area. Custom Designs will be bringing 6 employees and will be joined by plumbers from George Patey and Sons, Inc., local electricians and volunteers from the town of Wayland. We will be driving down on October 10th with the hope of commencing work on October 13th. We will be bringing trucks capable of carrying all the materials to get us started, much of which we hope to have donated. We are hoping to be finished by October 23rd, arriving back in Wayland on the 25th. Many volunteers will be flying down at their own expense.

We have identified three projects that we will be working on:

The first project required a design from scratch. An architect from South Natick, Michael Collins, AIA, donated his time to design a new home for a woman in Waveland whose home was completely wiped out by Katrina. Those plans were finished up on Sept. 1st 2006. The homeowner is getting the site work and foundation done in September so that we may frame the structure in October. We plan on framing the house and deck, installing the roof and windows, and doing some limited electrical and plumbing rough-in work.

The second project is across the street from the 1st. It is owned by a charming woman in her late 70’s. Her house is still standing but was completely flooded with water over the roof line. Interior demolition has been completed. We are planning on doing all new windows (there are none in the house), miscellaneous rot and framing repairs, electrical work and a new roof. We also plan on doing extensive work in her yard, which is completely overgrown and in disrepair. The yard was, and is still, very important to her.

The third project is the home of a local artist. He also lost his house in the hurricane. He has been somewhat of a local hero both during the storm and through his work and commitment to the town since the storm. He was able to salvage and reclaim an abutting home and has reset the home on a new foundation. We plan on supplying and installing new windows, a new deck, and doing some electrical and plumbing rough-in work.

Any additional time, should we have it, will be funneled through Path Finder Mission. This organization has been on the ground in Waveland for the past nine months and has an ongoing list of local resident’s needs and projects on which we can work.

We are excited for the opportunity to get started on these projects and to try and make a difference to a few people that have had their lives devastatingly altered. This is an opportunity to help Americans who desperately need our help. Mountains are climbed with many small steps.

We are hoping that you and your organization and or business can help out and add to our growing list of supporters. We are actively pursuing donations of building materials, money and or volunteers to help with this project. We appreciate your time and look forward to talking with you. If you would like more information please contact us or visit the website: www.waylandtowaveland.org.

Please click here to see pictures.