Northside residents receive house renovation from Fix-A-Home

On Friday, the Orange Chatham Association of Realtors celebrated its 10th anniversary by unveiling its biggest Fix-A-Home community service project yet.

The renovation recipients, Paul and Belinda Caldwell, barely recognized their Northside home as they stepped into it for the first time in five weeks.

After taking his first glance of the new home upon entering the front door, Mr. Caldwell embraced Fix-A-Home committee chair Anne Hoole with tears in his eyes.

“It’s beautiful,” he said.

The Caldwells have lived in the house at 600 Church St. for more than 40 years.

Over the past month, the home has undergone major transformations.

Both Caldwells held careers at UNC and were chosen as the project’s recipients because of their lifelong service to the community.

Hoole said this was a wonderful opportunity to give back to them.

“Mr. Caldwell has come every day to do his crossing duty — he’s a crosswalk guard for Northside Elementary School,” Hoole said.

“He comes twice a day, and he sits up on the corner, just one house up; he has not come to the house, at least he’s told us that, because he wants to be surprised.”

Although Mr. Caldwell wanted to build suspense for the big reveal as he listened to the renovations unfold from around the corner each day, he couldn’t wait to get back in his home.

He and his wife stayed in Durham with their son, Andre Caldwell, while the house was being transformed.

Orange Chatham Association of Realtors committee member Jackie Tanner said they went all out for the 10th anniversary and were able to do much more with the home this year.

“These people have been so sweet and nice, and we had the opportunity for them to be out of the house for longer than the usual week that we have, so I think we took that and ran with it,” she said.

The Fix-A-Home project surpassed the anticipated donation amount of $10,000 this year, Hoole said. The Caldwells received far more than what they could imagine for their home.

This year was different, because Fix-A-Home volunteers were able to completely replace the roof as well as all of the major systems in the house — the plumbing, electrical, HVAC systems and more.

Aside from a few tweaks and minor touches left to do, like replacing the windows, the house is new.

“I almost can’t talk about that without crying — it’s huge, huge,” Tanner said on the impact she, other volunteers and donors have left on the Caldwell family. “If you had seen this place before, it’s unbelievable — the difference.”

Walls were painted, floors were rebuffed and replaced, but the character and memories teeming within the Caldwell home remained.

Mrs. Caldwell said she didn’t have a favorite part of the newly refurbished house – she loved everything.

Mr. Caldwell had a special connection to the back living room of the house; he became emotional as he sat on the couch and looked around at the new additions.

He finally got up from his seat when his daughter, Maria Farrington, urged him to see the rest of his newly renovated house.

“When it gets cold, I can build a fire to supplement the heat system,” Mr. Caldwell said, about his new back living room. “I love the smell of that oak and hickory when it fires up — I hope it gets cold really soon. I can’t wait to get back there.”

Orange Chatham Association of Realtors President Sandra Paul said to almost completely renovate a house, it takes a community effort.

“It’s taken a lot of the partners and business trade people to help us do that, and they’ve given us their skills free of charge,” she said. “And then, the volunteers have either given us stuff to put in the house, they’ve helped raise money or they’ve been here working.”

When asked if he was ready for the celebratory dinner, Mr. Caldwell declined.

“I don’t need food — y’all have filled me,” he said.

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