Demolition work is underway on Donald Reyes’s family home in Valley Stream as Rescuing Families, a Franklin Square-based nonprofit, continues preparations for disability-friendly renovations to accommodate the family’s needs.
Renovations will include an open floor plan to allow Reyes, who was paralyzed because of a surfing accident in the 1990s, to maneuver his wheelchair uninterrupted, as well as improve accessibility entering the home and inside the bathroom and kitchen.
A handful of volunteers led by the nonprofit’s co-founders, Gina and Vincent Centauro, began tearing away plaster walls on Aug. 12, continuing the project initiated in May after the team cleared out furniture, cabinetry and fixtures from the home.
Douglas’s parents, Lorenzo and Alba Reyes, are his primary caregivers. However, Lorenzo has Parkinson’s disease and Alba suffers from severe back pain. The renovations are intended to accommodate all three family members.
The process of demolition will take about two weeks, according to Gina.
“You don’t just go in there with a sledgehammer and start bashing everything,” she said. “You have to reverse-engineer it and pull it down in a similar way it was put up.”
Between the careful procedures the team must follow and the hot weather limiting them from working extended periods, the Centauros are prioritizing safety.
According to Lou DiGregorio, a volunteer who has assisted with four of the nonprofit’s previous projects, tearing down the walls has to be done in layers. Because the house was built at a time when walls were constructed using cement, the team will have to remove the layer of plaster, break down the cement and tear down the remaining wood without disrupting any existing electrical or plumbing work.
“Old homes like this one have small rooms,” DiGregorio said. “By taking down walls and reconstructing, we can make more space to accommodate a wheelchair.”
After the walls are torn down, he said, they will be reconstructed with sheetrock.
Vincent said nearly the entire home will undergo some kind of renovation, including the existing wooden ramp, which was constructed decades ago in the backyard and currently provides Douglas’s only access to the home.
“This is the worst thing you would ever want to see,” Vincent said. “It’s rickety, it moves, and it’s very dangerous.”
The team will construct a new 40-foot ramp using structural wood and composite decking — sturdier materials — that will decline one inch per foot, totaling 40 inches, from the back of the home to ground level.
Because there is not enough space to accommodate the 40-foot ramp in a straight line, the ramp will feature a switchback design, sloping in one direction before pivoting and continuing the decline in the other direction.
Next, Vincent said, a wall sectioning off the kitchen at the back of the home will be knocked down to make room for a sliding door, which the ramp will provide access to.
The new kitchen will feature pull-down cabinetry, allowing shelves to be lowered toward the user and then returned to their original position, as well as low counters so Douglas can access them from his wheelchair.
All the windows and floors will be replaced, Vincent said, and new appliances, including a washer and dryer, will be installed.
The existing bathroom, containing a bathtub, will be combined with the half bathroom, which contains a toilet and sink, to create a larger space to improve mobility.
Most importantly, Vincent said, the bathtub will be removed entirely and replaced with a roll-in shower, which is level with the floor and can be accessed with a wheelchair.
Lastly, Douglas’s current bedroom will be expanded to include a portion of the front of the home that was once a porch, as well as the hallway leading to the bathroom and his parents’ bedroom, which will be widened from 30 inches to 40.
“Douglas will have a lot more living space,” Vincent said.
Gina said after demolition is complete, the nonprofit will consult with the Plumbing, Heating and Cooling Contractors of Long Island and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 25, based in Hauppauge, which will both provide volunteers to conduct plumbing and electrical services.
Because this renovation is so extensive, Gina said, she and Vincent must file permits and bring in licensed professionals to complete specialized work.
However, once the plumbing and electrical work is complete, the Centauros, both licensed contractors, can finally begin rebuilding.
