Castellano Custom Homes broke ground for its second Home for Hope on April 23 at a soil turning ceremony in Cochrane's Sunset neighbourhood.
Trade professionals and partners and the Castellano team are teaming up to provide expertise, labour and materials towards building a two storey house which will be sold in the fall.
Proceeds will be shared between the Alberta Children's Hospital Foundation and the Stollery Children's Hospital Foundation.
The house will be built at 25 Sunvalley View SW in Sunset Ridge. Building materials are scheduled to arrive Wednesday.
Members of the Calgary and Edmonton-based hospital foundations, local, provincial and federal government representatives, and trades people gathered for refreshments and to chat about the project on Tuesday.
Castellano Custom Homes’ Sam Iaquinta’s son Ben was two-and-a-half years old when he contracted a virus and he was rushed to the Alberta Children’s Hospital in Calgary with a life-threatening condition.
“He almost passed away, but he survived and he’s healthy today,” Iaquinta said.
Ben will be 14 in September.
As he thanked the developer Melcor, and all the various trades and suppliers that are working together on the project, Iaquintahad to stop to gather himself.
The house should be completed in seven months. Given the current market, Iaquinta expects it to sell quickly, for well over $1 million.
They have chosen to target the proceeds towards Pediatric Critical Care Transport, something the manager of community initiatives at the children’s hospital foundation called a “sort of mobile ICU.”
Melanie Sortland said quick transport is especially crucial when it comes to treating sick children.
“Their metabolisms are faster, their airways are smaller, so their condition can change from stable to life-threatening in a matter of minutes,” Sortland said.
The company built their first Home for Hope in Airdrie during the pandemic and raised $200,000 for the two foundations.
