Simon and Miriam* thought they were buying a nice home in a safe neighbourhood with good schooling for their four young boys. But when they moved in, they discovered what they’d actually bought was a house that, amid a terminal diagnosis, would plague their health, finances and wairua for years to come.
“We purchased [the home] with my dad’s help to start with. But it was only looked at once, by him. Then when we came here, that’s when we started to find problems,” says Miriam, who’s youngest son was born at the house.
The family’s dream home, although newer than their first home, was in fact a cold, damp house with water running down from the back of the section and underneath the house like a river, bursting out a small basement door. Windowsills were heaving with rot and the bathroom had been flooded between viewing the home and moving in, causing damage to flooring that would later contribute to a horrific accident for Simon.
“We have drains out the side of the house where water bubbles back up through the concrete. It’s like the drainage hasn’t been done,” says Miriam.
“Every time the council did work on the street, we’d have pipes burst. We learned that the guy we bought it off, he’s one of those that goes around doing a quick fix. It felt like we’d taken on a big house full of problems,” she says, sitting at her dining table, surrounded by family photos and Simon’s artwork on the walls.
“You look forward to being able to own your own home. But this … it was like opening a can of worms,” she says, adding that due in part to the original ownership structure with her father, the couple couldn’t sell the home and find a better option.
A hard-working dad and a terminal diagnosis
When the young family took on their home, 16 years ago, Simon was a sought-after painter and plasterer busy with work.
“He was working for Housing Corp,” Miriam recalls. “He would do the equivalent of four people’s work – like Housing Corp gave him a house to go to and he’d paint the whole exterior on his own within four days. He’s ambidextrous, he loved it … He was a perfectionist and he was proud of what he did.”
But while Miriam was a stay-at-home mum raising four boys, Simon had to cut down on his work following spinal surgery.
Then when the couple moved to their new home, Simon began having difficulty breathing. Diagnosed with emphysema and pulmonary fibrosis, a result of asbestos exposure from his work, he was put on a sickness benefit and given a life expectancy of five years.
While Simon has outlived this, his conditions haven’t been helped by the issues in their home. Miriam has also been prescribed Ventolin for breathing difficulties developed since moving to the house.
Walls in the children’s rooms and the wall behind the couple’s bedhead are situated at the back of the house where sunlight rarely reaches and flood-prone ground runs high above the home’s ventilation boards – all showed signs of mould and moisture damage.
Miriam tried to patch over some of it as best she could with thick cardboard.
With four sons, plus Simon’s two daughters, a stepson, 10 grandchildren, including one whom Miriam has raised “from day dot”, she says their home has always been an open house and a place where they’ve tried to support others less fortunate than them.
“Our door is always open. We know so many children that when they were young and used to have troubles, they knew they could come here. This was a safe house. They still come here as teens. We are non-judgemental and we try and do what we can for others.”
But she worries about the impact an unhealthy home could have on the littlest members of her whānau especially.
A 2019 Otago University study found that children living in damp, mouldy homes were five times more likely to be hospitalised with respiratory illnesses.
“Those grandchildren, if there were to be any affect on them, I’d never forgive myself. We’ve not been in a position to be able to do anything about it.”
The family has faced further financial hardship since the death of Miriam’s father and issues pertaining to his will.
While Miriam says their children have stepped up to help with maintaining what they have, including learning how to paint and plaster from their dad, Simon hasn’t been able to keep up with the work required around the home, or cover the costs of any major repairs.
When an attempt was made to fix rotten flooring, things ended in a horrific accident.
“We had a piece of board in the hallway to stop people going through the floor,” says Miriam. “He tripped and ripped his whole nose off. He had 24 stitches.”
A helping hand in ‘a very dark time’
By way of referral, Simon and Miriam were put in touch with Sustainability options in 2021 and an assessment of their home was carried out by co-founder Phil Gregg.
Larrisa says as Phil explained to her how Sustainability Options could help her whānau to repair their home, she was brought to tears.
“When [Sustainability Options] came along, it had been a very, very, dark time for us.
“Phil came and said, ‘Look, we’re going to do this. We’re going to do that.’
“You guys were real. To be told you’re going to get a new bathroom … there’s no way we could have done that. I was completely blown away. We were so overwhelmed; I was in tears.”
The 20 Degrees program journeyed alongside Miriam and Simon to repair and replace the following:
Gib and wall insulation supplied for bedroom renovations of which the whānau have done the mahi.
Simon and Miriam also arranged plastering, painting and plumbing work to be done for their bathroom renovation and floor repair.
A heat pump was installed along with curtains and rails to replace vertical blinds. Window latches were fitted along with draught proofing on windows and an extraction fan in the bathroom.
Miriam says seeing her home in the process of finally being brought up to a healthy standard has been emotional.
“There’s not many people that go out and do what you guys are doing for families. We can’t thank you guys enough for everything you’ve come and done for us.
“We’re so much happier. We feel like we can actually live in the house now … this is all such a blessing. It gives you positivity and reason to believe that there are good people out there, marvellous people.”
*Names are pseudonyms for privacy.
