Pat Noonan's Story

When I first met with Amy and Harry to begin discussing the plans for their remodel, I walked away with the feeling that I would get this job, that I wanted this job.  Call it optimism, call it 17 years of builder’s instinct and hundreds of client meetings, or just call it a personal connection, but my gut told me that I was going to get this job.

I will never forget the day Amy told me of her diagnosis. Though I had only had a few hours of interaction with her, it affected me on a very personal level.  It had nothing to do with business or with the loss of a potential project.  It had to do with the past experience of watching my Mother battle breast cancer, with having two kids about the same age as Amy’s and with feeling like this could be my wife.  I told her that it wasn’t the last page, that it was a curable diagnosis and that when she beat cancer we would pick up where we left off.

A month later my phone rang.  It was Amy, calling from her chemo chair.  She told me she was not going to let cancer dictate her life.  She was going to beat this and wanted to come home to a new house and a new life.  I was humbled.  I knew I had to make this project happen and I was determined to make a difference: not for my business, but for Amy and her family. 

I picked up the phone and started calling my subcontractors and suppliers.  I thought it was futile; in this economy, who would be willing to cut their prices and help someone they never met?  That was when my faith in the inherent good in people was restored.  Across the board, people started to help.  The project began to gain momentum and we even started adding to the scope of the remodel.  Six months later, I was able to give Amy and Harry the keys to their new home.  Without a doubt, it was the proudest moment of my career.  Without the help of everyone involved, this project would never have broken ground and certainly would never have been what it is.  Thank you for your time to tour and support this project and cause.