GJ Gardner Homes ready to build “The house that Convoy Built”

28 August, 2020

Monday 31^st August 2020 will see the first works commence on a brand new house at Vista Park Wongawilli, to help raise funds for the i98FM Illawarra Convoy & Illawarra Community Foundation. “The house that Convoy Built” is a unique fundraising activity where a brand new house will be built with the help of many tradies and suppliers, donating their time, products and skills for a good cause, with that cause being Convoy & Illawarra Community Foundation. The idea of building a house for auction with proceeds going towards the foundation came about after fundraising group The Dandaloo Boys (consisting of Al Doherty, Rob Starcic & Paul Hadley) met with property group Sheargold and then pitched the idea to the Illawarra Community Foundation.

When Sheargold generously donated the block of land at Vista Park Wongawilli which is located Corner of Wongawilli Rd and Bankbrook Drive, Wongawilli valued at $440,000 the idea of building a house became reality. Custom designed by ADM Architects, this three bedroom house also features open plan living with two generous living areas, alfresco dining, a double car garage, and more. GJ Gardner Homes Wollongong will project manage the build and source local donors to ensure the house is not only built, but with minimal cost incurred by the Illawarra Community Foundation prior to completion and auction in 2021. This isn’t the first home GJ Gardner homes have built for a charity, with the team from Wollongong/Shoalhaven also completing two houses for Variety, The Children’s Charity in 2014 & 2019. These previous projects contributed over $609,000 to Variety.

“We are excited to take on and project manage the build. We are in a fortunate position to be able to contribute back to our local community. We are inspired by the great work of The Illawarra Community Foundation and it’s an honour to be able to build ‘The house that Convoy Built’. The best part about this project is that we can contribute by doing what we do best - building houses, and in the process we can raise awareness for this charity that does such amazing things for families in our community to help reduce their financial and emotional worries when suffering potentially life threatening illness. It’s so heart-warming to see our local trades and building partners get behind this project. The more community support we get, the more kids we can help,” explained Sean Vickery, Director and owner of G.J Gardner Homes Wollongong & Shoalhaven.“

The project is scheduled for completion in May 2021, with the auction of the house anticipated for May/ June 2021. “This is a project many local suppliers and donors have already committed to being involved with” said Convoy and Illawarra Community Foundation manager, Mark Rigby. “This is going to be a special house, where the winning bidder will not only be buying the house, but the house will also include everything you need like beds, lounges, tvs, security system, air conditioning accessories and more, so if you win at the auction, you can just turn the key and start living!”

“During the build we will be providing updates on i98FM, the website, and via WIN news so you can track the progress of the build” said i98FM breakfast host Marty Haynes. “Thanks to everyone who has pledged their support so far, and a big thanks ADM Architects for planning the house, to Luke Rollinson at MMJ Wollongong for preparing the development consent, and of course to GJ Gardner Homes Wollongong for coordinating the build. We can’t wait to see this project commence, and as we see with many projects for Convoy, we can’t wait to see the community spirit that will really drive this project along.”

To find out more about the house, or to get involved head to the website www.convoyhouse.com.au