Northern Nevada homebuilders unveil completion of STEP2 makeover

The exterior of a cottage on STEP2’s Lighthouse campus in North Reno that was refurbished by Tanamera Construction for the fifth annual cottage makeover, which was celebrated on Thursday, Sept. 30, 2021.

The exterior of a cottage on STEP2’s Lighthouse campus in North Reno that was refurbished by Tanamera Construction for the fifth annual cottage makeover, which was celebrated on Thursday, Sept. 30, 2021. Photo by Kaleb Roedel.

By Kaleb Roedel

Monday, October 4, 2021

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For years, Ryder Homes has been building large communities in fast-growing Northern Nevada.

The project that gives the Reno-based homebuilder the most pride, though, is a small remodel job that has a big impact on one person’s life.

For the fifth straight year, Ryder Homes adopted a cottage on STEP2’s Lighthouse campus in Reno, which is used by area women recovering from substance use disorders, and donated their time and supplies to revitalize a transitional home.

The fifth annual BAC2Gether project was celebrated on Sept. 30, in recognition of National Recovery Month, with the unveiling of four refurbished cottages. The project is a partnership between local nonprofit STEP2 and the Builders Association Charity (BAC), the charitable arm of the Builders Association of Northern Nevada (BANN).

“It’s one of our passions,” Lynd Hyatt, purchasing manager at Ryder Homes, told the NNBW during the event. “It means a lot to me to give back to this, because my husband and I have a child that has had some of the same issues (as the women in STEP2’s residential treatment program).

“For these girls to go in and have the issues that they have and be able to leave two years later and be able to have their children and be working and live a fulfilled life is everything.”

An inside look at a cottage on STEP2’s Lighthouse campus that was refurbished by Tanamera Construction for the fifth annual cottage makeover, which was celebrated on Thursday, Sept. 30, 2021. Photo: Kaleb M. Roedel

 

Ryder Homes was one of four local homebuilders working — along with their subcontractors and suppliers — on the two- to three-bedroom cottages since June. The other three homebuilders involved in the makeover project this year were Toll Brothers, Tanamera Construction and Di Loreto Homes.

The cost to renovate each cottage — which included new paint, carpeting, appliance, furnishings and more — is approximately $70,000, according to STEP2.

“It blows my mind how much the homebuilders are giving back,” said Mari Hutchinson, CEO of STEP2. “The builders have told me that they have subcontractors fighting over who gets to donate time and materials to this project, which is amazing, especially in the current environment with how expensive housing is and how busy all of these homebuilders are.

“With the lack of workforce and increase in building costs, I was shocked this year when they reached out and said ‘we’re doing it again.’”

Cody Kay, owner of Rocket Electric in Reno, said he was honored when he found out Ryder Homes had selected his company to perform the electrical installation work for the project.

This was the second straight year Rocket Electric donated their services to the BAC2Gether project.

“You can see in real life the changes that it makes for people and their families and their situation,” Kay said. “The community is what makes your business, and when you have a chance to give back like this, you have to take the opportunity. And we definitely went the extra mile doing their cottage.”

To that end, Dan Morgan, CEO of BANN, said the association takes great pride in making sure that the women in STEP2’s program have a “nice, clean, safe and comfortable home to live in.”

In all, there are 25 cottages, which were built more than 20 years ago, on STEP2’s Lighthouse campus. Notably, the women who move into the transitional homes with their families are able to take the new furnishings when they move out.

“It makes me grateful for what I do every day and the fact that I get to work with all of these builders,” said Morgan, noting that there are five remaining cottages that have not been remodeled yet. “We’re already looking forward to next year.”

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