The coronavirus can’t stop the renovations underway at the Langley City home of Ken and Sandra Murphy, thanks to this year’s Acts of Kindness (AOK) Extreme Home Repair.

The 2021 project is different than any before, however, thanks to COVID restrictions, said Garth Dauncey, one of the key volunteers on the site.

In the past, you could see up to 150 volunteers on site as crews tore apart and rebuilt houses, an annual project to help local homeowning families who had fallen on hard times and needed housing upgrades.

This time, no more than 10 to 12 people will be on site at a time, Dauncey said, to allow more distancing.

This year’s project started on April 29.

“I wouldn’t say quite halfway yet,” Dauncey said of progress on the house.

On Tuesday, May 11, volunteers were building a new ramp up to the front door, half the siding was off, and the interior was being massively remodelled. A drywall crew was coming later in the month, Dauncey said.

“The bathrooms are completely gutted, and being renovated and enlarged,” he said.

He estimated about 80 per cent of the house is being renovated.

This is all for Ken and Sandra Murphy, the owners.

The couple lost their son in the summer of 2016, followed by a series of health issues for Sandra. For a while, she was in hospital with serious heart issues, and those health problems eventually led to the loss of her feet and several fingers.

The renovations will turn the Langley City rancher into a home that’s wheelchair and scooter accessible.

In the kitchen, the stove will be lowered, and the bathroom will include a sizable roll-in shower.

That’s in addition to new drywall, siding, paint, and other upgrades.

READ MORE: Aldergrove charity’s extreme home repair project gets underway

READ MORE: Help Acts of Kindness build wheelchair-friendly home

Dave Jamieson, the lead pastor at the Church in the Valley, which organizes the Acts of Kindness program, said this year the big change is a need for more cash to help pay for the massive upgrade.

“We’re a little short on funds,” Jamieson said.

The GoFundMe for the Murphy Family – dubbed Acts of Kindness–Extreme Home Repair 2021, is aiming to collect $80,000, and as of early May, it was less than 10 per cent of the way to its goal.

Have a story tip? Email: matthew.claxton@langleyadvancetimes.com