“I Watched Them Build My Home From A Slab” Twanna’s Story, Davidson NC

Twanna spends her days with fourth and fifth graders at the Community School of Davidson, as a teacher’s assistant, moving between classrooms, electives, and small groups. She is the person teachers count on to keep the day flowing and the students grounded. After school she juggles a second job, parenting a teenage daughter, and staying connected to the town where she was born and raised 50 years ago. 

Home has always been the anchor that makes all of that possible.

When Twanna was 29, she did something most of her friends had not yet done. Through the Davidson Housing Coalition’s affordable homeownership program, she bought a three-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bath house built from the ground up. She picked paint colors and flooring. She watched a concrete slab become a house.

“What I loved most was that I could call it mine,” she said. “I had a voice in how it was built. It gave me joy and security to know I had a safe home of my own.”

The house quickly became the backdrop for family life. A housewarming party. Holiday dinners shared with the man who became her husband and birthday celebrations once their daughter arrived. For years, the home did what it was meant to do: hold their stories.

Over time, small concerns turned into clear warning signs.

Periodically, after storms that hit from a certain direction, water would show up in the upstairs ceiling and walls. The drywall began to stain and sag in the stairwell, kitchen, and a guest bedroom. Twanna called people to inspect the roof. No one could find the exact source.

At the same time, systems were failing. The HVAC system had repeated issues with leaks and refrigerant. The water heater was aging. The old thermostat still contained mercury.

All of this weighed heavier because Twanna and her daughter both deal with allergies and sinus issues, and her daughter has asthma.

“I just wanted to make sure nothing in my home was making our health issues worse,” she said. “You think about moisture, mold, leaks, all of that, and it stays on your mind.”

When the problems grew too big to manage alone, she started looking for help. She first applied and completed all the paperwork for another repair program. Because of the type of land-lease agreement attached to her home, she eventually learned she did not qualify for that particular path; but a staff member from that program told her about Rebuilding Together of Greater Charlotte.

Twanna applied and waited. Like many homeowners in high-demand repair programs, she submitted income verification several times as her file moved through funding cycles and project planning. She was hopeful that work might begin in the spring, when school was still in session but her summer break was coming. Delays stretched through the summer as funding and partners shifted.

“It was disappointing, because I was hoping they could start while I was out of school,” she said. “But I also know these are big projects. I just tried to be patient.”

Once Rebuilding Together of Greater Charlotte secured project funding for her home, the change began to feel real. 

After a thorough home assessment that corrects 25 safe and healthy priorities, crews removed a worn carpet and replaced it with waterproof vinyl plank flooring throughout the living room, dining room, kitchen, and half bath. 

They replaced the 20-year-old water heater and installed a new HVAC system, including a modern thermostat that no longer contains mercury and can be controlled by phone.

“They probably thought I was funny,” she joked. “But I feel fancy with that touch screen. Really, it just gives me peace that the heat and air will work when we need them.”

The team also corrected concerns in the kitchen by installing a new dishwasher and garbage disposal with proper wiring and plumbing. After two decades of hand-washing every dish, Twanna is finally able to load a working dishwasher before and after family gatherings.

“I am old-school, so I will still wash some things by hand,” she said. “But now I have the choice. I will not be standing there doing thirty cups after everyone leaves.”

Other safety repairs included fixing damage around the front door frame so it closes properly and installing new smoke detectors throughout the home. A moisture test inside the home came back normal, which brought major relief.

The final phase of the project focuses on the source of the leaks. Rebuilding Together of Greater Charlotte is coordinating with the town arborist to cut back large, aging trees that hang over the house. Once that is complete, crews will replace the roof, install gutter guards, and repair the interior drywall that was damaged by water in the kitchen, stairwell, and upstairs bedroom.

Knowing that those big-ticket items are being addressed changes how Twanna moves through her day.

“These repairs mean my home feels safe again,” she said. “I do not have to worry that the heat will stop working in the winter or that a leak will turn into mold. I can invite people in and feel proud of my home.”

Her daughter can breathe easier, literally and figuratively. The house that once felt stuck between aging systems and unanswered questions is now moving back into alignment with what it was always meant to be, a safe and healthy home.

She once stood on a fresh slab and imagined the future she was building. These repairs make that future feel supported again.

“It gives me a sense of peace and security,” Twanna said. “Our home has been made safer and brought up to date. I am very thankful and humbled by everything Rebuilding Together has done and will be doing. Those repairs are a big blessing.”