New division of Community Building Works! does home improvement
By Ashley Mercure Published in the Ithaca Journal May 22, 2011
The non-profit home-building organization Community Building Works! now has a division that deals with home improvement, called the 2Good2BTru Crew.
The 4-year-old non-profit organization is known for building affordable, green housing locally and abroad.
"Our mission is two-fold," said Jack Jensen, Community Building Works! executive director. "For every house we build, we also build one internationally."
The organization established the 2Good2BTru Crew to work on smaller jobs in between house-building projects and to keep up with demand.
"People were constantly coming up to us saying, 'We have this small job,' or 'We need a new roof,' and we said 'Sure,' " Jensen said.
The group has insurance and few overhead costs, he said.
A note left by client Mica French on a kitchen counter called the group "2Good2BTru," and the name stuck.
The 2Good2BTru Crew consists of Jensen, who has 39 years of experience as a carpenter and architect; Nate Litwin, a former lawyer turned carpenter; and Robb Johnsrud, who formerly ran Coy Glen Construction. Jensen said that all three of them have good people skills and customer relations.
Unlike the Community Building Works! house-building projects, the 2Good2BTru Crew doesn't use volunteers.
"Having built houses, their skill level is very high. They have done everything from foundation to hanging the bathroom mirrors," said Jensen.
The group can handle a wide array of projects, ranging from kitchens, bathrooms, chimneys, roofs, stairways and decks. The crew recently finished a kitchen remodel, three roof projects and a deck.
They also repaint and refinish homes and apartments, so a lot of their clientele are real estate companies and landlords.
"Our program director, Sheila Squier, suggested that most of our clients will be single women," said Jensen. "Since it's a well-established non-profit, it gives some assurance to women that need home improvement done and are wary of contractors."
The proceeds go toward the Community Building Works! projects in Third World countries. Three volunteers recently traveled to Pucara, Ecuador, and built a home for a needy villager.
For more information on the 2Good2BTru Crew, visit www.communitybuildingworks.org/2Good2B.html.