18:06
- ABC News
- December 21, 2017
A family's unexpected gift of home after Harvey
One family lost a home, welcomed a new baby and found hope after Harvey.
18:06
After asking permission from the Weeks family, ABC News replied to Nelson Builders in a direct message on Twitter and provided William Weeks’ cellphone number.
“At that moment, we didn’t know if it was going to happen, but it definitely brought back a lot of hope for us,” William Weeks recalled.
The Nelsons set out to furnish the tiny house before driving the more than 1,000 miles from their home to Corpus Christi to deliver it. They said their church, restaurants in Durango and friends chipped in and donated a mattress and other household items.
“It wasn’t an easy trip. We were on two-lane highways for most of it,” Steve Nelson said, laughing. “It was a journey.”
When William Weeks heard that the Nelsons, whom he had never met, were on their way with the house, he said he felt a surge of hope.
“At that point is when it really sank in for me,” he said. “And I was like, holy moly, it’s real!”
On Sunday, Sept. 10 — more than two weeks after Hurricane Harvey made landfall — the Nelson family pulled the brand new tiny house into the Corpus Christi RV park that would soon become the Weeks family’s new home.
“We felt good when we got there and we saw the family and their faces lit up at the house,” Candice Nelson said. “And the kids were so happy.”
The exchange was brief: Both families said they remembered feeling overwhelmed by the moment.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” William Weeks said on the day.
“It means more to us than we can say in words,” his wife said, her voice cracking.
William Weeks said the tiny house gave them the ability to move on with their lives after Harvey.
“It was a great feeling, from being basically at the bottom to where is our life going, to OK, now we have a game plan, now we can start getting everything lined out,” he said.
For the Nelsons, it was a way to put their craft to work helping others.
“We wish we had a fleet of tiny houses we could just give to people,” Candice Nelson said with a smile. “That would be nice. Maybe someday.”
![\"PHOTO:](\"http://a.abcnews.com/images/US/weeks-tiny-house-abc-jef-171204_16x9_384.jpg\")
Today, it’s as if the massive Category 4 storm was a lifetime ago.
Annabella is enrolled at a local elementary school, where she said she loves the library and the playground. She is taking a speech therapy class, and her mom said the 5-year-old is making big strides.
While Annabella is at school, Danielle Weeks stays home with Alizabeth and Loralynn. On the first floor of their tiny home, there’s a futon next to the door with a TV on the opposite wall. A few steps farther inside is a full kitchen with a stove and oven and a bathroom behind it. Above the kitchen and futon, there are two lofts on either side of the house, which the family uses as bedrooms.
“Being a stay-at-home mom is my job, so I guess I have my office back,” Danielle Weeks said with a laugh.
![\"PHOTO:](\"http://a.abcnews.com/images/US/weeks-family-tiny-house-abc-jef-171204_4x3t_384.jpg\")
In December, the Weeks family put a little Christmas tree in the corner in preparation for their first holiday there.
William Weeks said he decided to take some time off from work after the storm to help his wife and kids settle into their new life. He had been working in a town three hours away, and said he didn’t think it was feasible to continue that schedule during their transition.
“I’m looking at a couple different options,” he said. He had worked as a project foreman before and said he figured the area would likely need his expertise once the cleanup period is over.
![\"PHOTO:](\"http://a.abcnews.com/images/US/annabelle-weeks-new-school-abc-jef-171204_16x9_384.jpg\")
Danielle Weeks said she knew life was returning to normal when Annabella made a casual comment after school one day.
“She came in and put her backpack down and said, ‘It’s finally starting to feel like home,’” Danielle Weeks said. “And that’s when I knew we would be OK.”
Annabella even has her kindergarten dress with the little anchor back. Two months after landfall, Danielle Weeks held it up, and it looked brand new.
“We put it through a washing machine twice, double soap on the second load,” William Weeks said. “It was a little challenge.”
“I’m glad he saved it,” Danielle Weeks said with a smile.
![\"PHOTO:](\"http://a.abcnews.com/images/US/weeks-clean-dress-abc-jef-171204_16x9_384.jpg\")
As they reflected on the summer that changed their lives, Danielle and William Weeks said they believe Harvey brought them closer and made them stronger.
“Our family definitely came out stronger,” Danielle Weeks said. “Me and Willy came out stronger as a couple. I came out stronger as a person.”
“You never know what Mother Nature is going to throw at you,” William Weeks said.
“It definitely showed there’s still great people in this world, that people still do care about other people,\" Danielle Weeks said.
ABC News’ Adam Rivera, Kaelyn Forde, Andrea Miller and Matt Gutman contributed to this report.
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