F.A.Q.
Q: What geographic area do you serve?
The greater Barrington Area...Northwest Cook County and the surrounding counties of Lake, Kane, and McHenry. We try to serve client homes that are within a 45 minute drive from Barrington, to respectfully limit our volunteer’s drive time.
Q: How are you funded?
We are funded by private donations, and grants from local churches and organizations such as Hope Ministries, the Barrington Area Community Foundation, 100 Women, Barrington Township, and other nonprofit organizations. We gladly accept donations on this website at https://www.thebuildteam.org/?page_id=28
Q: Does most of your funding go to your projects?
Yes. We are an all-volunteer organization. Over 90% of our funding goes directly to our repair projects. We have no employees and very little administrative fees.
Q: How do I qualify for your services?
• Own and live in the home in need of essential repairs.
• Be current with your mortgage, homeowner’s insurance, and property taxes.
• Reside within Northwest Cook and surrounding counties.
• Demonstrate that you are financially unable to complete the required repairs yourself.
Q: What can you do with a $1,000 donation?
We can turn that money into a repair project that would typically cost $3,000 to $4,000 using a qualified contractor. Labor is nearly three-fourths of total construction cost and because most of our labor is free, our model is to turn every dollar donated into four dollars in repairs. We have the added advantages of tax-free purchases for materials and—because of our charitable mission—often get huge savings from suppliers and licensed tradesmen.
Q: Are your volunteers trained?
Many of our volunteers are highly skilled in carpentry, plumbing, electrical, etc. Some are professional tradesmen, some are just serious DIYers. But skills are not a requirement to be a valuable volunteer. We have important jobs for every volunteer at every level and every volunteer has the opportunity to learn new skills that they can apply in their own lives.