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Saturday, November 14, 2026Nov 14

Team Andrew raises home in the woods for wounded warrior (with slideshow)

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photo Danny Ward works to secure a piece of metal fascia outside of the Team Andrew home on Sunday in Apison. Sunday is Day 4 of the seven-day house build for Army Spc. Andrew Smith, who lost his legs in an IED blast in Afghanistan in the spring of 2012.

CONSTRUCTION UPDATES

WRCB is featuring live reports from the house in every newscast through the dedication.See a live camera at the build site here.

What was just a slab of concrete in a small clearing in the woods in Apison on Thursday has been transformed into an almost complete home in under four days.

On Sunday, construction on the house for U.S. Army Spc. Andrew Smith and his wife, Tori, had come a long way. The myriad of contractors and volunteers had raised walls and installed floors, roofs, doors and windows in less than 100 hours of around-the-clock work.

“Everybody here is good at their craft; and these are people who out in the world would normally be competing against each other, but here they are all working together,” said Kathie Penland, a designer from Yessick’s Design Center.

Craftsmen and contractors alike have set aside their rivalries for seven days to build a home for the young couple who lost much in service to the United States. Andrew Smith was on combat foot patrol in Afghanistan last year when he stepped on an improvised explosive device and lost both legs below the knee. Since then, Andrew and Tori Smith have been on a long road to recovery. This new home is a part of that journey.