How It Works
How a room gets built.
Every room we build follows the same six steps, from a family's first application to the moment a child walks in. This is one real project, start to finish: Adrian's accessible bathroom and dream bedroom, completed in 2026.
this way
It starts with a family's story.
WhoThe familySelection committee
Families apply online in about fifteen minutes. They tell us about their child, share photos, and record a short video walking us through the space so we can see it the way they do. Every application is read by a real person.
The ones that move forward get an interview, then a home visit, before the selection committee makes its decision. The committee weighs four things:
- Daily impact and safety. How the current space limits the child's independence or puts them at risk.
- Financial circumstances. Families who could not otherwise afford the work come first.
- Potential for transformation. Whether a new space would change how the child lives, plays, or heals.
- Scope and feasibility. Whether the right room can be built inside the home's existing footprint.
Drawn three ways, then walked at full scale.
WhoDesign partnersThe familyWalk Your Plans
Design starts with the space, not the theme. Our designers measure the room and draw several layouts, because where a wheelchair turns, where a shower drains, and where a bed sits decide whether the room works for years. Three layouts go to the family, who walk them at full scale at Walk Your Plans, a partner facility where the plan is laid out life-size so you can stand inside it before anything is built. The family picks one, we make their edits, and only then do the theme, the colors, and the finishes come in.
First, the layout
ExistingThe space as the family lived in it. ProposedThe layout the family chose after walking three options at full scale.
Then, the theme and finishes
Then we mobilize.
WhoOur teamSponsorsSuppliersTrades
Once the family has picked a layout and finishes, the work turns to getting the build ready. We find the sponsor, order every material on the drawings, pull the permit, and line up the trades, so that on demo day everything and everyone is in place. Some materials come from product partners, and the rest are bought. Sponsors and partners change from room to room, so every build is lined up fresh.
Mobilization
Before demo day- Find the sponsorWe find a sponsor or foundation to help fund the room.
- Scope, budget, and scheduleThe project manager reviews the scope of work, the budget, and the build schedule, and the family signs off.
- Order the materialsEvery selection on the drawings gets ordered: tile, cabinets, vanities, paint, and the rest.
- Pull the permitFiled before work starts, so inspectors can sign off at each stage of the build.
- Line up the tradesPlumbers, electricians, tile setters, and painters get scheduled, the project manager walks the site, and the start date is set.
- DeliveriesMaterials, a dumpster, and a portable toilet arrive in the days before demo.
Walls come down.
WhoContractorTrade partners
Before the first wall comes down, the contractor photographs every inch of the existing space. Then the build runs like any other renovation: demolition, framing, plumbing, electrical, and finishes. Every build runs on its own schedule, and the family stays somewhere else until it is done.
The existing space, photographed by the contractor before demolition day. Tap any photo to see it full size.
The child walks in.
WhoThe familyThe whole crewLivestream viewers
Everyone who touched the room is there. The reveal is filmed, often streamed live, and it is the moment every partner and donor is working toward.
Drag to compare the space before and after.
Every room since 2012 has followed these steps.
That is 208+ children and 295+ rooms across greater Atlanta. The process is the same every time. The room never is.
Rooms built each year
Adrian's room is one of 20 built in 2026 so far.
| Year | Rooms |
|---|---|
| 2012 | 6 |
| 2013 | 13 |
| 2014 | 20 |
| 2015 | 23 |
| 2016 | 19 |
| 2017 | 25 |
| 2018 | 27 |
| 2019 | 25 |
| 2020 | 21 |
| 2021 | 17 |
| 2022 | 22 |
| 2023 | 24 |
| 2024 | 22 |
| 2025 | 11 |
| 2026 (so far) | 20 |
The numbers above come from our project records and audited financials. See where the money goes.
The next room is waiting on two things.
Featured project: Adrian, 2026. Photos by Camen Mari.