Tauranga friends build wheelchair-friendly home for father-of-two

A father of two who uses a wheelchair is "rapt" his new accessible family home is complete after friends rallied together a muck-in crew of 100 people.

Nick Stanley uses a wheelchair after he was involved in a serious crash while cycling on Waihi Rd four years ago.

This made navigating everyday life more challenging, especially with two kids in tow.

Stanley and wife Nicole have two children, aged 2 and 4, with another on the way.

While houses did not make families, having a space which a family could all share quality time together was a huge part of it, Stanley said.

"It allows me to be a better dad ... there's far more space for me to do stuff with the kids.

"I'm rapt about it."

Stanley, an occupational therapist, began biking to work after lending a car to a friend.

On October 28, 2015, he was riding down Waihi Rd when he was involved in a car accident that shattered his spine and severed nerves in his neck.

He spent months in Middlemore Hospital, where he underwent multiple surgeries and rehabilitation.

The couple returned to Tauranga around Christmas, where they rented out a "standard house" in Bethlehem.

The crew behind building the phone home included Nick Sneddon, Marcus Hughes, Nick Stanley, Ben Graham, Marcus Bonk. Photo / Supplied

At first, Stanley needed carers to help him shower and dress. Since he couldn't access the house's shower in his wheelchair, the couple placed a pop-up shower in the garage.

It was a short-term measure but it was less than ideal - especially in the freezing depths of winter.

"Having a shower in the garage was a bit of a pain in the backside," he said.

An inaccessible kitchen meant Stanley wasn't able to help out with cooking, either.

It eventually came to a point where the couple were looking to expand their family and they decided to look into building a home.

The building process started around August last year and finished in February.

As the couple searched for a section and organised the build, good friends stepped in to help - Ben Graham of Venture Developments, Marcus Bonk of Huis Design, and Marcus Hughes.

"It happened pretty naturally ... You trust your mates to help you out," Stanley said.

Graham, who went to school with the Stanleys, volunteered his time and resources, asking others to do the same.

"It was pretty amazing to see what was pulled off."

Hughes said there were about 100 people volunteering their time on the project on some weekends.

"There were lots of mates and mates of mates ... it was great to see that community spirit."