After a series of car accidents left her daughter, Kim, disabled, Kelly Hatfield said her daughter lost everything she had, including her independence. Today, Kim lives in Colorado Springs, Colorado, with Hatfield and her husband, Rob, in the basement of their town-home. However, Hatfield said Kim is not content to be dependent on her family and friends forever.At a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development auction in 2011, the Hatfields purchased a piece of property near Peyton in eastern El Paso County with the intent to build a home and studio for Kim, who said she intends to pay her parents back in full.To live independently, Kim Hatfieldís home must be designed and constructed with her physical limitations in mind.ìShe has soft tissue damage so you cannot see what has happened to her,î Kelly Hatfield said. ìStairs are hard for her and doorknobs are tough. It is hard for her to lift things; and she will use a walker or a cane, depending on the day.îHatfield said the house, which is under construction, will have everything Kim needs on the first floor, including space for her art studio.Kim Hatfield said it has been amazing to see the work her parents and others have put into building the home for her. Not only will she have a home to call her own, she also will have the means to make a living. Previously, she said she owned a small business selling hand-dyed wool and yarn online. ìNow, I am working on starting to publish knitting and crocheting patterns,î Kim Hatfield said. ìIt is something I can do from home, and I am setting everything up so I will have what I need in an accessible way to start dying yarn again.îKelly Hatfield said her daughter is a fiber artist who ìdoes spinning, weaving, knitting and crochet.î Hatfield said Kim wants to raise Angora rabbits because they are not harmed in the production of fur.Building a home from the ground up is no easy task and can be quite expensive, Kelly Hatfield said. Several local companies and tradesmen have stepped up to provide their services at a discounted rate, she said. ìChallenger Homes (Colorado Springs) bought the faucets, door handles, towel racks and toilet roll holders for Kim,î Hatfield said. ìWe got a grant from the state to get the propane. We actually had to build a barn to store the things that we have bought or had donated, like windows and sinks from Craigslist or cabinets from a kitchen remodel.îBrad Pfeif, owner of Bradís Construction in Colorado Springs, has been integral to the success of the project so far, Hatfield said.Pfeif said he heard about the project when Hatfield approached him a few years ago and asked if his company could set the steel beam in Kimís basement. He thought the project would be too difficult for the Hatfields to handle on their own.ìWe said we could come build some of the areas of the house,î Pfeif said. ìWe are just trying to help her out because she has taken on quite a project. We have been actively working on the project off and on for about two months. I just take some guys over there to help, and I am only charging her cost, so that helps.îAlthough there is still plenty of work to be done before the house is ready, Kim Hatfield said she is already humbled by the response from people helping out.ìIt really tears me up inside to know that I am so dependent on my friends and family,î she said. ìI am such a drain financially and emotionally on them, and I feel like this will be a stepping stone to changing that.ìIt is finally giving me some hope again after everything has fallen apart. It has been crazy how broad the response has been, and I just really hope that I can be closer to independence, if not fully independent.î
