A group of East Texas contractors came together to help an Iraq War veteran and his family construct their home after the family says a builder took hundreds of thousands of dollars from them but never completed the project, KYTX reports.

Chris Cormican served as a combat engineer in the U.S. Army and spent more than a year in Ramadi, Iraq. While speaking with KYTX, the veteran recounted his involvement in several IED explosions, one of them killing a friend of his. Following his eight years as a soldier, Chirs was left with spinal, brain, knee, and shoulder injuries, as well as PTSD, he and his wife, Rosemary, previously told the outlet.

The couple, aiming to find a quiet piece of land closer to nature, said they became enamored of a plot in Henderson, Texas, and in December 2020, they signed a $410,000 contract to build the home. Construction was expected to be completed in May, but they asserted by June, they had given the builder $390,000, draining their 401k, and all they had to show was a foundation and frame.

Rosemary told KYTX:

They sent some very aggressive emails that said they were going to walk if they didn’t get more money … at that point we began to feel like the walls were just caving in because we realized that we just gave this company $395,000 and trusted them and they told us that money is gone.

The “builder abandoned the job in July,” and what had been completed was left exposed to the elements, a GoFundMe page established for the couple stated.

A Redline Roofing employee informed the company’s owners of the Cormicans’ situation, and they immediately wanted to help. Project manager Dan Mize put together a team of other contractors who wanted to pitch in and complete the project.

The construction effort resumed last month, according to the GoFundMe page.

“We had somebody that was willing to put a roof on our house free of charge,” Rosemary told KYTX. “They were able to get the materials that were covered for that. We had contractors like our framer and the person who put up the siding that was willing to take significant cuts.”

A YouTube video posted to the GoFundMe page this month shows significant progress, including a roof, windows, and siding. 

Rosemary said in the video:

It’s really been a blessing to see this house progress. We kinda just stood out here and took it in, reflecting on how many times we thought we were going to have to sell it, couldn’t afford to do this, and just how big God has been and how many wonderful hearts has really come to our rescue.”

The family hopes to have it “rustically livable by September,” the GoGundMe page noted.