Griswold - For the past six months, there hasn't been a daily invasion of television cameras or any Hollywood stand-ins or tour buses camped along Bethel Road.

Absent are the throngs of people craning to watch as teams of volunteers toil to give a family a space to rebuild their lives.

About 250 volunteers have quietly gone about their business, occasionally broadcasting appeals for help, as they build a 2,100-square-foot, two-story Cape Cod-style house on the rear lot at 576 Bethel Road.

"There are no agendas here, just a group of people who want to help out a family in need," said Peter Morneault, owner of the Problem Pooch in Ledyard, while working recently on the job.

Morneault is one of many who have donated whatever time they can to ensure that this holiday season the Landa family has a place to call home.

"They are the most kind-hearted people I've ever come across," Dawne Landa said Wednesday morning. "I couldn't have done this without them. I would never have rebuilt.

"I truly don't know where we'd be without these guys, these kind-hearted souls … and so many of them."

The last two summers have not been kind to the Landas.

In the summer of 2008, David Landa, then 48, was injured in a swimming accident that rendered him a quadriplegic. His son, Kyle Landa, 19, pulled him from the pool to keep him from drowning.

Last June, the family's house caught fire. Kyle roused his parents, who were sleeping in the living room because it was the only space large enough to accommodate David's medical equipment. Kyle pulled his father out of bed and was dragging him out of the house when Dawne, his mother, ran to his aid.

David and Kyle were hospitalized with serious injuries. Dawne was released quickly from the hospital. Daughter Bethany, a high school senior, was not home when the fire broke out.

As this sequence of events was unfolding, Dino Tudisca, owner of Exterior Solutions, a home remodeling firm, would come downstairs each morning to be met by his mother, holding a newspaper.

" 'Read this,' " she kept telling me," Tudisca said recently. " 'Can't you do something to help them?' "

After three days of that, he told her he'd make some phone calls.

He checked with town officials and local businesses, and experience gained a year ago kicked in.

Familiar script

Last year, many of the same volunteers became part of a media frenzy when the crew from the ABC series "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" came to Voluntown to help another family in distress, the Girards.

The small community had been poised to help the Girard family even if the TV show hadn't stepped in. When ABC left, the local volunteers remained and the spirit of helping neighbors in need by taking part in an old-fashioned, New England-style barn-raising was buoyed.

Bruno Hayn, owner of Home Designs by Bruno, and several others created a foundation to help people who suddenly find themselves in need.

They didn't expect that within six months they'd find themselves again building a house, albeit with a bit more time, for a family in the next town - and doing it with the help of the Girards, who are helping out on the Landa job site.

Within weeks of the June fire at the Landa house, the family found out that the insurance money wasn't enough to rebuild to the standard David required after his accident.

At a special town meeting, Griswold voters unanimously agreed to waive building and demolition fees associated with rebuilding. Vendors offered materials for free or at or below cost. Contractors brought equipment to the site and volunteers spent whatever time they had - nights, weekends - on the property. Two weeks ago the modular house was delivered. The siding is going up, landscaping is under way, and painters are making final touches inside.

A bonding experience

The starkest difference between the Landa and Girard builds is the time: four days versus six months. The longer term has had its advantages.

"I've learned things about the people who I've been working with for these past few months that I would have never had the opportunity to learn on the 'Extreme' build," Tudisca said.

"It makes it all better," said Norm Eccleston Jr., owner of Eccleston Construction, who has known the family for 15 years. "As bad as it is, there are a lot of people over there doing whatever they can to help out. They could be sitting home watching football, being with their families. People are finding the time to do it.

"It's a good feeling to be there and see everyone."

Volunteers hope that something positive will also come their way in the form of more business for their own companies. Some have already made connections and are working together on other projects. Helping a peer find work after months of joblessness is an added bonus to helping the family, Hayn said.

Tudisca said many of their customers and employees have also been supportive as they juggle paid jobs with volunteer work.

Bumps along the way

The Landa project has not been without its mishaps or delays. It was difficult for some to turn down paying jobs to work on the project. Some necessary steps took longer than expected to complete. And then there was the injury suffered by Bruno Hayn.

On a recent windy day, Hayn was pinned between two sheets of plywood meant for the roof. He was taken from the site to the hospital by ambulance with injuries to his knees and back and a slight concussion.

Hayn credited Tudisca and other volunteers for keeping the project moving. Although the Landas will not be able to sit around their new oval table, tall enough for David's wheelchair to slide in, for Thanksgiving dinner, but they should be able to in a week.

The team will show the house to the family on Dec. 4.

"I'm excited to be settled. We're excited to have a home," Dawne said.

"There is the same exceptional sense of gratification with both projects. It's about the people you're working with and the people you're working for. That's what it's all about," Tudisca said.

m.bard@theday.com