Pismo Lighthouse Suites hosted a special-needs family, providing a home away from home during the construction and remodeling of their home as part of PolyHouse, a Cal Poly Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering project management class.  

For the past seven years, Cal Poly’s Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering project management class has led a cross-disciplinary team that renovated homes of local families or individuals struggling with issues related to disabilities.

This year, the PolyHouse team renovated the Shandon home of 15-year-old Jacob Slattery and his parents. Born with a severe form of spina bifida, Slattery is paralyzed from the mid-chest down and has been confined to a wheelchair since the age of two.

Over his lifetime, Slattery has endured 12 major surgeries and countless hospitalizations. He also confronts far-reaching impacts from osteoporosis and hydrocephalus, which affects executive functioning skills. For Slattery, daily living tasks require constant prompting and a great measure of assisted care.

The goal of the PolyHouse team is to improve the safety and comfort of the Slattery home and to encourage Jacob’s future independence. The renovation plan included extending the house to add a bedroom and accessible bathroom and other changes that will help the family manage his daily medical needs.  

During the second and third weeks of May, Pismo Lighthouse Suites hosted the Slatterly family. With its vast views of the ocean, family deck (complete with life-size chess board and putting green) and proximity to the sights and sounds of downtown Pismo Beach, Pismo Lighthouse Suites is the perfect place for PolyHouse families to relax and unwind.

The project involved 38 students from a variety of majors including industrial engineering, engineering management, mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, biomedical engineering, business and agriculture. The class spent six weeks planning the project, and raised $120,000. Their fundraising goal was $100,000, including donations of cash, building materials and other assistance for the repairs and home improvements. Actual construction was completed over two weekends: May 13-15, and May 20-22. As of May 31, the PolyHouse project has made its last stretch and has gone into doing final touch ups on the house.

“We are extremely grateful for this community’s generosity, especially for Pismo Lighthouse Suites,” said Dr. Roya Javadpour, founder of PolyHouse and professor of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering at Cal Poly. “They have housed all our clients for the past few years, which is not only a tremendous help for our project, but a nice mini-vacation for our clients. To be right there on the ocean is a real treat.”

Independently-owned and operated, the Pismo Lighthouse Suites hotel is an oceanfront property overlooking unspoiled white-sand beaches on California’s Central Coast.  Surrounded by breathtaking ocean views and within minutes of some of the best wineries and restaurants in the world, this hotel provides luxurious accommodations for travelers seeking distinctive style, comfort, and convenience in the heart of The Golden State.  

More information about Pismo Lighthouse Suites can be found at www.PismoLighthouseSuites.com or by calling (800) 245.2411.  

To follow the PolyHouse project, visit http://www.polyhouse.org/index.html.