WHITNEY PIER, N.S. -- A house built by the family and friends of a man in need has been heavily vandalized in Cape Breton this weekend.

Dwayne Dalton had a new home built for him by his father and many volunteers after he suffered near-fatal burns while renovating the family’s previous home several years earlier.

He was sent to move back in this weekend, but instead the family says they were shocked by the damage they found.

“I was excited to see it for the first time, but when I walked in, it was disheartening. Cupboard doors broken off the kitchen, doors broke off closets, furniture cut up with a knife, mattresses cut up with a knife, stuff out side – the trampoline, pool.. all destroyed,” said Dalton.

Back in 2010 Dalton suffered severe burns to more than 70 per cent of his body in an explosion while trying to renovate their former home to include a fifth bedroom for a child on the way.

Dalton spent two years in hospital, and his friends and family began to construct the new home.

“Dwayne was losing ground, losing hope,” said his father Gary Dalton, “He seen the house coming together and the people pulling together for him the way they did and that motivated Dwayne to keep on going, keep on living.”

Dalton says he has some thoughts on who may be responsible for the vandalism, but he says he doesn’t plan on pursuing the matter with police.

“The house was built out of love, but it was left out of fate – and that’s kind of a shame,” he said.

Dalton says he is once again at a point in his life where he is left picking up the pieces, but he says it won’t let him down.

“I won’t let this get me down. We did a lot of work in just one day yesterday, cleaning up all the debris and the furniture that was busted up,” said Dalton.

He estimates that there is about 20 to 30 thousand dollars with of damage done, but he plans to rebuild.

“It already feels like a home, it’s our home, it’s my kids’ home. It’s going to be their home the rest of their lives, it’s their future. I grew up on this road,” Dalton said.

With files from CTV Atlantic's Ryan MacDonald