My Sister's Dream Home - Week Three

My youngest sister has worked long and hard to qualify as a partner homeowner with Habitat for Humanity. Tami and her three sons have sacrificed, scrimped and saved to earn this opportunity, and they continue to work hard while they look forward to moving day with great anticipation. I have volunteered to help build their home... and to tell you about the HFH process from the perspective of a family member and volunteer. At the risk of infringing on NBC's copyright... These are my stories:

Week Three, Work Day 5:
I'd been given a bit of warning from Tami, but I was still amazed when I arrived on Friday morning and found that the house had been fitted with windows sometime during the week! The simple addition of windows made the house look livable and made this build process more real. We're actually building a home! Seeing those windows Friday morning gave me goose bumps... and we hadn't yet begun the day's work.

The first order of business was to ensure that the windows were plumb and true before nailing them in completely. A team of volunteers from a local church was quickly employed with this task. The second order of business was to install the exterior doors, and that work was also quickly accomplished. Even as that work was completed, teams of builders were attaching the gutter boards to the soffits.

After standing about for a bit and wondering where we could be best employed, Tami and I were put to work building out one of the interior walls so that duct work for her dryer could be properly installed. We were unofficially supervised by a pair of HVAC contractors who found our (amateurish) hammering skills quite hilarious. They laughed with us for a minute or two, but they were patient and generous in waiting on us to complete the work, so that they could get on with their own.

With the laundry wall complete, Tami and I headed to the north side of the house where plans for the siding installation were underway. A small crew of folks was busy marking the fiber-cement siding with the "reveal" marks the installers would need as reference, and our intrepid cut-man, Adam, designed his cutting jig in order to make efficient cuts throughout the installation.

The siding plan proved to be a bit of a slow starter, but we soon found a rhythm - with Tami manning (and mastering) the pneumatic nailer... and then the lunchtime bell rang.

We relaxed for a bit as we enjoyed the sandwiches, chips, cookies and fruit provided to us by a neighborhood church. Then we quickly amped up the work again... and soon the siding work was in full swing on the front, back and north side of the house!

The work we're doing is serious - we're building the home in which my sister will live for years to come! But the fun is serious too - frivolity and laughter are never lacking on the site. It amazes me how quickly each new group of volunteers becomes a cohesive and productive team... and somehow each team is able to tease and joke and laugh. I've met so many wonderful people in the past few weeks and they have all been gracious, kind, and keen to keep their sense of humor. I can't remember when I've laughed so often while working so hard!

Week Three, Work Day 6:
Rained out again! This was a real disappointment for Tami... two Saturdays without progress is tough to take, especially since both days were "called for rain" only to have the rain let up soon after the call was made.

Tami posted some beautiful news of the mid-week work... the bricks have been applied to the front facade! I'll post photos in my next update, promise!

Coming up next: The roof shingles are on-site and I understand that the roofers are scheduled to start their work this week. I imagine Friday will be filled with more siding work and perhaps some insulation of the interior walls. Drywall can't be too far off... Whoopee! I pray the weather cooperates with us this week!

Please add your prayers to mine!

XO

Jodi