Volunteers Make Things Happen

As soon as the plans were approved I applied for permits. By now, time was becoming short as we had  a May 1st event planned. The building inspectors and their staff were very understanding and helped  keep us on schedule.

Northwestern Michigan College construction students began to build the sections of exterior walls. Instructor Devin Hill was on board with the project as soon as I asked him if it was a possibility. Nicole, a member of our Construction Team,  was actually a student in the class and helped to build the walls. Sometimes things just seem right!

Popp Excavating graciously volunteered to dig the basement - and we had our hole. In no time the walls were poured and the construction team was on site for the first actual work day. This team of volunteers rocks- they went to work on the floor joists, floor deck and basement foam insulation. Wow- great progress in a short time.

Current status: The site is backfilled and the septic field is installed. Let the wall raising begin......

While the construction was progressing, there were Women Build team volunteers who were working on other aspects of the build.  For example, there are volunteers arranging for lunches on build days (Tuesdays and Saturdays) until the home is complete.  Lowe's has been hosting free Clinics for women volunteers. During these clinics, a wonderful shed has been built and will be donated and delivered to the home.

There's excitement in the air and the women of  the Traverse City area are ready to build. Call Carrie at Habitat to volunteer 231 941 4663

 Hope to see you on site- Nancy

Behind the Scenes -Women Build Habitat for Humanity Grand Traverse

Let me begin the story of the 2010 Women Build here in Leelanau County from Summer 2009... I received a phone call from Carrie- Habitat's volunteer coordinator for the Grand Traverse Region back in June 2009. Habitat had just received an amazing gift from the Schlueter family in memory of Sandra Schlueter. This build will honor her lifetime of accomplishments as a 22 year veteran of the US Air Force.

How could I not get involved with such a  wonderful project? Carrie and I took a road trip in August 2009 to work and learn with the Women Build team of Greater Columbus, Ohio and Terry Gaar,training specialist from Habitat International. We came back to Traverse City inspired and energized by our experience.

There was a wonderful response to the call for committee members volunteers in Feb 2010 and Habitat had a room full of interested people. Since then, these volunteers have been working diligently in teams to make sure this build would be the best thing ever. Rev. Pam Doty-Nation had just moved up from Grand Rapids to become the new director of HFH-Grand Traverse Region.  She came from a much larger Habitat affiliate and appeared willing to take our affiliate to the next level.

With Pam's encouragement, I began working on a floor plan for a 3 bedroom home with a full basement and plenty of closet space- I'm a woman after all and we can never have too much storage!! John Kittle, a friend and local home designer  graciously volunteered to draw the plans for us. With changes to support Habitat's specifications for universal design etc., the working plans became a reality. When Pam  mentioned "energy star" I was in total agreement. With the help of Max Strickland, a fellow Home Builder Association member and local "green guru", the plan was analyzed to be Energy Star and is leaning toward LEED certification.

There are several ways with give and takes to reach Energy Star. Victor (my husband and licensed builder), John Kittle and I discussed the various give and takes.  I was looking for the best R-values and the most user friendly methods for the volunteers. So far I've been extremely happy with the choices. My goal from the beginning was to build Jennifer and her daughters a wonderful home that they could afford to live in forever. I'm looking forward to seeing the utility costs over a year 's time.

This is the first of my weekly updates on Women Build 2010. 
I'm blogging to keep the volunteers informed so they can celebrate the progress of the project along with me- Nancy Lisabeth-