Martinsville Bulletin, Inc.
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Martinsville, Virginia 24115
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Volunteers build and erect exterior walls during the framing stage of construction of a house being built in Ridgeway through Habitat for Humanity. (Bulletin photos by Paul Collins) |
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Tuesday, July 21, 2009
By PAUL COLLINS - Bulletin Staff Writer
More than 15 volunteers hammered, lifted, measured and did various other tasks recently while building and erecting exterior walls of a house in a joint project of the Henry County Baptist Association and Habitat for Humanity.
The volunteers are working on an estimated six- to eight-week project in which a 1,200-square foot house is being built for a single mother with four children, from the fourth through ninth grades, officials said.
Nancy Moore, executive director of Habitat for Humanity of Martinsville-Henry County, declined to identify the family at this point but said the family is living in substandard rented space in Henry County and needs decent housing.
The family also meets two other Habitat “qualifiers”: the ability to pay a no-interest mortgage, usually for about 20 years; and a willingness to “partner” in the construction, Moore said. That means the family and extended family are committed to doing 250 hours of labor during construction of the house.
Moore added that the mother, probably in her 30s, will be a first-time homeowner.
Habitat for Humanity International is “a nonprofit, ecumenical Christian housing organization building simple, decent, affordable housing in partnership with people in need,” according to its Web site.
Habitat provides the materials for the house and hired a contractor to build the foundation/cinderblock basement. The Baptist association provides volunteer labor, officials said.
Moore said she did not have a full estimate yet of Habitat’s costs. David Doss, mission coordinator for the Baptist association, said that the value of donated labor usually is as much as the materials. He was drawing on the association’s two prior experiences in building houses — in spring 2008 and spring of this year, both in areas south of New Orleans ravaged by Hurricane Katrina.
This is the association’s third house construction project, and the first one locally, Doss said.
Orville Davis of Figsboro, of Trinity Baptist Church and a state representative for the association, said the association is trying to help a family in need.
“I guess we do it for the glory of God,” Davis said, adding that the good-hearted volunteers get no pay.
The Henry County Public Service Authority donated about a half-acre in Ridgeway for the project, officials said.
It will be a one-story house with vinyl siding, three bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, two bathrooms and air conditioning, Moore said. The house will be energy-efficient, which will mean lower heating and cooling costs for the family, and it will have some “green” features, she said.
Volunteers began last week by installing wooden beams and supports in the basement and installing plywood flooring on the main level two days later, Moore said.
Last Tuesday, work focused on building exterior walls. After the roof is put up and shingled, windows and exterior doors will be installed.
Other work will include installing vinyl siding, insulation, interior walls, interior doors, flooring, cabinets, plumbing and electrical work, and installing heating and air-conditioning systems.
“It’s been a real joy working with the Henry County Baptist Association,” Moore said. “It’s a wonderful, large group of volunteers,” and they appear to be right on schedule, she said.
Mary Davis, office manager of the association, said more than 100 people already had volunteered to work on the project.
Doss said the volunteers represent 21 of the association’s 31 member churches — and other member churches could decide to take part. Also, people not affiliated with the association or its churches may participate, he said.
Crews are set up for each of the eight weeks of the project, but Doss said he thinks the project could be finished in as soon as six weeks. There are leaders each week of the project, and the association has found volunteers with professional construction experience (such as plumbers, electricians, roofers, dry-wall workers and heating-ventilation-air-conditioning workers) to supervise those aspects of the project, Doss said. Cliff Rood, a retired draftsman, designed plans for the house, Doss added.
Volunteers from churches provide lunch and snacks each day for the volunteers.
One day last week, volunteers from First Baptist of Martinsville; Hillcrest, Fort Trial, Orchard Drive, Grace, Trinity and Starling Avenue Baptist churches; and Holy Trinity Lutheran took part.
Several people working at the site agreed that they were there to serve God and their fellow man.
“I’m doing it for the Lord. We’re helping him when we’re helping other people. We’re doing it for his glory,” said Jerry Wood of Spencer, of Hillcrest Baptist Church.
Wayne Hall, of Fort Trial Baptist Church in Bassett, said a person’s actions express how he feels about others, not what he says. Hall also talked about the camaraderie that develops among volunteers at home construction projects.
There is “not a cross word or anything. They (volunteers) just work. You make some great friends. Yesterday I didn’t know who these people were,” Hall said.
“Today is his (God’s) gift to us, and our gift back to him is what we do with it,” Doss added.
Moore said that Habitat for Humanity of Martinsville-Henry County builds about a house a year and has built about 30 homes since the local affiliate was started in 1988. |
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