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Work has started on the home at 835 Third Street in Stevens Point. It is next to the home at 1008 Franklin. The elevation and blueprints were completed October 30th. Once the City gave final approval the lot was graded and the plumbing that will go beneath the slab was put in. The slab will not be poured until the spring as we ran out of warm weather. On December 3rd we placed fencing around the site to protect the pipes. Barring an prolonged and unbelievable thaw, 835 Third Street is taking a long winter's nap.................. We have started the home at 835 Third Street (the corner of Third and Franklin). On Saturday April 1st (after digging out for the footings a little…. and a little more) we insulated the space for the concrete slab pour. Notice the liberal use of duct tape, every builder’s friend! The plumbers will be in on Monday, weather permitting, to place the coils for the in-floor hydronic heat. Then on Tuesday, again weather dependant, the slab will be poured. All this means is on Saturday April 8th we will start “putting up the sticks” and off we go! Bring your hammer and stop by! We anticipate working Friday afternoons again soon. It is not a done deal yet, but keep your eyes open for an update detailing a CWHfH project to directly help with the Hurricane Katrina rebuild………. There was nothing trivial about the work we did this weekend, April 8th. The PJ Jacobs crew got us off to a good start with the mud sill. We finished the sill and started working on the walls. By the time lunch rolled around, after a whole lot of hammering, and a little FINE adjustment, we had the west wall finished. Moving right along we put up the south wall, then finished one of the garage walls. All in all a great start to the new home, and we are off and running! We will not be working this coming weekend, Easter. Our next work day will be Friday, April 21st at 12:30. We will also work Saturday, April 22nd beginning at 9:00. From here on, in until further notice, we will be working Fridays and Saturdays at the Third and Franklin site. So, give yourself a break from spring cleaning, and that pesky yard work, and help us build our 16th new home.
Hail? It hailed on us….strange! We haven’t worked on the house for two weeks, but the PJ students have. When we arrived Friday April 21st, all the exterior walls, save for two in the garage, were up. Thanks! And great job! So on Friday we put up one of the remaining garage walls and began roughing in some windows. Two of our volunteers drove up from the Milwaukee School of Engineering, thanks Katie and Hillary! Saturday we had, as usual, an enthusiastic and spirited crew. By the time the day was over we had framed three bedrooms, the bathroom, roughed in three more windows and finished off the garage. Heck, we even looked at the blueprints for a change! And yup, this is all while the hail was pelting us. We will continue interior framing on Friday April 28th, and on Saturday the 29th we plan on landscaping Amy and Jose’s home next door. Bring your shovels and wheelbarrows (there is a chance we will have a BobCat that day, but we are not sure).
If all falls into place we are planning on placing the roof trusses on Saturday May 13th. We are in dire need of a crane that day…..anyone have any contacts? Thanks. The good news in we accomplished a great deal this weekend……………the bad news is if you were looking to volunteer this Friday, May 5th , channel your enthusiasm to another group, or save it for us for another day as we are taking Friday off. We will be hard at work (OK, maybe not HARD at work, but at work) on Saturday May 6th. On Friday April 26th and Saturday the 27th we finished framing all the interior walls. On Saturday, when I wasn’t there, I understand Bob was driving the Skid-Steer moving dirt quicker than quick. Where was my camera when I needed it? Also the walls were plumbed and the top plate was put on. We will do the final preparations for the roof trusses on Saturday May 6th. The trusses are coming May 13th. We hope to have a crane on site, if not we will need a lot of muscle power that day. Don’t forget the brat sale next Sunday afternoon at Wal-Mart. We worked Saturday May 6th until about 1:00 or so. The main thrust was to get the final tweaking done to assure all is ready for the trusses. We marked out the truss design on the exterior and interior top plates, constructed supports for the walking planks, and set up a temporary beam to help us slide the trusses to position. Then we scratched our heads for a while wondering how we are going to get the heaviest (almost 300 pound) truss in place if we do not get the crane…………………….with the help of people like you, that’s how. As it stands today, the trusses will be delivered Wednesday. It is still unclear as to if we will get a crane. We will be working both Friday May 12th and Saturday the 13th this week. If we are able to get the crane Friday afternoon we will get the trusses piled on the house, hopefully in the proper order. Then on Saturday we will slide them to place and set them up. If we get the crane Saturday we will get the trusses in order on Friday and have the crane place each truss as we need them. If we don’t get a crane, Friday will be set up, and Saturday the lift. If that all made any sense, you are brighter than I ! Long story short, we are working both days. We will probably need more people Saturday than Friday. If the situation develops where the crane is available Friday, and/or we may need an earlier start than 12:30 Friday I will send out another update.
It was a good karma weekend at the house. It all started on Friday May 12th when Travis, and the crane, that Jim Anderson of Ellis Stone Construction generously provided ( a HUGE THANK YOU), pulled up. We asked Travis how long he could work with us, and he answered that the crane didn’t need to be back to Wausau until Monday, and he was ours until the job was done. As the crane was being set up, I thought I'd give the trusses a try, not bad, but I thought might be easier with the crane. So Travis started lifting the trusses, and in a great aerial ballet we started putting them to place. In two and a half hours we had all the trusses to place. Without the crane it would have taken two and a half days!! Saturday we placed the fascia board, and started sheeting the roof with OSB. As on Friday, the crew was really rock’n, and the sheets were flying. By days end the south side of the roof was nearly finished, and on the north side the initial couple of sheets were placed. We will continue working on the roof on both Friday and Saturday this week.
After all the great work with the crane, the assignment for this last weekend was to get the roof sheeted, build the dormer, and put the “lookout” trusses on. True to form, our band of merry volunteers were up to the task, and mission accomplished. The next step is to get the house “dry”. We will be working both Friday and Saturday this coming weekend, finishing the drip edge, putting down snow and ice guard, and the roofing felt. If your Memorial Day weekend plans don’t take you out of the area, please make your weekend memorable by stopping by and volunteering at the house. As usual we will work Friday from 12:30 to 4:30. Saturday will begin at 9:00, but there is a chance we will finish up early. Whatever your plans for the weekend, be safe, and thanks for your support of CWHfH.
Hope you all had a safe and enjoyable Memorial Day weekend, and were able to enjoy the heat. Our volunteers took the heat on this weekend and beat it. It was another of those weekends when I was out of town and a WHOLE bunch was accomplished…………..hmmmmm…. During the week Dave Rasmussen and the PJ students put the drip edge on and put the roofing felt on the north side. Our thanks to that group for all their work and support this year and in previous years. This last weekend our gang managed to put up all the supports, trusses, beams and posts for the porch. It was a huge job involving some heavy lifting in the heat, but wow, a lot got done. The "Habitat" sign was erected too. This coming weekend we will continue with roofing and dig along the foundation to put the fiberglass snow shield on. The Target store in Point will be volunteering this Saturday and we look forward to working with them as well as you.
Another huge week at the house thanks to Dave and the PJ students during the week, the hard cores this weekend and special thanks to the hard working crew from Target! During the week the students put up almost half of the soffit, and dug around the foundation for the ground guard fiberglass barrier. This week they will start putting the siding on, working all day Wednesday on just that. On Friday June 3rd (grunt and groan) we unloaded the shingles to the roof, and worked on the dormer and the porch. Then Saturday arrived and with it the gang from Target. The dirt was flying, the snow and ice guard on the roof was put on, the shingling of the north side of the roof was started, and the south side was readied for the roofing felt. We also got the starter strip for the siding and the ground guard on. All in all a great weekend . I am here to tell you, if you would like to volunteer on this house, please come on down as things are moving quickly. Groups coming in yet this month include The Church of the Intercession, the American Society of Interior Designers, and the Milwaukee School of Engineering.
As of June 17th, the house is dry!! May not sound like a big deal, but it means our gang finished the roof and put the windows in….it is a BIG milestone. This weekend we will continue with the vinyl siding and soffit. At this point I think we will all take a break for the Fourth of July weekend, but I will verify that in your next update. Hope your summer is off to a great start. Stop on by and share in the fun and satisfaction of volunteering with Habitat.
It was another busy weekend at the house. On Friday June 24th, with the guidance and direction of the Master Gardeners, and a donation of landscaping block from Lowe’s, the gang branched out from construction into the realm of landscaping. We built a retaining wall at Amy and Jose’s house to even out the grade in the front yard. After a couple of false starts we got the hang of it, and the finished product is beautiful (if I do say so myself!). Saturday we enjoyed the help of several new volunteers including four students from the Milwaukee School of Engineering. Our task was to continue on the vinyl siding. After tweaking the vinyl that was already up we got to work on the south side. After a great lunch provided by the Stevens Point and Plover Area Jaycees we continued on the siding, until we had to pack up a little early because of the storm that blew in.
We were back at it this weekend, July 7th and 8th, and siding was the name of the game. We worked on the east side, on the peaks, and on the north side. We should have all the siding done this coming weekend, and then we will move to the inside of the home; insulating, putting up the vapor barrier, and dry walling.
Wow……….hot enough? The heat didn’t stop our gang from making good progress this weekend. Friday, July 14th, we worked on siding the north side of the garage, and getting the opening for the garage door sized. On Saturday it was one of those deals again when I wasn’t there, and lo and behold a TON of work got done……………hmmmm. All of the siding, including the front of the garage, the peaks and the west side of the home were finished. Also all the extra lumber was removed from inside to make room for the dry wall. It looks great, nice job! This coming weekend we will be getting things ready to put up the ceiling drywall. And we will also work on landscaping (read putting in the lawn) at Amy and Jose’s home next door. The Portage County Youth Action Committee is coming in on Saturday to help out, thanks.
Well what do you know…….we got a whole bunch accomplished this weekend….and I was even there!!! Don’t blame me for all the progress though, we had great volunteers from the Youth Action Committee and the Volunteer Center. That, and we had a stellar performance from Tom on the Roto-Zip, Rhonda driving the lift, Bruce and Jack chiming in on the screw guns, Mr. B on vapor barrier, and Bob W. keeping the whole day orchestrated. Friday July 21st, the hard core gang fine tuned the trusses, and put some of the vapor barrier up. And were we glad to see the YAC volunteers take over the vapor barrier work on Saturday….great job! By the end of the day we managed to finish the ceiling drywall in the four bedrooms, the hall, the bathroom, and ¾ of the great room. We will continue with the ceilings next weekend. Just a heads up to file away. As you may remember CWHfH is participating in hurricane relief by building a “Home in a Box” where we essentially frame a home here, and then ship it to Mississippi in a semi graciously provided by Yellow Freight. All the specifics are not finalized, but it appears we will be working on the HIB on the two Saturdays following Labor Day. Keep an eye out, more info will be coming.
It was another scorcher this weekend, but as usual it didn’t slow “the crew” down at all. On Friday July 28th, we finished all the ceiling drywall, save for the garage. Saturday saw the garage ceiling drywall installed as well as ALL the insulation in the walls.......and that was all before noon! Great work!! Thanks. This coming weekend we will place vapor barrier over the insulation and begin to hang the rest of the drywall. Toward the end of August we will gather at the home we are remodeling at 320 Fifth Avenue to prepare the site as our work place for the “Home in a Box” (HIB) project. I will have more specific information on the HIB soon, but plan on volunteering September 9th , 16th and 23rd . Stay tuned!
On Saturday August 12th we had a great group of volunteers in from the Church of the Intercession, and we worked on not one, not two, but three different Habitat homes. We dry walled at 835 Third Avenue, finishing the hall, some closets, the bedrooms and half of the utility room. We hope to have all the drywall up in the next two weeks in order to have the dry wall finishers in during September when we will be working on our Home in a Box (HIB). Speaking of HIB our second work site was at 835 Fifth Avenue, readying the site to act as our construction site for the HIB beginning the Saturday after Labor Day. Our third home was at 1008 Franklin, were we roto-tilled, raked and prepared the yard to be seeded next weekend. So, next weekend (again, with the help of the Church of the Intercession) we will plant the grass seed and spread fertilizer and straw at 1008 Franklin. We will also continue with the drywall at 835 Third. September will see us working on the HIB. And…..we hope to begin another home yet this fall, and get it “dry” before (sorry to say it) winter comes. So there is a lot going on with Habitat. Thank you for your past support, and please understand that our lofty goals cannot be met without your continuing involvement and caring.
At the risk of sounding like I am repeating last week’s update; On Saturday August 19th, we had a great group of volunteers in from the Church of the Intercession, and we worked on not one, not two, but three different Habitat sites! Thank you to all our volunteers this weekend. At our current home at 835 Third, we finished applying the vapor barrier, and the vast majority of the drywall, including the living room, utility room and bathroom, and closets. Rhonda and Bob had the crew from church a rock’n….literally. All that remains is some work around the windows. The second site was next door at 1008 Franklin where Jack and Bruce put on gutters, and Steve and a great bunch of people from church, with blisters on their hands, finished preparing and seeding the lawn in the front, side, and back yards. The third site was on Minnesota Avenue, just south of Rice. That is the location of our next build, which we will begin this fall. Bob and Jackson played lumberjack and cleared some trees from the lot. We will hit the Third Avenue home hard this coming weekend, with the help of some RA’s from UWSP. Let’s get it ready for the drywall finishers. Then, we will take Labor Day weekend off, except for Steve, who is doing a “Labor of Love” project with UWSP students. After Labor Day it is on to “Home in a Box”(HIB) at 320 Fifth Avenue. HIB will be our major thrust in September, and we will load it into a semi, graciously provided by Yellow Corporation, on September 23rd, for its trip to Hattiesburg Mississippi where it will join 9 other HIB’s from literally across the country.
Oh Boy…..here we go again……On Saturday August 26th, the gang worked at….that’s right three Habitat home sites again. At 835 Third Avenue, we measured for trim, fire caulked the garage, finished dry walling around the windows, and a great gang of RA’s from UWSP's Hyer Hall, picked up, and checked that all the drywall was up correctly….that only involves checking like….1324 screws…so THANK You!! At 320 Fifth Avenue, Rhonda and Tom worked on getting all the electrical wiring correct. And on 1008 Franklin Bob got the sump re-routed so it wouldn’t wash all the grass seed out that Church of the Intercession put in last week. We are taking Labor Day weekend off, except for Steve who is working with UWSP students on Monday, doing a “Labor of Love” project. Our next work day is Friday September 8th at 320 Fifth Avenue. We are doing our Home in a Box project for Hurricane Katrina Relief. We will be working on that project on the 8th, 9th, 15th, 16th, and 23rd. Please stop by and lend a hand. The situation in the South is anything but rectified. Over 1700 people have perished…families are still living in cars….over 100 people are still unaccounted for….recovery teams found the skeletal remains of an 85 year old woman in her home on July 28th, 49 weeks after Katrina hit. The network news has lost interest, but the suffering continues. Help us help our neighbors, in our own small way…. On Friday November 17th, and Saturday the 18th, we got back into the home as the drywall finishing was completed and the heat was on. We installed the range hood on Friday, and managed to get the kitchen cabinets in on Saturday. We need to finish this home by the end of December, so we really need to hustle. If you are able, please stop by to help. I know you have heard of Three Dog Night (actually the term originally referred to how cold a night was in Canada, not the band….eh?) at any rate we had another Three House Weekend!
So all in all, another busy, productive weekend. We will be meeting at 835 Third Street on Friday the 8th and Saturday the 9th and disperse from there. The counter tops will be installed on Third, and possibly we’ll begin on the trim. If we have enough volunteers (like usual….thanks) we will also send a crew back to Fifth Avenue to continue on the walls.
Yup…..you guessed it already….another “Three Home Weekend”! We could really get spoiled by your great support, thank you.
Our next work days will be Friday December 15th (at 12:30) and Saturday the 16th (at 9:00) when we will gather at 835 Third Street to start trimming out the doors and windows and installing the base boards. The carpeting should be installed by then, so please bring slippers or work in your socks (holes are optional) as we will be leaving our shoes outside. If we have a plethora of volunteers we will also be working over on Fifth Avenue.
T’’was not quite
the night before
closing………………… but I
can assure you lots
of volunteers were
stirring this
weekend, all through
the house………………….
The
front door was hung
with
the greatest
of care, a
welcome entry for
those who’ll live
there. The
volunteers, had all
settled in, when
what a clattering
noise did begin! We
ran to
the window, and
what did appear, but
our jolly, fearless
leader…all loaded
with gear! He came
in the house, and
looked all about,
then whistled and
shouted and called
our names out! Now
Bobby, and Tommy and
Rhonda and Bruce;
and Stevie and
Dougie you all must
cut loose! The
trim must be hung,
the
sinks must be set,
in order to have,
our deadline be
met! With a wink of
his eye, and a twist
of his head, Bob W
dug in, we followed
where he lead. After
slaving away, for
hours times eight;
he leapt in his
sleigh and headed
for a date (with
Hilda). I
heard him exclaim,
ere he drove out of
sight,
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