By Michael Howell
Ground was broken last Tuesday, September 9 at the site of the latest Habitat for Humanity house scheduled to be built in Stevensville. The house lot is located in the Twin Creeks Subdivision on the southeast side of town. A crowd gathered on a blustery afternoon to witness the groundbreaking.
Every house built by Habitat for Humanity starts with a search for the best location and a search for the best family to occupy the house and make it a home. These homes aren’t free and the homeowner is committing to a thirty-year mortgage as well as committing time and energy to the house raising efforts. Their mortgage payments go into a revolving Fund for Humanity that is used to help build more houses.
Volunteers provide most of the labor, and individual and corporate donors provide money and materials to build Habitat houses. This house is being built by a partnership including Habitat for Humanity of Ravalli County, the Society of American Foresters, the Montana DNRC, the University of Montana carpentry program and the Missoula Federal Credit Union.
At the groundbreaking ceremony, Bill Goslin, Chairman of Habitat’s Family Selection Committee, introduced the prospective homeowner Laurie Call and her children Rylie and Miranda and their dog Gus. He said not only was Laurie’s the first petition turned in, but it was complete, nothing to be changed and nothing to be added. He said she met the requirements which include examining the need, the income bracket and the ability to pay. He said she also had a lot of family support.
“She’s been very sincerely appreciative of the opportunity she has been given,” said Goslin. “She’s humbled. She feels kindness has been directed her way.”
“I just want to say thank you to everyone,” said Call. “I’ve met some of the most wonderful people in my life just through this process and that’s enormous for me.”
Exit Realty provided a barbecue and the crowd ate heartily.
Local contractor Brad Pollman, owner of Turnkey Construction, is serving as the job site supervisor and working closely with Scott Kuehn of the Montana Society of American Foresters and the University of Montana carpentry program to implement a “Blitz Build,” that is, install the walls, trusses, windows, doors, siding, roofing and finish work, so the house is “dried-in,” in only three days.
A lot of prep work goes into the blitz, of course.
There’s the stockpiling of the materials. In this case, Keuhn has been working hard with companies around the state, gathering donated lumber from Sun Mountain and Pyramid Mountain Lumber, trusses and lumber from F.H Stoltze and trusses from BMC West. Plywood from Plum Creek, more lumber from Ry Timber, Thompson River Lumber, and Tricon Timber will also be used. This blitz build is part of the Montana Forest Products Week and the house will be built totally out of Montana-produced lumber.
More prep work involves forming and pouring the footings, plumbing, pouring of the slab, installing sidewalks, porches and driveways, snapping of lines and pre-drilling of wall plates. This is all scheduled to take place between September 14 and October 16.
Pollman is working with the UM Carpentry Department to have the window sills, door frames and other pieces pre-cut for fast assembly.
Then, finally, comes the three-day blitz.
“It’s a lot like Thanksgiving,” said Keuhn. “You work for days and sit down for twenty minutes.”
The blitz is scheduled to take place from October 17 through October 19.
A lot of interior finish work will follow all the way through November 12. It includes rough in plumbing, exterior painting, electrical, insulation, and drywall installation, taping, priming and painting the interior and finish carpentry. Anyone interested in volunteering can contact Volunteer coordinator Erin Clark at volunteerhfhrc@yahoo.com.