Progress Report on House #14

Thanks to extraordinary volunteer turnout in July 2022, the framing work on House #14 proceeded at an astounding pace — from foundation to what you see here in just four weeks, including a front deck, gable roof, and a driveway retaining wall. Thanks to Bob “The Builder” Kittler and another professional framer for their guidance, as well as our regular volunteers and community groups such as SKP for making it happen. We hope to continue the momentum on House #15 in the coming weeks, with the goal of getting both houses dried in before the snow flies. Help us get local families into these homes as quickly as possible! Contact Executive Director Lisa Cooper at 970-887-9138 or lcooper@habitatgrandcounty.org today!

Four Walls for Habitat House #14!

Despite the intensity of the mid-summer sun, Habitat for Humanity of Grand County’s fourteenth house is rising at 240 Nevada Street in Hot Sulphur Springs. It’s the first project in a busy summer for the affiliate, which also hopes to break ground on House #15 within the coming weeks. Prospective House #14 homeowner Lacey Lund has been a hard-working partner so far, and HFHGC supervising contractor George Davis of Maple Street Builders has worked through both knee replacement and eye surgery to meet the affiliate’s ambitious construction deadlines.

House #14 Gets a Foundation!

With the snow mostly gone, workers have been excavating the lot for House #14 and preparing to start framing. Today was foundation-pouring day, even as work continues to finish up House #13 next door for Michael Bunker and his family.

Martin J. Smith

Day One for House #14

Even as we finish up work on House #13 in Hot Sulphur Springs, the eager Habitat crew recently began clearing snow from the adjacent lot where House #14 will begin to rise in the coming months. Clearing the snow is the first step toward excavation of the lot, followed by construction of the foundation. We hope it will be the first of two homes we can complete in the coming year.

Clearing the winter’s heavy snowpack to start work on House #14!

House #13 Has Windowsills, and Views!

Our volunteers recently installed the windowsills in House #13, and we’re betting this bathroom has as good a view as any Habitat house in the country. With the walls painted and the floors installed, can door trim and baseboards be far behind?

House #13 has floors and tile!

By early February 2022, Habitat volunteers and future homeowner Michael Bunker began work on the laminate floors and bathroom tile at House #13 in Hot Sulphur Springs. The doors have been ordered and the doorknobs have arrived. Interior trim work will continue until the home is complete, possibly within the coming weeks.

House #13 has paint!

An intrepid crew of paint-flecked volunteers showed up on Saturday, Jan. 29, 2022, to finish work on the upstairs walls and ceilings at House #13. It was -23 degrees when they arrived at 9 a.m., but the house was toasty thanks to the new boiler and heated basement floor recently installed by Grand Lake Plumbing. By the time they were done at 2 p.m., all of the walls, ceilings, and closets were painted and looking sharp, proving once again that neither rain, nor sleet, nor brutal cold shall stay these mostly old and cranky heroes from their appointed rounds.

House #13 has heat!

Now that the fine folks at Grand Lake Plumbing have installed the boiler, House #13 is toasty enough to do the interior priming and painting. Thanks to the dedicated crew (including past president and confident aerialist Chuck Chladek) who did the roller and brush work on Jan. 21 and 22. Next up: Doors and floors!

 

Past President Chuck Chladek

House #13 Has a Driveway!

Future Habitat homeowner Michael Bunker handled the heavy sledgehammer work (into frozen ground!) while fellow volunteers helped build the timber-and-gravel driveway of House #13 in early December.

The Home Stretch on House #13!

Our intrepid and ever-expanding building crew is working hard to finish work on House #13 before the snow flies. The electrical and plumbing work is done, and drywall installation is set to start soon. The goal is to complete the interior finish work before the holidays.

House #13 is rising right next to House #12, upon which Maria Archuleta Jones and her family closed in June 2021. Habitat owns five more adjacent lots, and hopes to break ground on House #14 soon.

Exterior grading was completed in mid-October, as was construction of the front driveway. That near-final exterior work was a race against the approaching winter in the Rockies.

Heavy insulation on Energy Star-rated House #13 should keep the family toasty during Colorado’s long and often harsh winters.