Habitat for Humanity Women’s Build

At the Habitat for Humanity Women’s Build Day 4 2021 there was a lot of movement happening. Today insulation foam went up on one of the houses, hardwood floors went down on another, sliding wardrobe doors went in and walls went up! Harbor Wholesale were the volunteers today and have been sponsors of the South Puget Sound Habitat for Humanity Women’s Build since the beginning. This is their third year sponsoring.

Everyone today had great questions about Habitat for Humanity Women’s Build…here’s what we learnt:

How long does it take for a house to be completed? In ten months, they can do it faster but they want there to be enough time for homeowners to complete their sweat equity hours. About 500 hrs in total. Divided among different forms so that the homeowners get a sense of who they partner with.

• Helping build their own home;
• Helping build their neighbors home;
• Office work;
• Working at the South Puget Sound Habitat for Humanity Stores either in Yelm or in Tumwater;
• Meeting with civic groups and networking with others in the community;
• Participating in homeowner classes, this can include learning about mortgage, home insurance, maintenance, home safety and much more

It was shared that 90% of the homeowners choose to help others build their homes.

All the nice cars…this is something that gets talked about A LOT in the Habitat for Humanity community. If you have ever been to a gala/fundraiser/key ceremony and hear a homeowner speak, you will likely hear about the cars and vacations families start taking. Because the mortgages are affordable, homeowners get to look at repairs or replacing their car or saving for a vacation or road trip. Its one of the most beautiful things to hear about <3

Sometimes there are changes here and there to the floorplan as the houses are built. The slopes in the wardrobes are at an angle, these have been made higher so that people can somewhat stand straight up in them and get to things they need. That’s in the double story homes. In cottage homes things change regularly to meet with the homeowners needs.

What the conversations were like today at Habitat for Humanity Women’s Build:

When some of the members of Harbor Wholesale found out about the Habitat for Humanity Women’s Build the first thing they thought was “I want in now!”. They absolutely loved the idea of joining in to help the organization. That it was the kind of organization they could get behind and support.

Another volunteer spoke up and mentioned how they made sure they went to the South Puget Sound Habitat for Humanity Store before any where else. They managed to buy sinks, side tables and other furniture for their home.

What is Habitat for Humanity Women’s Build goal this year?

The goal is to raise $60,000 for the month of May. Which will cover the costs of houses and especially the lumber.

I learnt a month ago that there is huge supply and demand issue for home appliances. My coach and our own experience of trying to hunt for an oven. Habitat is running into this issue as well. Some appliances are taking 1-2 months to get delivered.

When they mentioned lumber’s price has risen 30-40% it made sense.

The pandemic, the virus has huge ripple effects and it seems to affect everyone at some point.

But what is the future for South Puget Sound Habitat for Humanity and the next development?

All the homes that will be fitted to this site have been filled. At minimum they have their flooring done and walls are going up fast. So what will be next? And will changes occur to floorplans?

I did get to hear that there are two new sites. One in Yelm and the other in Tumwater. Tumwater will hopefully break ground in fall this year.

One site will have a combination of townhouse homes and homes like what we are used to seeing.

Here are some links you might like:

You can read more about it here.

You can help Habitat for Humanity Women’s Build reach their goal here.

You can learn more about South Puget Sound Habitat for Humanity at their website here.

You can also check out their stores here.

You can also check out previous days here:

Before South Puget Sound Habitat for Humanity Women’s Build.

Day 1 of South Puget Sound Habitat for Humanity Women’s Build.

Day 2 of South Puget Sound Habitat for Humanity Women’s Build.

Day 3 of South Puget Sound Habitat for Humanity Women’s Build.