Rkfd. Area Habitat for Humanity 2011 Build Blog

Hard to belive...

2011-09-04T07:44:00.000-07:00

Where has the summer gone? It seems like we just beginning our first house and now we have set the date for the dedications for the remaining 4!

3413 Parkside (Dedication Sept 11th, 3:30)

Glen and team have been putting the last touches on the house. The dedication will be this next Sunday (11th) at 3:30.
A special word of thanks to all of his team members that helped out at Ron's house doing drywall "mudding".
It really shows the spirt of what Habitat is all about - thanks guys!

3308 Gilbert (Dedication Sept 24th)
Ed, Steve and Pete have been putting tiling, hanging doors, and finishing trim. The cabinets will be delivered on Tuesday and odds are they will be "hung" by that afternoon!

3312 Gilbert (Dedication Sept 24th)
The walls are just about ready for priming and painting. A big thank you is in order to Pat, our Pro drywaller. Last Saturday he came in and taught us how to apply "Slap Brush" texture to the ceiling. It looks great and was actually fun!

3525 Blackstone (Dedication Sept 24th)
Marv, Rodger and team are currently tiling and will also be ready for cabinets on Tuesday. All the mill work has been stained and varnished and is ready to install.

All in all it has been a terrific summer. I have learned a great deal, met and worked with a terrific group of folks, and am having the pleasure of seeing 5 families realize thier dream of home ownership!

Dedication Sunday

2011-08-18T16:47:00.000-07:00

3408 Parkside
It was wonderful to see the new home owners- Ray, Mary and family be presented their new home. They have done a great job in their participation with their work hours and should be very proud.
Thanks Ted and team for a wonderful job!

3413 Parkside
Glen and crew are nearing the finish line as they are finalizing the plumbing and having the attic insulated. The appliances are set to be installed next week.
Also being the team players they are, they are helping Ron' team to "mud" - thanks!

3525 Blackstone
Marv's team has started priming and painting and will continue to do so this weekend.

3308 Gilbert
Ed and Steve were able to enlist the services of a professional drywaller (thanks Pat!) so the walls were ready to paint and prime. With the help of a great group from Rosecrance, they are completely primed and painted!
Millwork is the next step, which has been started.

3312 Gilbert
Ron's folks have been busy hanging drywall and with the help of Geln's guys, should be done by next week.

Drywall everywhere!

2011-08-10T19:31:00.000-07:00

This weekend our first house (3409 Parkside) will be dedicated. Please come and join us at 3:00.

3413 Paarkside - Glen's team is quickly approaching the finish line. The along with 3409, the final grade has been done and landscaping is nearing completion.
With some help from Ted the kitchen cabinets have been installed and we are waiting for the counter top.

3525 Blackstone
With all the drywall hung, Marv and crew have gotten a good start on the taping. Thanks to Marv's amazing tools and his crew's hard work, they are soon ready to sand.

3308 Gilbert

Steve and Ed have the good fortune ofhaving a Pro do the taping for them. With the dryer weather it has allowed the compund to dry and they should be priming the walls this weekend.

3312 Gilbert
Ron's team have the ceiling dry-walled and many of the walls too. It could be possible to start taping and mudding this weekend.

Her's some photos from the last couple of weeks...

Hot, hot, hot!

2011-08-02T16:06:00.000-07:00

All the teams did a terrific job today in spite of the heat.

Rolf & gang at 3413 Parkside had the tile grouted before 10 this morning. The kitchen cabinets arrived and were unpacked to prepare for installation on Thursday.

Ted 's crew at 3409 Parkside were doing some finishing touches such as hanging blinds to prepare for this Sunday's dedication.

Marv at 3525 Blackstone returned from his contribution at the "Blitz Build". He said he had a great time and I know he contributed greatly (as He always does!) Drywall was being detailed and prepared for taping on Thursday.

Ed and Steve at 3308 Gilbert had the benefit of a tremendous group of guys from Owens Corning.
After helping Ron at 3312 Gilbert unload and stack a delivery of drywall, they worked hard the rest of the day hanging drywall at 3308.

Ron's team finished the siding, soffit and fascia (hooray!) today. The electrical was completed and passed inspection. 1 more inspection on Thursday and we be starting insulation and drywall too.

Here's some shots of LaMar and team....

Drywallers?

2011-08-01T17:11:00.000-07:00

3525 Blackstone, 3308 Gilbert and 3312 Gilbert will all be in a phase of dry-walling this week.

3525 Blackstone
Rodger, Stu and crew put up the last piece on Saturday - nice work! This week they will be taping and mudding. Also this week Marv returns from the Dakotas where he has been paticipating in a "Blitz Build". Typically they complete a whole house in a single week!

3308 Gilbert
Steve and Ed have all the ceiling pieces up and the walls are underway. They too could be starting to mud this week end.

3312 Gilbert
Ron and Jim will be finished with the electrical so we should be able to have our inspections , insulate the walls and start placing rock also.

I promise I'll take the time to get some photos this week.
We are all proud of the progress and think it'll show in the shots!

First house dedication

2011-07-27T10:54:00.000-07:00

3409 Parkside

On Sunday, August 14th the Ray and Mary Nichols family will have their new house dedication:

10: AM They'll be at First Covenant to be introduced and say "thanks" in our Mission's moment.

3: PM Home dedication at 3409 Parkside Avenue - Pastor Dibley and the Nichol's family pastor will participate.

Note from Ted:

"The Nichol's family have really worked hard on building their home and have worked well beyond the 300 required hours. We've also had a terrific team of volunteers who have be available at the right time to get the house built...the appliances arrive July 29th, which will finish off the house. Doug Ford of Paragon Landscaping will seed the lawn mid to late August when the weather is cooler.

Thanks for another good year on house #12."

The Habitat team thanks you Ted and crew. Well done!

Personnaly, I've enjoyed working with Ted and folks and have learned a great deal from you!

3413 Parkside

Glen and crew continue to push towards completion too. Tile is going in this week and kitchen cabinets next week. Electrical is near completion with most fixtures in place. Plumbing will be completed once the kitchen sink is in place.

3525 Blackstone

While Marv is out in the Dakotas participating in Habitat's annual "Blitz Build" Rodger and crew have gotten all the ceiling drywall in place and have started on the walls.

3308 Gilbert

Cieling drywall is finished and we are waiting for the wall insulation to be inspected. Once we get the go ahead wall drywall will be this weekend's project. Outside a few more pieces of fascia are left to and the outside is done.

3312 Gilbert

Electrical work inside and siding outside is the order of business this weekend. Next week we start insulating the walls.

Warming weather ahead...

2011-07-17T13:35:00.000-07:00

We have been blessed with very good building weather for most of this season. Dry days reduce the difficulty of working in the unimproved grounds and minimize delays due to rain. The temperatures to date have been overall very reasonable - but they are going to be climbing this next week. Staying as cool and hydrated as possible will be important!

3312 Gilbert
With the doors and windows in the last house, we are now able to secure the all the buildings which means far fewer trips to the warehouse for small supplies.
Thanks to our terrific volunteer Steve, the black pipe (gas line) was finished on Saturday. He did three of our house in an very efficient and professional manner. He is a great guy to work with - thanks Steve! Tuesday the pipe will need to be pressure tested and scheduled for inspection before any insulation or drywall can be installed.
Siding was started Saturday. Finishing this will be a major effort this week.

3308 Gilbert
Here also - thanks to Steve - the black pipe is in and in need of testing and inspection. Drywall and insulation will be delivered Tuesday afternoon. Work on the siding continues with just the front peak needing completion. Electrical work is also ongoing.

3525 Blackstone
Marv was able to get the inspection needed to have the house insulated on Saturday. Nice job Stu and Rodger and crew!
Drywall will be delivered on here on Tuesday also.

3409 Parkside
The tile work in the kitchen and dining room is ready for grouting. We ran into a few issues with the type of tile that we purchased this year. Seems it is a bit more fragile than we expected. Thankfully the supplier that we are working with (North West Pallet) is going to do whatever it takes to get us a more durable replacement - terrific!
The concrete work is all in in! Premier concrete did a great job with all the work with the driveways and sidewalks in.
Also the gutters were installed on both Parkside houses.

3413 Parkside
The entire house interior is painted and thanks to a terrific group from the Lutheran Churches, all the trim has been sanded and stained! Next comes trim varnishing and installation.
As mentioned, gutters, driveway and sidewalk were completed Saturday. Really looks nice!

Steady progess

2011-07-13T17:31:00.000-07:00

3312 Gilbert
Ron had the team working on windows and preping for siding installation. The house is secure with all doors and windows in place. The plumbing was roughed in and passed inspection. The HVAC rough in is being done today by Tim, our friend from Miller Engineering.
Tomoorow we start siding.

3308 Gilbert
Steve has the place jumping! Plumbing is roughed in and also passed inspection., HVAC is roughed in and "black pipe" (pipe for natural gas) is going in tomorrow. Siding is ongoing also.

3525 Blackstone
The HVAC rough in is completed as is the black pipe installation. Next comes insulation.

3409 Parkside
The tile work in the kitchen and dining room is almost done. Kitchen cabinets are placed. Trim installation and gutters are the next order of business. Outside concrete work is scheduled to start this weekend. The furnace and water heater are in place.

3413 Parkside
The rooms are all painted. Next comes interior trim staining and finishing. Light fixtures will be hung soon too.Hopefully the drive can be poured this weekend.
The furnace will be placed tomorrow.

We're roofed!

2011-07-11T10:31:00.000-07:00

3312 Gilbert
The last shingle went on Saturday afternoon. Hoorah!
Brad had a good crew that worked very well together as a team to finish the rest of the roofing. Many thanks to all that helped.
In addition, we were able to set the exterior doors and place all the nailers for the ceiling drywall.
Tomorrow we will install the windows and have the plumbing roughed in.

3312 Gilbert
The major task was beginning to hang the siding. Pete and Ed did a great job organizing the crew of volunteers into teams so two sides of the house were started.
Today Atlas plumbing is doing the "rough in" for the PEX plumbing. Tomorrow the siding continues.

Since almost all of my time has been spent working to have the roof completed on Gilbert I've not been able to document the progress at the other 3 sites.

3525 Blackstone
Rodger stopped over to let me know the siding is done - nice work! The rough in for the furnace is also being done at this time.

3409 Parkside
Ted continues to work towards completion. The tile work is almost done with the plumbing fixtures in the bathroom placed and the kitchen cabinets about to be positioned.

3413 Parkside
Always interesting, our pro dry-waller textured the ceiling. It only took he and his asst. a couple of hours to do it all. With that completed, painting will start this week.

Roofers still needed

2011-07-06T18:48:00.000-07:00

Tonya and myself spent the day (Tuesday) shingling 3312 Gilbert with help from Ron and Brad.
Seeing as neither of us are bonafide roofers, the progress was slow.

We could us a couple of experienced shinglers to give us a hand!

Calling all roofers

2011-07-02T11:14:00.000-07:00

NOTE: We need help doing the shingling at 3312 Gilbert next week (July 5th & 7th) . If you have experience roofing please come and join us!

3409 Parkside

Ted had his annual "Painting Party" today. Thanks to the many guys and gals that helped, the entire interior is pa
inted!
Next comes floor, door and window trim.

3413 Parkside
Glen's team continued with the drywall mudding. This will continue into next week when sanding starts.

3525 Blackstone
Marv and Stu's folks took advantage of the well deserved day off. Next week electrical and siding work continues.If you ever wondered how vinyl siding is done, come work with us!

3308 Gilbert
Roofing was delivered today - thanks to Joe, Pete, John for coming in to help "stage" the shingling material.
Hopefully we will be having a very generous contractor donate their time to do the shingling tomorrow.

Roofs - almost!

2011-06-26T18:50:00.000-07:00

Please note: we will be “officially off" on Saturday, July 2^nd. No volunteer groups will be helping this weekend.

Some may still work shortened schedules at some of the houses. Please check with the house managers to verify their plans.

Happy 4^th of July!

3409 Parkside
Interior finishing work continues with closet shelving being constructed.

Stove and Refrigerator is being ordered.

Doors and interior trim bout to be delivered next week.

3413 Parkside

The ceilings are completely dry walled and the walls are quickly being finished too.

Taping is well under way!

3525 Blackstone

Bruce, our volunteer electrician, speedily installed the panel and basic wiring to allow the City inspector to give us the thumbs up to proceed - nice work!

The doors and windows were installed to make the house secem ure and water tight.Sidinf will start this week.

3308 Gilbert

The trusses are in place and ready for sheathing. This is a huge project as we manually lift the large truss members onto the roof. Thanks to some terrific volunteers! Without their muscle and positive spirit, it would not have happened.

We hope to shingle early next week.

3312 Gilbert

Ron, Brad and crew also have the trusses in place along with 1/2 of the sheathing on one side of the roof. John, a volunteer who works for Northwestern Pallet, has help out tremendously with the loan of a large compressor and other tools from his company. Really helps to make thing go faster!

Ron’s Weekday Wonders showed tremendous team work by even helping to build part of the “ladders” (overhangs on the ends of the house) for 3308. Nice!
Shingles could be on this week if all goes well.

Walls, roofs and frames

2011-06-21T17:07:00.000-07:00

3409 Parkside

Ted and gang are continuing to finish the walls. Al is a taping machine! They have even painted the storage rooms and placed shelves.
Next the trim will be delivered so future homeowners Mary and Ray can start staining and varnishing.

3413 Parkside
The ceilings are dry walled with the walls proceeding nicely. Thanks to Don, our volunteer siding expert, the outside is completely covered and protected. Don told me he has sided at least 45 houses and started to volunteer on the siding since the 2nd house we built in Rockford. Amazing. Thanks Don!

3525 Blackstone
Marv and crew, along with some great help from the Farmer's Insurance Group, finished the entire roof today! It looks great. Next comes windows and doors and siding.

3308 & 3312 Gilbert

Today we worked at placing top plates (2x4's that reinforce the wall structure) and driving anchor bolts to secure the walls to the floor.
Ron and crew were also able to "square" their building so it will be ready for trusses on Thursday

....and they're off!

2011-06-21T05:16:00.000-07:00

3308 & 3312 Gilbert

Thanks to a dry day and a terrific group of volunteers, we were able to erect the paneled walls for both houses!
Now comes the job of "Squaring" the house and getting ready for the trusses to go up on Thursday.
\

Gilbert Ave, here we come!

2011-06-17T03:48:00.000-07:00

3308 & 3312 Gilbert
The slab is poured and we are expecting our lumber delivery today.
We start construction tomorrow!

If you are able to join in the fun, please make sure to check in at 3409 Parkside. Once you sign in and get your hardhat, come to Gilbert and park on a side street (Vermont is closest).
Our web site has a map to help find us. http://www.rockfordhabitat.org/

3409 Parkside
Drywall mudding continues with trim coming soon.

3413 Parkside

Drywall is progressing with most of the ceiling done - thanks in part to Gary's ("Have gun will drywall") speedy work with the Senco screw gun!

3525 Blackstone
The roof is sheathed! The team from FMA did another terrific job helping us this year. They are hard working, upbeat and a lot of fun to be around. Thanks folks!

Tick, tock....

2011-06-15T13:01:00.000-07:00

Count down to 3308 and 3312 Gilbert continues.

Rain prevented the floor from being poured today, so tomorrow's the day for concrete! This still gives us plenty of time to mark out the house walls on Friday and begin framing on Saturday.

See you Saturday!

Countdown to 4 & 5

2011-06-13T04:03:00.000-07:00

We are still on track for houses 4 & 5 ( 3308 and 3312 Gilbert) to start this Saturday. Tomorrow we smooth out the back fill and lay the foundation insulation to prepare for the slab to be poured. With reasonable weather this week, we will begin framing Saturday morning.

Framing day is great fun and a great day to help out. We need a lot of hands this day so hopefully you and your friends or co-workers will join us to begin these new homes. The sign in tent will be at 3409 Parkside.

Last Saturday we made great progress on our existing homes:

3525 Blackstone:
With some hard from the excellent group of guys from the Rosecrance Hillman House, the remaining walls were framed in, the house was "squared", sheathing hung, blue board placed and the trusses lifted to the roof! (Whew!)

3409 Parkside
The major task was drywall work with all the ceilings in place and almost all the walls done. Al is leading the charge to complete the taping (he's a master at this).
This week taping continues and it should not be long before we begin painting walls and finishing woodwork.

3413 Parkside
All the inspections have been completed to allow us to begin dry walling tomorrow. Hopefully we can get the siding done too!

House Number 3 has started! Numbers 4 & 5 in the ground!

2011-06-07T17:17:00.000-07:00

3525 Blackstone

A huge thanks to all the folks who worked on Saturday. It was hot and humid which made the work more challenging, but we were able to frame all the outside walls. Marv did a great job planning and organizing the construction to make the work flow smoothly.
Today (Tues.) good progress was made with the help of a team from Boylan H.S. and Sam's Club. Thanks everyone!
Here's some pic's of the start. (Gee we looked so fresh and cool first thing that morning :-)

3409 Parkside
Ted and crew worked on the ceiling drywall, insulating the walls, furnace and electrical on Saturday, We had the electricity connected (thanks ComEd!). All the inspections needed for Electrical and Plumbing we obtained and passed with flying colors. Thanks to the crews that worked on those systems!

3413 Parkside
The team working on electricity in Glen's house also passed their inspection this week - nice job!
The furnace work is on-going as is the plumbing.
The next week will be a busy one as the siding, insulation and drywall all start.
Some pic's of the hard working volunteers at the Parkside's

3308 Gilbert and 3312 Gilbert have started with the footings and foundation walls being poured.
Today ( another hot one) a group of guys from Ron's team, myself and Ed insulated the walls and started preliminary work for water and sewer.
Early next week we will prep the floor for insulation and get ready for the "floor pour"

The 18th IS THE TARGET to start these last 2 houses....stay tuned!!

1 more day 'til 1 more house

2011-06-02T19:29:00.000-07:00

3525 Blackstone
The slab has been poured and the framing begins!
Marv and his dedicated crew began the exacting work of laying the sill plates in preparation for Saturday's wall construction. The lumber has been delivered, and all the essentials for the task are at hand.
As long as the weather cooperates we will have our long awaited build day for our 3 rd house. Can't wait!

3409 Parkside
The water and sewer were hooked up, the electrical is ready for inspection, the furnace and duct work installation has begun. As you can tell, it's a beehive of activity!
Next the insulation is to be placed in the walls with the drywall starting on Tuesday.

3413 Parkside
Great progress here too. The electrical is nearing completion,. The furnace and ductwork is being installed also.
Applying siding is the next large task on the agenda.

Great news!

2011-05-31T19:46:00.000-07:00

The city inspector came out promptly this morning and gave us the thumbs up for 3525 Blackstone.
Tomorrow (Wed) we will have the slab poured, Thursday the lumber arrives and Saturday we begin to build.
(All of this is dependent on the weather of course, so let's hope for the best.)

More good news!

We received our building permits for 3308 and 3312 Gilbert!
Today Ed and I marked out the foundation outlines. In the next few days, the digging and cement work will begin. If all goes well we can start building on June 17th.

Thrid house starts this Saturday?

2011-05-30T07:24:00.000-07:00

3525 Blackstone
An inspection and the weather are the keys for us this week. If we can have the go head from the city, we could pour the cement slab on Wed. and start framing on Sat! (IF the weather cooperates.)
Please check back tomorrow evening. I'll post the status of Saturday's start date.

For now, check out the hard working volunteers and the excited future homeowner!

3409 Parkside

Ted and crew are moving along briskly.

Last week the siding was completely installed, the plumbing PEX is ready for testing and the electrical is nearing completion.

Next steps this week include installing the heating / cooling system and completing the electrical and plumbing work.

3413 Parkside

Glen's gang installed all the doors and windows, started the electrical and gas line installation.

This week the siding will go up!

More exciting news! We have 2 more properties ready to start foundation work as soon as the building permits are issued!

The third house begins!♠

2011-05-23T06:05:00.000-07:00

We have started on our third house at 3525 Blackstone. The old , dilapidated house has been torn down and hauled away in preparation for a Habitat home.

The excavation was done quickly and efficiently by Packard Excavating company of Rockford. Those big machines and Mark Packard’s efficient crew made short work of it!

Premier Concrete of Rockford did a terrific job in hustling to set the footings, place foundation wall forms and complete the pour all in a couple of days. Nice work Nino, Jim and crew!

Marv, Ed, Rodger and I prepped the foundation walls so they are ready for plumbing and back fill.

A couple more weeks and we will start to build!

Steady progress goes on at 3409 and 3413 with electrical, siding and plumbing underway..

Next up are two lots at 3308 Gilbert!

Saturday 5/14/11 - House #2 Begins

2011-05-16T19:43:00.000-07:00

What a great day!

We started our second house at 3413 Parkside Saturday morning and by 3:30 that afternoon we had the walls assembled, placed and sheathed. The trusses were raised, set, braced and sheathed too. Amazing!

It was incredible watching the hustle and teamwork as Glen (our house manager) and Tim (the construction crew lead) orchestrated the effort.

I was very thankful that even with the volume of work accomplished, everyone worked safely and without injuries.

3409 Parkside made great strides too. Most notably, we had the entire roof shingled by the terrific crew from Above the Peak Construction. They did a great job. Thanks, guys!

In addition the remaining “blue board” panels on the exterior were placed and taped, electrical work was started and the remaining drywall “nailers” were positioned.

This week will be doors and windows for 3409. Blue board and roofing for 3413.

Terrific news… The crew from "Above the Peak Construction" surprised us - they are going to do the roofing at 3413 also! What would have taken our volunteers and Week Day Wonders several days to complete, will get done in one day. What a help!

Some pictures from Saturday….

3413 Thursday afternoon…… and by Saturday Afternoon …

First days - Building begins!

2011-05-13T13:04:00.000-07:00

The new season of building begins!

This summer’s building season is off to an unusual start. Due to some unavoidable “challenges”, we are staggering the start date of each home. We will build the normal 5 homes this year, but for right now we just have the first two homes. They are off to a great start too! Located at 3409 and 3413 Parkside, (Rockford) they have had the footings poured, foundations laid and the initial plumbing begun.

The wall panels were delivered and installed at 3409 last Saturday (5-7-11). The roof trusses and sheathing went into place this last Tuesday.

On our second home, we started framing the walls yesterday. This home will be a “stick build” vs. pre-assembled panels. Tomorrow (weather permitting) both teams of volunteers will be hard at it again at both houses.

Next week’s plans are to start installing doors and windows on 3409. The roofing on 3413 will be completed. Attaching exterior insulation panels and placing drywall “nailers” are just a few of the on going tasks that will be accomplished.

For me personally there is a huge change this season in that I have gone from being a single house “Weekday Wonder” to accepting the daunting job of Construction Manager. I am trying my best to learn all the things Ed Leach has been doing for the last 10 years (in such an incredible manner). I have my work cut out for me!

Here are some photos of the progress, hard working future owners and terrific volunteers from the first few days.