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Pam Tyler
has been packing for
months in anticipation
of laying her head down
for the first time in
her new Habitat for
Humanity home. “I’ve
been so excited,” the
mother of four said
about moving into the
three-bedroom, two-bath
Ensley bungalow she’s
sharing with two of her
daughter’s. “I haven’t
been able to sleep.”
The Tyler family is one
of several Birmingham
scheduled to move into
new Habitat homes
following a week long
blitz in which eight
houses were built from
the ground up. The
houses were constructed
on land donated by the
city of Birmingham,
where Fairview
Elementary once stood.
They added to the 240
Habitat houses built in
the Birmingham area
since 1987.
Eight local building
companies and several
subcontractors donated
time, manpower and
materials as part of the
nationwide Habitat for
Humanity Home Builder
Blitz 2006. The drive
was aimed this week at
building 500 houses
across the country.
Traditionally, Habitat
houses have been built
by volunteer workers,
not necessarily form the
construction industry.
This inaugural nation
movement is based on a
Raleigh, N.C. prototype
where a group of
builders got together a
few years ago and
donated their resources
and expertise to
building Habitat houses
in their city. |
“The
builders are doing what
they do best,” said
Cassie Sanford, vice
president of marketing
and development for
Habitat for Humanity of
Greater Birmingham.
Sticking to a swift and
unusual schedule was key
to completing the Ensley
houses so quickly, said
Bryan Cobb, construction
superintendent for HPH
Homes, which built
Tyler’s house.
For
example, an inspector
approved the frame of
Tyler’s 1,100 square
foot house at 9p.m.
Saturday so that the HPH
crew could hand
insulation and sheetrock
Sunday morning. On
Monday the crew
installed cabinets and
countertops. Tuesday
they installed the
plumbing, lighting and
security systems. And
Wednesday they laid sod
and finished the
landscaping.
Cobb
said a house like
Tyler’s typically would
take 70 to 80 days, but
they were doing the
finishing touches within
five.
“It’s
like a little city has
grown,” he said about
the row of houses.
He
said the company planned
to buy a couple of
rocking chairs and
hanging geraniums for
Tyler’s front porch.
From
stacked stone, to brick
or siding exteriors,
each house has a
distinct look. Although
they all were based on
one of two floor plans,
each building company
included unique features
like gabled roofs,
vaulted ceilings or
special-order interior
doors in its house.
Homeowners helped select
item such as flooring
and paint colors. |
“They’re all different,”
Sanford said. “It’s a
custom-built home like
any other home would
be.”
Last year
Birmingham’s Habitat
received more than 1,700
requests for help with
housing. In exchange for
a 25 year, zero-interest
loan, selected families
must pay $700 down, be
willing to work a
minimum of 300 “sweat
equity” hours for the
nonprofit group and take
up to 15 home ownership
classes. The
average Birmingham
Habitat house costs its
owners between $44,000
and $52,000, with a
monthly payment of $300
to $350 including taxes
and escrow. Members of
the Greater Birmingham
Association of Home
Builders worked on the
homes.
Tyler
has chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease and
breaths with the help of
an oxygen tank. She
believes moving into the
new house will help her
condition because the
West End home she’s been
renting is “full of mold
and mildew,” she said.
“I wasn’t on oxygen
until I got into this
house,” Tyler said. “I’m
going to be able to
breathe when I leave
this house. I am so
excited and I am
blessed.”
The company Trane
donated a Trane
CleanEffects Home Air
Filtration System to the
Tyler family.
By Alison L. Ketcham |
