With over 30 homes and 20 years under its belt, Habitat for Humanity Seven Rivers has begun construction on a new home just off Rt. 130 in Bristol. Ted Chase, the head supervisor of the project, hopes to have the home’s new owners in by the end of the year.
“I’d like to see them in by Christmas,” said Chase.
Tim Mellen, the President of the local Habitat board, gave a more optimistic estimate.
“I hope to get them in by Thanksgiving,” said Mellen.
According to Chase, the home started as a two bedroom house, but the size of the incoming family dictated the expansion of the project to a four bedroom home. The home will also include a kitchen and two baths.
Work is currently being done on the siding and windows. Once insulation is put in, work will begin on the interior of the house.
A steady group of between eight and 12 volunteers works on the home 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. The site has attracted volunteers from all over.
“This is always something I’ve wanted to do,” said Emily Roach, of Long Island, who drove up to Maine with her friends and family for the week to help work on the home. Roach elected to help with the project in lieu of a Sweet 16 party back home.
“I do whatever needs doing,” said George Shaw, a local volunteer who has been working on the project since early July, “I really enjoy the work.”
The home will be built for the Younker family of Walpole. With three young children, and a fourth on the way, the Younkers needed a new home but were unable to make the transition. Habitat for Humanity gave them the help to make that change.
“They wouldn’t be able to afford a house otherwise,” said John Norwood, a relative of the Younker family helping out at the construction site.
According to Mellen, Habitat for Humanity requires that the family meet certain preconditions before the house is built. The family must earn between 25 and 60 percent of the area’s median income, have a minimum credit score of 550, and live in substandard housing. Each adult member of the family is also required to put in 250 hours of labor on the home.
The family benefiting from the house construction pays for the house through a 30-year no-profit mortgage.
According to Chase, even the pregnant Amy Younker helped with roof work. The kids aid the volunteers with batches of cold lemonade to combat the afternoon heat.
A bond between the home’s volunteer builders and the Younker family has grown throughout the building’s construction.
“Meet the Younker family, then you’ll understand,” said Chase, when asked why he decided to lead the project.
Norwood agreed: “This is for family. That’s why I’m here.”
