Showing posts with label Habitat For Humanity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Habitat For Humanity. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
On the News
Check it out...we're on the local news! One of my team roles is the media coordinator, and I managed to attract a television news reporter to our work site. You can link to his story here.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
A Day in the Life
On most mornings, I wake up at around 5:30 a.m. to get ready for the day. After a breakfast of Total cereal and orange juice, our team heads to the YMCA for our daily physical training. We are usually left to do our own workouts using the excellent cardio and weight training facilities there. After an hour, we hit the locker rooms to change into our AmeriCorps uniforms and head to the work site.
We hit the work site at around 8:00 a.m. and meet up with our Habitat for Humanity project sponsors, who give us a quick overview of what we need to do that day and any problems that need to corrected from previous days. We're working at two houses at once, so our team is split between two sites. When we first arrived, our first task was to hang drywall. It wasn't a hard job, but it was very time-consuming since we had to measure each wall, cut the drywall down to size, then screw it on to the exposed studs. We had plenty of faulty cuts and measurements, but eventually we got the hang of it. It was also challenging getting the ceiling pieces in using a special lift to jack the drywall into place.
Currently, we're working on mudding, which is using joint compound to fill all the screw holes and seams between drywall pieces so the walls are nice and smooth. It sounds easy enough, but it's a very time-intensive process since you really have to have each surface flawless. Even with two teams working for more than a week, we still aren't done with the job. Each seam, corner, and all the outlets and light switches must be lined with tape, which is adhered with mud. That also takes a really long time since you can't have any air bubbles, and the angles near the ceiling are really hard to get right while perching on ladders. We have a contraption called a banjo that coats the tape in mud, but it's a pain to use since it's heavy and unwieldy. The ceiling and corner pieces then need to be rolled and glazed before it's knifed. This process is repeated three or four more times throughout the entire house. It's become a very tedious process, but we manage to get through each day.
For one day last week, when the weather was (relatively) warmer, we got to do some shingling and got one entire side of the house done. This involved nailing on roof shingles using pneumatic nail guns, which were a lot of fun to use. It was probably my favorite day of work since we got to be out under the sun, and we had a great view of the surrounding landscape from our perch on the roof. It was also fun to scramble around on the slanted surface and on the scaffolding.
We just finished our first full week of work; last week was interrupted by the Thanksgiving holidays. Our team works from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday since the weekend is a popular time for volunteers to come out. I was dreading it at first, but then we got into a comfortable groove, which made the work tolerable. We have a radio, so we can blast tunes and hook up our iPods. Even more fortunately, mud cannot freeze, so the houses are heated while we work.
Every Thursday, we have a meeting with our project sponsor, Jessica, the executive director of Habitat for Humanity of the Eastern Bighorns. We've only had two meetings, and they've been casual question-and-answer questions that have been really informative. We've learned a lot about how Habitat works and the process aspiring homeowners have to go through to complete the program. We have a lunch break from noon to 12:30 p.m. We used to bring our own lunches and sit on the street to munch on our sandwiches, but lately we've had local folks bring in really tasty, hot food for us to eat. At first we felt a bit guilty that people were going out of their way to make us lunch, but then we learned that preparing food can be counted as volunteer hours toward the completion of the house.
It's been a great learning experience so far, and I feel fairly confident in my drywall and mudding abilities after the weeks of labor. Hopefully we'll get to learn a little bit about wall texturing before we leave since one of our on-site construction mentors is a pro at it and has been really talking up the different kinds of finishes we can do.
We hit the work site at around 8:00 a.m. and meet up with our Habitat for Humanity project sponsors, who give us a quick overview of what we need to do that day and any problems that need to corrected from previous days. We're working at two houses at once, so our team is split between two sites. When we first arrived, our first task was to hang drywall. It wasn't a hard job, but it was very time-consuming since we had to measure each wall, cut the drywall down to size, then screw it on to the exposed studs. We had plenty of faulty cuts and measurements, but eventually we got the hang of it. It was also challenging getting the ceiling pieces in using a special lift to jack the drywall into place.
Currently, we're working on mudding, which is using joint compound to fill all the screw holes and seams between drywall pieces so the walls are nice and smooth. It sounds easy enough, but it's a very time-intensive process since you really have to have each surface flawless. Even with two teams working for more than a week, we still aren't done with the job. Each seam, corner, and all the outlets and light switches must be lined with tape, which is adhered with mud. That also takes a really long time since you can't have any air bubbles, and the angles near the ceiling are really hard to get right while perching on ladders. We have a contraption called a banjo that coats the tape in mud, but it's a pain to use since it's heavy and unwieldy. The ceiling and corner pieces then need to be rolled and glazed before it's knifed. This process is repeated three or four more times throughout the entire house. It's become a very tedious process, but we manage to get through each day.
For one day last week, when the weather was (relatively) warmer, we got to do some shingling and got one entire side of the house done. This involved nailing on roof shingles using pneumatic nail guns, which were a lot of fun to use. It was probably my favorite day of work since we got to be out under the sun, and we had a great view of the surrounding landscape from our perch on the roof. It was also fun to scramble around on the slanted surface and on the scaffolding.
We just finished our first full week of work; last week was interrupted by the Thanksgiving holidays. Our team works from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday since the weekend is a popular time for volunteers to come out. I was dreading it at first, but then we got into a comfortable groove, which made the work tolerable. We have a radio, so we can blast tunes and hook up our iPods. Even more fortunately, mud cannot freeze, so the houses are heated while we work.
Every Thursday, we have a meeting with our project sponsor, Jessica, the executive director of Habitat for Humanity of the Eastern Bighorns. We've only had two meetings, and they've been casual question-and-answer questions that have been really informative. We've learned a lot about how Habitat works and the process aspiring homeowners have to go through to complete the program. We have a lunch break from noon to 12:30 p.m. We used to bring our own lunches and sit on the street to munch on our sandwiches, but lately we've had local folks bring in really tasty, hot food for us to eat. At first we felt a bit guilty that people were going out of their way to make us lunch, but then we learned that preparing food can be counted as volunteer hours toward the completion of the house.
It's been a great learning experience so far, and I feel fairly confident in my drywall and mudding abilities after the weeks of labor. Hopefully we'll get to learn a little bit about wall texturing before we leave since one of our on-site construction mentors is a pro at it and has been really talking up the different kinds of finishes we can do.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Oh Yes, Wyoming
I mentioned in a previous post that I am heading to Wyoming very soon (tomorrow!), but I realized I haven't told you yet what I will be doing there! From Nov. 18 through Dec. 16, my team will be working with Habitat For Humanity of of the Eastern Bighorns (HFHEB), which works to eliminate poverty housing and homelessness from Sheridan and Johnson Counties and to make decent shelter a matter of conscience and action. The organization targets households that lie between 25 and 60 percent of the state's median income. Since its inception in 1995, this Wyoming chapter has successfully built 18 homes. HFHEB hopes to have five more homes constructed by the end of 2009, four of which our teams will actively help finish before Nov. 31.
In past years, HFHEB’s Family Selection Committee has found that a specific segment of the population was in need of affordable housing, such as single mothers, handicap individuals or the elderly. However, the trend has been shifting recently so that there is not one particular demographic showing a greater need than another. In other words, all types of people and families are now are in need of affordable housing, demonstrating the urgency required to address this issue.
In addition to working construction, we're expected to help engage and recruit volunteers from the community. A local community college is starting up a Habitat chapter at their campus, so we also hope to assist their efforts to organize and possibly recruit for the NCCC as well. Furthermore, we will lend a hand at the ReStore, Habitat’s warehouse that sells new and used quality construction materials that help raise funds for projects. Helping out at ReStore involves picking up donations, organizing volunteers, creating workshops and recruiting volunteers.
The city of Sheridan bills itself as "The West at its Best!" It is a quaint and charming town of about 16,000, making it the sixth-largest city in Wyoming. The main industry here is tourism, spurred on by the breathtakingly gorgeous Eastern Bighorn mountains and National Forest nearby that make for great camping, hiking, snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, fishing, biking, and other outdoor activities.
The city has rich and storied history as a hub of western ranching, mining, logging, and railroading. Buffalo Bill of the famed Wild West Show, which featured legends like Annie Oakley and Sitting Bull, allegedly auditioned acts off the front porch of the historic Sheridan Inn, which he built and leased.
Even today, Sheridan retains much of its old school charm, and it also hosts a full roster of rodeos, parades, and festivals, including a lovely Christmas stroll on Main Street that we will get to enjoy during our stay. In 2006 and 2006, True West Magazine ranked Sheridan as one of the country's top Western towns.
During our project, my team will be staying in the basement are of a large house donated by a partner of Habitat for Humanity. The walls are framed, but there is no drywall, so we'll basically be sharing one large room and a single bathroom. It is, thankfully, heated, and we will also get to use the kitchen and common living spaces. We'll be cooking most of our meals and shop at the local Safeway and Wal-Mart. They also have a pretty nice YMCA, which provides memberships for just $5 a month and includes use of their indoor swimming pool and running track. I'll post pictures of our new home for the next month once we arrive.
One of my legitimate concerns is the snow, which is already reportedly more than 10 inches thick. Temperature highs top out in the 40's and plunge down to the teens for the lows. While I've seen snow and have been on a skiing trip before, this is my first time to actually live in the stuff for the long-term. I will definitely need a crash course in driving in snow (in a 15-passenger van, no less), and a quick tutorial on how to dress for the weather (apparently they make special "snow pants"?).
That's a quick overview of what I'll be doing and where I am going for this first project, but I'll be able to give more specific information and impressions once I actually arrive and start the work. We leave tomorrow for the two and a half day road trip, which means plenty of team bonding, hopefully. If not, I have books and crossword puzzles to keep me occupied. Today I'll be plenty busy packing for next month, especially since we can only bring two small bags with us, and much of it will be taken up by our official uniforms and gear. Until then, in honor of my impending project, I'll leave you with this little ditty. Feel free to sing along!
In past years, HFHEB’s Family Selection Committee has found that a specific segment of the population was in need of affordable housing, such as single mothers, handicap individuals or the elderly. However, the trend has been shifting recently so that there is not one particular demographic showing a greater need than another. In other words, all types of people and families are now are in need of affordable housing, demonstrating the urgency required to address this issue.
In addition to working construction, we're expected to help engage and recruit volunteers from the community. A local community college is starting up a Habitat chapter at their campus, so we also hope to assist their efforts to organize and possibly recruit for the NCCC as well. Furthermore, we will lend a hand at the ReStore, Habitat’s warehouse that sells new and used quality construction materials that help raise funds for projects. Helping out at ReStore involves picking up donations, organizing volunteers, creating workshops and recruiting volunteers.
The city of Sheridan bills itself as "The West at its Best!" It is a quaint and charming town of about 16,000, making it the sixth-largest city in Wyoming. The main industry here is tourism, spurred on by the breathtakingly gorgeous Eastern Bighorn mountains and National Forest nearby that make for great camping, hiking, snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, fishing, biking, and other outdoor activities.
The city has rich and storied history as a hub of western ranching, mining, logging, and railroading. Buffalo Bill of the famed Wild West Show, which featured legends like Annie Oakley and Sitting Bull, allegedly auditioned acts off the front porch of the historic Sheridan Inn, which he built and leased.
Even today, Sheridan retains much of its old school charm, and it also hosts a full roster of rodeos, parades, and festivals, including a lovely Christmas stroll on Main Street that we will get to enjoy during our stay. In 2006 and 2006, True West Magazine ranked Sheridan as one of the country's top Western towns.
During our project, my team will be staying in the basement are of a large house donated by a partner of Habitat for Humanity. The walls are framed, but there is no drywall, so we'll basically be sharing one large room and a single bathroom. It is, thankfully, heated, and we will also get to use the kitchen and common living spaces. We'll be cooking most of our meals and shop at the local Safeway and Wal-Mart. They also have a pretty nice YMCA, which provides memberships for just $5 a month and includes use of their indoor swimming pool and running track. I'll post pictures of our new home for the next month once we arrive.
One of my legitimate concerns is the snow, which is already reportedly more than 10 inches thick. Temperature highs top out in the 40's and plunge down to the teens for the lows. While I've seen snow and have been on a skiing trip before, this is my first time to actually live in the stuff for the long-term. I will definitely need a crash course in driving in snow (in a 15-passenger van, no less), and a quick tutorial on how to dress for the weather (apparently they make special "snow pants"?).
That's a quick overview of what I'll be doing and where I am going for this first project, but I'll be able to give more specific information and impressions once I actually arrive and start the work. We leave tomorrow for the two and a half day road trip, which means plenty of team bonding, hopefully. If not, I have books and crossword puzzles to keep me occupied. Today I'll be plenty busy packing for next month, especially since we can only bring two small bags with us, and much of it will be taken up by our official uniforms and gear. Until then, in honor of my impending project, I'll leave you with this little ditty. Feel free to sing along!
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