You Are Invited to Help with Our Next Habitat House
I'm Rosemary Elliott, and I would like to tell you a little about my experience working on Habitat for Humanity projects with others at Williamsville United Methodist Church.
On a Saturday in June a group of five church members met at 8:30 a.m. in the church parking lot with the purpose of working on a Habitat for Humanity project. Ed Howard, Jim Jones, and Dave Reichard planned to work until 3:00 p.m., while Jenn Stafford and I planned to stay until noon. So we traveled in two cars to the site on Ferguson Avenue where three Habitat houses are being built. Ferguson Avenue is on the West side of Buffalo just north of West Ferry. Two houses had been framed and roofed while the foundation had been poured for the third. George, the supervisor, was waiting for us. He had two projects for us today. First, we were to install soffits on the roof peak at the rear of the house and install backing between the studs of the closets to support the closet shelves.
Jenn loves heights so she worked with Ed and Jim on the soffits, while Dave and I worked on the closets (I avoid heights when I can). Both projects involved measuring and cutting materials before they could be installed. The soffits were installed one foot at a time, so there was a lot of cutting, ladder climbing, ladder moving, and laughter.
As yet there is no electricity at the house, so we plugged a heavy duty cord in next door and brought in through a window. We set up a sawhorse with two trestles and a board for working with an electrical saw. We were given 2" x 6" lumber and instructed to install it horizontally so the center was 6 feet from the floor. Dave can be counted on to have all sorts of tools, so he provided a hammer, protective glasses, tape measure, pencil, and square. He refreshed me on how to use the saw, which I had not used for about a year.
Dave measured the first intervals and I measured and cut the lengths, which he installed with much hammering. After awhile, I began measuring the distances between the studs, as well as cutting the lengths. To keep things organized I placed each piece on the floor in the correct interval. To be more efficient Dave cut a piece of wood 69" long that allowed him to place each piece of wood at the right height without using a tape measure. It was such a simple device, but saved a lot of measuring. When I work on Habitat houses, I am always amazed by the ingenuity of carpenters and the techniques they have developed of making repetitive tasks more efficient.
By noon, almost all of the soffit was installed on the rear peak, and all but one of the six closets had their shelf backs installed. I was struck by the fact that it took two people all morning to perform the simple task of installing the shelf backing. However, as Dave remarked, the owners of the house will appreciate having sturdy shelving in their closets.
At noon, the guys broke to have their lunch, while Jenn and I left for Williamsville. I reflected on how much I enjoy Habitat mornings. The company is good, I get to do things quite unlike my normal work, I am helping build someone's house, and I learn new ways of doing things - which is a pleasure. Every time I work on a Habitat house it's different, with a different set of tasks to complete. Sometimes the house is full of workers, and I get to meet and chat with people from other churches and the community. Sometimes, as on this occasion, the only workers are from Williamsville. No matter, it is always a good experience.
Perhaps you would like to try it for yourself. We meet on the third Saturday of each month to work on a Habitat project, and we would love to have your assistance. Anyone in the church is welcome -you do not need construction skills since training is provided. We meet at the church at 8:30 a.m., and stay until either noon or 3:00 p.m. If you are interested in working with us on a Habitat for Humanity project, call the church office at 634-4800 for more information.