i had been thinking of volunteering with habitat for humanity for ages and recently got off my butt to do it. with all this talk about homes - our own and writing about others on apartment therapy, i thought it was high time i did something to help those who with little access to affordable housing.
after a two hour training session a few weeks ago, i was able to work on a construction site this past weekend in old north st. louis - one of the oldest sections of the city and sadly, one of the most neglected.
mind you, i don't know a thing about home construction, but with the help of habitat staff, i was out there setting floor joists and securing them - hammering and nail gunning my way through.
at the beginning of the day, henry (our crew leader) pointed to the building's sill plate - that horizontal piece of wood to which everything else attaches - and asked the group if anyone is comfortable walking around on it. everyone was quiet, so i raised my hand before i realized why the silence - surrounding the foundation walls was a trench ten feet deep.
i stepped out onto the sill plate and i thought my knees were going to buckle, but with one quick deep breathe, i overcame my initial nervousness and scooted my way around. by the end of the day, i could practically skip my way around that plank.
here are all the floor joists awaiting placement at the beginning of the day.
by the end, we were able to complete this phase for two of the four sites.
besides being an incredibly rewarding experience, i learned a lot. i look forward to more weekends working on sites.
1 comment:
Derek works on Habitat housing every year in Tosagua, Ecuador with his students, spending about a week in one of the country's poorest areas to build a block of houses. Each house costs about $5500, I think. Good for you!
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