Making a dream come true—step by step: how a habitat home gets built

South Florida CEO, August, 2004 by Richard Westlund

In just nine days, Maria Khalona went from apartment-renter to homeowner. That is how long it took volunteers from the Builders Association of South Florida (BASF)--working during Habitat for Humanity of Greater Miami's annual "Blitz Build"--to build her a home.

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Habitat for Humanity is a national non-profit organization that works with volunteers to build homes for low-income families. The families receive interest-free loans to purchase their homes; the purchase price is generally far below market value.

"Having my own house is really a dream come true," says Khalona, whose brand-new three-bedroom, 1,100-square-foot single-family home is in Miami's Overtown neighborhood. No longer confined in an apartment, she and her daughters, Jacqueline, 13, and Samantha, 11, will each have their own bedroom, and a landscaped yard to enjoy.

More than 200 BASF volunteers poured their time into Khalona's house. Khalona, who works at Abriendo Puertas, a social service agency in east Little Havana, put her own "sweat equity" into the new house. A civil engineer in Nicaragua before coming to Miami in 1998, she hammered roofing nails, installed insulation and shoveled dirt for her landscaping alongside the volunteers. "I'm also learning about the construction process in South Florida," she says.

For BASF, Khalona's house is a symbol of what can be accomplished when the construction industry makes a concerted commitment to the community. BASF has made a three-year commitment to Habitat for Humanity, and will build at least one Habitat home each year. "Finding more ways to increase the supply of affordable housing is a high priority for all of South Florida," BASF president Oscar Barbara says. "We look forward to working with Habitat for Humanity to keep moving forward toward that goal."

Getting Started

The partnership began six months before the first volunteers picked up their tools at Khalona's house. BASF and Habitat board member Deborah A. Reyes, president of Capital American Mortgage Company presented the idea of volunteering in the Blitz Build to BASF's Executive Committee, which unanimously endorsed the idea.

"The project is really important because it affords an opportunity for people who live in this community to enjoy home ownership with a little boost and help from their neighbors in South Florida," Reyes says. "For BASF, this is a time for us to give back and provide our expertise and connections to help people who deserve to be in their own homes."

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BASF's executive committee began asking members to donate materials, supplies and labor. "Within a few hours, we had enough support to cover the entire construction cost of one house--approximately $56,000--so Habitat was able to free up funds for another home. It's like constructing two for the price of one," Barbara says.

Anne Manning, executive director of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Miami, says the involvement of BASF made a big difference in the success of this year's Blitz Build. "It's great having such an enthusiastic new sponsor on board," she says. "The BASF has opened the doors to many new donors and supporters. It was a great experience working with them in such an important community-building project."

Building The House

During the past six years, Habitat for Humanity of Greater Miami has refined the Blitz Build process into a carefully choreographed sequence. Some phases are completed by subcontractors, while up to 20 volunteers per house help speed the most labor-intensive tasks.

Planning for the Blitz Build moved into high gear in early 2004. At that time, the designs for the nine Overtown homes were selected. "We have basic models and floor plans that are designed to be energy-efficient, cost-effective and volunteer friendly," Manning says. For instance, floor plan orientations may change from house to house, but bathroom configuration remains similar, in order to accelerate the finishing process.

Habitat also makes design choices with its all-volunteer crew in mind. For example, Habitat homes have simple hip roofs without a steep slope, making it easier for volunteers to nail shingles. "We have had to turn down donations of metal roofing," says Manning, "because it's sharp and could easily cut the hands of volunteers. Instead we use shingle roofs."

With planning complete, the actual construction process for the nine houses began three weeks in advance of the Blitz Build. Working from Habitat's architectural plans, volunteer crews completed critical structural work, including pouring the slab, putting up the concrete shell and installing tie-beams and trusses for the roof. Early-stage BASF participants included Willard Brothers, which donated labor; Rinker Materials, which donated concrete and block; Causeway Lumber, which provided steel; and Southern Truss, which contributed trusses. Other volunteers, including college students earning community service credit, were busy clearing trash and debris from the site.