Colorado Timber Resources in Parshall has donated all of the lumber and other materials so Habitat for Humanity of Grand County can build storage sheds for our new homes in Hot Sulphur Springs. Thanks to co-owner Dave Fiala and his team for their generosity, and to the hardy volunteers who have turned out in the cold weather of recent weeks to begin building those sheds from scratch!
One of most joyful parts of the Habitat journey in Grand County is the house dedication, which includes presentation of personalized quilts to each member of the new homeowner’s family. (Thanks to Betsy deVries and the Grand Quilters group for making that happen, and to Pastor Paula Steinbacher of Church of the Eternal Hills for her benediction!) Here’s homeowner Michael Bunker and his beautiful family after their quilts were presented Oct. 21,, 2022, outside their new home. We don’t just build houses. We build communities.
Eleven volunteers from Credit Union of the Rockies showed up Sept. 24 to help with House #14. They came to work! They labored alongside prospective homeowner Lacey Lund (front and center of the group photo) to install timbers for the driveway, build a gravel-and-flagstone berm on one side of the house, and help install windows. We’re grateful for all that they did, and to marketing specialist Jessica Lind for sending along photos of their time with us. They also marked their work by inscribing one of the wall studs — a grand Habitat tradition!
Thanks to large group of volunteers, we made terrific progress on House #14 during the weekend of Sept. 23 and 24. With many of the regular crew unavailable, volunteers Bryan McCay and Jon Letendre (in photo), along with prospective homeowner Lacey Lund and contractor George Davis from Maple Street Builders, spearheaded a busy weekend in which we finished the siding and timber work on the driveway, installed all of the windows, and prepped the roof for installation by the good folks at The Roofing Company. We hope to have the house dried in by the end of next weekend so the furnace can be installed. Then we’ll break ground on House #15 before the snow flies! If this momentum continues, we’re on track to nearly quadruple our normal capacity in 2022-2023.
Habitat volunteers in Grand County also find time to help needy homeowners with short-term repair projects. If you think you might qualify for that kind of help, please contact us to discuss the details.
Habitat for Humanity of Grand County board member Lisa Steen and past president Chuck Chladek recently helped a Granby homeowner repair the rotted and unsafe stairs from her deck. Need help with short-term projects such as this? Contact Executive Director Lisa Cooper at lcooper@habitatgrandcounty.org.
House #14, which began rising in Hot Sulphur Springs in May, took shape more quickly than anticipated because of an outpouring of volunteer help and the hard work and design choices of prospective homeowner Lacey Lund. We’re hoping to have a roof and windows installed in the coming weeks, and also break ground for the foundation on House #15. It’s been a productive summer for Habitat for Humanity of Grand County! Want to help? Contact Executive Director Lisa Cooper at lcooper@habitatgrandcounty.org.
House #14 is ready for its roof and windows, and were prepping to break ground on House #15 next door within the coming weeks.
Prospective Habitat homeowners Michael Bunker and Lacey Lund at House #14 in Hot Sulphur Springs
The increased building pace of our invigorated volunteers has led to a happy consequence — the chance to build relationships between Habitat neighbors in Hot Sulphur Springs. Michael Bunker, who soon will complete the purchase of House #13 and move in with his three children, has been doing final finish work on his own house, but also has been helping frame House #14 next door alongside prospective homeowner Lacey Lund. This is how Habitat for Humanity of Grand County is building a community, one house at a time.
Thanks to extraordinary volunteer turnout in July 2022, the framing work on House #14 proceeded at an astounding pace — from foundation to what you see here in just four weeks, including a front deck, gable roof, and a driveway retaining wall. Thanks to Bob “The Builder” Kittler and another professional framer for their guidance, as well as our regular volunteers and community groups such as SKP for making it happen. We hope to continue the momentum on House #15 in the coming weeks, with the goal of getting both houses dried in before the snow flies. Help us get local families into these homes as quickly as possible! Contact Executive Director Lisa Cooper at 970-887-9138 or lcooper@habitatgrandcounty.org today!
Many thanks to SKP, a father-son group from Denver that volunteered to help with construction on House #14 on Saturday, July 30. Their youth, energy, and enthusiasm enabled the Grand County Habitat crew to accomplish in a single day what normally might have taken a month. Interested in having your group participate in solving the county’s affordable housing crisis? Contact Executive Director Lisa Cooper at 970-887-9138 or lcooper@habitatgrandcounty.org.
Prospective Habitat House #14 homeowner Lacey Lund, surrounded by the hard-working volunteers from Denver’s SKP group.
Despite the intensity of the mid-summer sun, Habitat for Humanity of Grand County’s fourteenth house is rising at 240 Nevada Street in Hot Sulphur Springs. It’s the first project in a busy summer for the affiliate, which also hopes to break ground on House #15 within the coming weeks. Prospective House #14 homeowner Lacey Lund has been a hard-working partner so far, and HFHGC supervising contractor George Davis of Maple Street Builders has worked through both knee replacement and eye surgery to meet the affiliate’s ambitious construction deadlines.
