One of the central tenets of Habitat for Humanity is that selected homeowners become partners in the construction of their own home. In late May, Lacey Lund, a single mom from Fraser, logged the first of her minimum 200 hours of “sweat equity” to make her dream of home ownership a reality. If she completes the program, she and her two youngest children will live in House #14 built by Habitat for Humanity of Grand County in Hot Sulphur Springs.
The foundation, footers, and crawl space are rising on a Hot Sulphur Springs lot adjacent to the two homes Habitat for Humanity of Grand County has completed since 2017. The small but energetic volunteer workforce hopes to break ground on yet another house along the same seven-lot stretch by mid-summer, aiming to complete both by spring 2023. To make that dream a reality, HFHGC needs more volunteers willing to pitch in. No experience necessary! Please contact Executive Director Lisa Cooper if you can help in any way. Let’s rise to Grand County’s urgent need and get hard-working families into these affordable homes ASAP.
With the snow mostly gone, workers have been excavating the lot for House #14 and preparing to start framing. Today was foundation-pouring day, even as work continues to finish up House #13 next door for Michael Bunker and his family.
Even as we finish up work on House #13 in Hot Sulphur Springs, the eager Habitat crew recently began clearing snow from the adjacent lot where House #14 will begin to rise in the coming months. Clearing the snow is the first step toward excavation of the lot, followed by construction of the foundation. We hope it will be the first of two homes we can complete in the coming year.
Clearing the winter’s heavy snowpack to start work on House #14!
Our volunteers recently installed the windowsills in House #13, and we’re betting this bathroom has as good a view as any Habitat house in the country. With the walls painted and the floors installed, can door trim and baseboards be far behind?
By early February 2022, Habitat volunteers and future homeowner Michael Bunker began work on the laminate floors and bathroom tile at House #13 in Hot Sulphur Springs. The doors have been ordered and the doorknobs have arrived. Interior trim work will continue until the home is complete, possibly within the coming weeks.
An intrepid crew of paint-flecked volunteers showed up on Saturday, Jan. 29, 2022, to finish work on the upstairs walls and ceilings at House #13. It was -23 degrees when they arrived at 9 a.m., but the house was toasty thanks to the new boiler and heated basement floor recently installed by Grand Lake Plumbing. By the time they were done at 2 p.m., all of the walls, ceilings, and closets were painted and looking sharp, proving once again that neither rain, nor sleet, nor brutal cold shall stay these mostly old and cranky heroes from their appointed rounds.
Interested in applying to become the next Habitat homeowner in Grand County? The first step is to attend one of two Zoom meetings scheduled for Feb. 3 and Feb. 5, 2022. Contact Lisa Cooper at habitatgrandcounty.org, or 970-887-9138, for the meeting link.
To fill out the digital form of the application, simply click on the link below. You can fill it out from your computer, then print it out and mail it to Cooper at Habitat for Humanity of Grand County, PO Box 969, Granby, CO 80446, or simply email the file to habitatgrandcounty@hotmail.com. 1 Homeowner Application (English)-Grand County fillable
Our intrepid and ever-expanding building crew is working hard to finish work on House #13 before the snow flies. The electrical and plumbing work is done, and drywall installation is set to start soon. The goal is to complete the interior finish work before the holidays.
House #13 is rising right next to House #12, upon which Maria Archuleta Jones and her family closed in June 2021. Habitat owns five more adjacent lots, and hopes to break ground on House #14 soon.
Exterior grading was completed in mid-October, as was construction of the front driveway. That near-final exterior work was a race against the approaching winter in the Rockies.
Heavy insulation on Energy Star-rated House #13 should keep the family toasty during Colorado’s long and often harsh winters.
Habitat for Humanity of Grand County is offering donated appliances for sale at reasonable prices to help us continue our mission to address the county’s affordable housing crisis—just $50 each, as is! Interested? Contact Habitat Board President Martin J. Smith at 970-887-9138, or by email at habitatgrandcounty@hotmail.com.
Martin J. Smith