6/25 - 6/29 Summer Build Week

It was yet another hot Summer Build Week at Sandtown Habitat. This was the 21rst annual summer build week at the Sandtown chapter, which is one reason this small chapter has completed over 305 homes to date since starting in 1989. And, this was probably the 21rst year the temperatures hit 90's or above (100 on Friday). I think Mother Nature likes watching so many people sweat it out as they work hard as a team to help those in need. Both our houses were nearly ready for drywall prior to the beginning of Build Week. But a lot must happen before the professional drywall hangers and drywall finishers (taping, spackling, sanding) enter the house. All the plumbing, Heating Venting and Air Conditioning (HVAC) and electrical must first be installed. A home inspection must occur and the house must get a thumbs up, and our crew also gets the tasks of finishing / fixing all the little mistakes that would make the drywall task difficult. So Build Week was a hard working week for all the volunteers that showed up to work on 1630 and 1632 North Gilmor St. At the end of the week, there were a few noticeable changes in the houses, a kitchen pantry here, dinning room nooks there, a new bathroom frame there. But many of the changes were smaller but needed to make edges flush for drywall, to box in ductwork or conceal water pipes. The teams also pitched in to paint an other house to prepare the house for a home dedication ceremony and made a few saw horses for public safety. We also got great news Wednesday morning during the morning announcements, that Northrop Grumman has dedicated another $40,000 for the cause, which will sponsor a new house once we finish and dedicate these current houses. Melissa Sandlin made the announcement on behalf of the Electronic Systems Community Outreach committe and has been a long time volunteer for us and for several other efforts. Here is a photo of a sweaty Wednesday crew: