Habitat for Humanity Build

 

 My volunteer day began at Starbucks, with coffee and a bite to eat, where I met a couple of my colleagues. Once everyone arrived, we hopped into my car and drove the short distance from Pullman to Albion, where the Habitat for Humanity house was located.  We unloaded, had a brief safety talk, got signed in, and then Bob, one of the Habitat regulars told us a bit about the Habitat for Humanity organization in general, the particular house were  working on, and the family that would occupy the home. It was fun to hear about the family, as it brought it to a personal level for all of the volunteers.

Bob, our fearless leader, in the trenches.

The first task we were assigned was to level out 6" to 8 " out from the foundation base so that a drainage pipe could be put into place. This meant picking up the chunks of concrete, some of which had to be broken away, and removing it from the foundation area. Then the pipe could be placed.

 



The pipe after placement



After the drainage pipe was laid, the foundation was "painted" with a coat of tar. This, I learned would create a moisture barrier, so the foundation would not mildew or warp due to moisture. Once the tar was on, we added a layer of gravel. I learned we were using 2" gravel because it was better for drainage, and would not pack down easily.

Sometime during this process we broke for a quick lunch and water break. After our

 re-fueling, we went right back to working on drainage for the foundation and eventually another layer of pipe for the roof drains. This meant more gravel, and more shoveling for me. I did spread tar for a little while, but for most of the day I shoveled and hauled gravel.

It was a day of hard work, teamwork and getting things done. I learned a lot, met some very nice people, and I felt good about what we had accomplished for a very deserving organization.