Posted April 19, 2024

By GRANT BROMLEY

Psalm 127:1, which reads, "Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it," is a verse which is often recited at Habitat for Humanity of Cleveland's house dedications.

Utilizing an approach to home building which is new to the local Habitat chapter, it hopes to ensure the labor of its staff and volunteers will not be in vain.

After being delayed by rain for several weeks, on Tuesday, April 16, Habitat had a crane and construction crew on hand to bring in and install precast walls for a home it hopes to complete in the fall of this year.

It may be months away from its dedication and move-in day, but Habitat was excited to see this 

"We do a lot of building and construction with volunteers," David Cowan, construction director for Habitat, told the Cleveland Daily Banner. "It helps keep our costs low and helps keep our community involved, which is our priority. Without our community support, we're not really able to build houses."

Continuing, Cowan said, "One of the issues that is plaguing Habitat, not just here, but nationwide, is volunteer hours since COVID-19. We averaged over 15,000 hours a year, but we're below 3,000 hours a year."

Enter: a hybrid building process.

Starting with a gravel footer, waterproof concrete walls with foam insulation and metal studs already pre-installed are then dropped into place.

He described this as a superior material over a traditional wood frame, and a cost-saver as well.

"This type of construction has been used in the commercial world for quite a long time," he said. "Our fear here was, if we cut our community out of the building process, then we would basically be starting our own demise."

He added, "If we can't find a way to build and increase home production, while keeping our community involved, we will fail as a [Habitat] affiliate in the Cleveland community."

Once the walls are up — which they were all set in place in a matter of hours on Tuesday — he said there are plenty of opportunities for community involvement.

Cowan assured it will be an aesthetically pleasing home, with a farmhouse style.

With the walls being made from concrete, he noted that termites won't ever be a cause for concern.

Watching from the sidelines was one of the women who will soon know these concrete walls as the walls of her home, Flor Figueroa, who was ecstatic to see her home begin to take shape.

"This is a dream come true," she told the Banner. "We've been working hard for it."

Sweat equity is a big part of Habitat's approach to providing a home for an individual, and while the walls may have been put up by a construction crew, she said she's ready to continue working.

Figueroa added, "I can see everything that we've worked for. I can see it now with my eyes, and I know we're going forward."