Like..... WOW!

A total of thirty (maybe more.. they kept arriving) people and two dogs came through the Habitat house on Saturday. We got the roof on; we finished the ceiling battens; we got the braces off and the building wrap on. 

The wind made things a bit exciting. One sheet of iron got loose at one stage, but Martin was our "living paper weight" handing us the sheets. Tony the roofer was a gift from God, he was sooo good at directing us and for the second side we had a great system going.

A guy from a landscape firm called in to see what landscaping had to be done and ended up nailing battens. He said, "I only called in to see what's happening???"

Well done team. We are running hot!

Photos run from the bottom to the top in a time line during the day. 

By the way... Mike's rugby team LOST!

Wow... it's all go tomorrow!

Richard, Martin and Dave went up to the site at lunch time today and finished a few jobs so that the building inspectors could clear it for further work. They came and with a couple of adjustments it passed inspection! The facia and spouting have been installed during the week, the weatherboard, the roofing iron and "stuff" have all been delivered.

Tomorrow, Saturday 22nd August we will finish the battens, put the roof on and wrap the house up. Lots of exciting work to do for lots of people. Come and enjoy the fun atmosphere. We really are enjoying working with this family.

Lots of little stuff...

Saturday 15th was not as dramatic as the Saturday before. We were doing things like strapping the trusses on, nailing up battens and putting screws in the purlins. A number of the usuals were not there all day but we worked till 5. Richard made a very fine "boss" sorting jobs out for us all, but leaving a questionable character in charge for the afternoon. 

It was a good day with new volunteers joining us once again. It is always great to see new faces and get to know more people.

Again well done team. It did not look as if we had made much progress, but lots of little jobs were completed. As you can see, there were a lot of smiles too.... or were they grimaces???

Saturday 15th Work day

After a great day last Saturday we look forward to another good day this week. The trusses need to be strapped down, screws put in the purlins, facia framing explored. All welcome to come and enjoy this part of the build. The frame work is often a great place to learn to swing a hammer and to work as a team. There is always a lot of humour, plenty to eat and good company. AND the weather is getting warmer!

Just a thought...

I read this recently;

"Poverty is not the absence of money.
It is the absence of dignity." - Mvume Dandala

It struck me that even those of us who try to assist the poor can sometimes inadvertently take away their dignity by the way we go about it. This was true for me as a teenager when an agency tried to help our family. I hope we at Habitat don't do that.

What a day! What a team!

8th August was an awesome day at the Habitat site. Ceiling battens were completed, seventeen trusses were put in place and the roof frame work nailed in place. Also some plumbing was done. We all went home with sore nailing arms, and sore muscles. Alex, who has building/cabinet making experience joined the team and his input was invaluable. Again, for those not in Dunedin and suspicious about Dunedin weather, it was a great sunny day. We got too warm.

Mike's rugby boys lost their game. :-(

Thanks heaps team!

The last photo is to prove Christine does some work.

Work for Saturday 8th August

The weather forecast says it is going to be a nice day. Last Saturday we got 11 trusses up. This Saturday we plan to get the remaining 17 up, battens in place and roof purlins on. We hope we will have scaffold to make the job easier, but it will be hard hat territory. It is really fun working on the framwork and roof. Come and enjoy this time.

It has been great to see so many there and to have a lot of laughter going on. Tomorrow will be no different.

As always phone Dave's office on 4774848 for updates if the weather is doubtful.