Our Roanoke Trip, Spring 2011

The photo on the left is our first week's crew. Our total team was comprised of: Seth, Ted, JoEllen and Tom, Joanne, Dave, Peg and Ron, Claude, George, Marsha and Barry, Don, Peter, Debbie and Eric. In the parking lot of Campbell Memorial Presbyterian Church we had an RV, an A-Liner camper and Johnny's Camper/Van. Inside various rooms were full of air mattresses, sleeping bags and assorted other gear.

We worked with Habitat for Humanity in the Roanoke Valley. They have their offices, Re-Store, equipment and supplies in a four-story building near center city Roanoke. This is truly an exceptionally organized and well-run affiliate, staffed with not only talented and competent but committed Habitat people. They were a joy to work for. HFHRV has been averaging 9-12 houses a year for the last several years and have already house 167 families.

Our NYS-fits+ team worked on their latest home, 1311 Salem Avenue in the Hurt Park area of the city, where Habitat has been given 11 homes to rehab. This residence will become home to a 10-member family from Burundi, several of whom we met on the Saturday between our two weeks.

The challenge we faced was to make the necessary structural repairs so that the wiring, plumbing and sheet rocking could begin. To that end we mixed and poured a cement pad in the basement for one of several new piers, strengthened and braced beams and joists on each ceiling prior to jacking up, supporting and leveling all three floors, added new headers and re-framed all the windows, removed and replaced a porch floor and walls, made changes in the attic for additional head-room near the three dormers and erected knee-walls around the dormers and roof to facilitate the conversion of attic to three rooms. For two weeks in teams of twos and threes we nailed, screwed, hammered and "sawz-alled" our way around the house. Usually we worked alone, but on Wednesdays we shared the prep work with teams of local volunteers from the "Home Builders" association.

We showered daily at the local YMCA on our way home. This new "Y" had plenty of parking but more importantly gallons upon gallons of hot water -- almost as refreshing as the daily beer.