July 30 2009

Thanks to Shane Andrew, Walt Graffam, and Jim Cluney, the texturing of the ceilings and walls was accomplished today. Tomorrow we will do the knockdown process on the side walls and prime the walls for painting.

Monday is the day for painting!!!!!

Isabel and Robin Plattenberger have been picking out carpet, vinyl, and paint colors, and you can feel the excitement that is in the air.

We are still targeting next Wednesday for the day we put in interior doors and begin the trim work.

Feel free to drop by and see the progress. (We won't put you to work if you just want to take a peek.)

Thanks again for all the help and if you have questions, feel free to call Jim Cluney at (319) 653-1735.

Wow, Jim, looks like an all woman work day today! You go girls! I'm back in town, but am going to leave the blogging to Jim Cluney since he knows what's going on and when. Jim, you'll have to let me know about meals,etc. I don't have anymore lined up, but can make some calls if you're going to be working every day. I can call the Journal if we want to get the word out about the upcoming needs. Just let me know.
Thanks!
Lynette

July 27, 2009

Today was another productive day here at the Habitat build site. We were once again blessed with having four workers from CIVCO to help us.

Today's accomplishments included putting sheet rock on the stairway walls going into the basement. We had to adjust the siding on the west end of the house. (Opps!!)

Then there was the usual cleaning up of material scraps to keep things safe and looking good on the job site.

The future game plan goes like this....

Tuesday and Wednesday we will be finishing up the taping and mudding of all the ceilings and walls.

Thursday and Friday we are going to texture the ceilings and walls.

Next Monday, August 3rd, we are going to have a PAINT PARTY! We want to help Isabel paint her new house.

Our goal is to start putting in the interior doors and trim in by next Wednesday and Thursday.

A lot to be done yet, but with all the good help we have been having it will all come together rather quickly.

Enjoy the pictures from today's work day.

In His service,

Jim Cluney filling in for Lynette Sievers.

July 24, 2009

Another great work day, even though we only had about 11 people, a lot was accomplished. The last of the siding was put on, the first coat of drywall compound (mud)was applied, thanks to Shane Andrew and Andres Lopez. Jim Cluney helped Dan Wittmayer and his friend from Ace Electric put in more electrical equipment. Isabel and her friend Andrew stuffed insulation around floor joists. Bob Vittetoe and Bill finished up the siding. Temporary steps were put on the east entrance of the house. Ed Kielenstyne and his friend continued roughing in the plumbing.

WOW is all we can say accept, THANK YOU.....

For the next few days we will let Shane Andrew continue to work his magic applying the drywall compound and get it textured and ready for paint. We will assist the new homeowner in painting. After that we will call in the team that helps with putting the finish trim, doors, and kitchen cabinets in.

We are getting closer every day to completion.

Want to help? Call Jim Cluney at (319)653-1735

Posted by Jim Cluney (Lynette will be back soon!)

July 22, 2009

Another great work day at the Habitat build site. Thanks again to our volunteers who helped today.

All the sheet rock was finally hung, Jim Cluney got the nasty insulation blown into the attic. It was a good thing since it will be warmer each of the following days this week. Thanks again for the hands who prepared our lunch today.

We will be starting to tape and finish the ceilings and walls over the next few days, so we might just relax a bit until it is all textured. Then we can hit it again and put in the doors and finish out the trim, etc.

You can always call Jim Cluney at (319) 653-1735 to get an update on work days and they type of work that is planned ahead.

The following are some of the pictures from today's build.

July 20, 2009

Wow! What a fantastic workday! Thanks again for the twenty plus volunteers we had today! We again say thank you to CIVCO for sending down many workers today to help on this build.

The volunteers got all the floors covered with rosin paper, vapor barrier hung up on the side walls, and almost three fourths of the sheet rock hung! That really ROCKS!!!

Once again we want to say we could not have done it without each of you.

Wednesday we will be finishing the last little bit of siding and finishing up the remaining sheet rock. They Jim Cluney gets to crawl up in the attic and blow in the insulation, OH ICK!

Enclosed are some of the many pictures taken today. We plan to have a CD full of pictures at the end of the build that will be made available to all who worked on this build.

Jim Cluney

July 17, 2009

What a wonderful work day! The house siding was all finished up except a little around the front window. The deck was finished except for the finished steps which will be completed when the dirt work is done. The shower unit was installed.

Thanks for all the great help we had today!

Next week we will plan to work on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. If you want to help a couple hours in the evenings, please call Jim Cluney at (319) 653-1735 to make arrangements. We realize some people work during the day, but might want to help a little some evenings.

I am trying my hand at blogging for Lynette Sievers while she is gone. Please post a comment from time to time to let us know you are receiving this correctly.

In His service - Jim Cluney

Thanks Care-a-vaners!

FRIDAY, JULY 17TH: Today was the last day that the Care-a-vaners worked at our site. We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the foursome: Lenny and JoAnn from Solon, Iowa and Jim and Betty Spencer from Atlanta, Georgia. What a blessing to have them work among us! As you can see from the pictures, a tremendous amount of work was accomplished in the two weeks they were in Washington. We pray they will have a safe return home and that our paths will cross again.

The local Lyons club, represented by Kathy Ebert, brought the noon meal. Thanks a bunch! I was told that the couple from Georgia was not familiar with "walking tacos" and were intrigued by the concept. We've had a tremendous response from the community to come out and provide meals for the volunteers. The Care-a-vaners spoke about how nice that was. Apparently not all communities get involved as much as Washington.

Next week Jim Cluney plans to be at the site working on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 8 AM until about 4 PM. We'll schedule work times week by week now and I'll post the dates/times on this site. It would be wonderful to finish the home by the time school starts this fall.

As always, we appreciate your support of our mission -whether it be by volunteering at the site, bringing by food, donating money, or praying for us. All together we can make a difference in this world!

I'll be on vacation next week and we haven't figured out if someone else can blog or not. We're trying to get Jim Cluney to be able to blog from his home, but we're not sure yet if it will work.

Have a great week!

In His service,
Lynette

Thursday: Is this really July in Iowa??? The weather today was great and more progress was made on Isabel's home. As you can see in the pictures below, her home now has windows and doors and a front deck. She and a friend are working inside this evening putting up insulation. The crew numbered about 12 today. This morning when I delivered the water and ice there were more women than men! (We'll have to look into doing an all women build sometime!) Two women from Civco worked today along with some veteran ladies- Beth Evanovich, Jan Boyd and Lisa Horn. We are blessed to have the Care-a-vaners with us yet. Tomorrow will be their last day.

Lunch today was provided by a local PEO group, Chapter J. I heard it was delicious. Thanks ladies!!

Each morning about 10 am, Lee Buchholz, our board president, and a local minister stop by the site for a short devotion and a snack. Habitat for Humanity is a Christian organization whose mission is to provide simple, decent, and affordable housing for deserving individuals. To qualify, the applicants must have a reliable income that is 30-50% of the county's median income. They must have lived in Washington County at least two years before applying, prove a good credit history, and cannot be current homeowners. Preference is given to families with children who are living in substandard housing. The homeowner will have an interest-free mortgage repayable to Washington Area Habitat for Humanity when the home is finished. If you want more information about applying, you can contact Janice Carr.

Tomorrow looks to be another unusally cool day here in Iowa. Praise God! It will be the last day on the site for the Care-a-vaners. Stop by and thank them for their service. Having their help is a huge boost for our chapter as it forces us to get organized and really work hard for 2-3 weeks. Its amazing to me how much they have accomplished.

We continue to be thankful for very few injuries at the site and for the great weather. We're thankful to have the leadership of Jim Cluney at the site and for Terry Miller who is busy behind the scenes as the General Contractor. Both of these men are juggling their usual jobs with their Habitat work. We also need to thank their wives, Jean and Donna, for their patience!!

Thanks again to our great volunteers.

In His Service,
Lynette

Wednesday evening

Another hot day at the site. I'm told they had 14 workers sign in today. Some of the "old faithfuls" like Nick Evonavich and Richard Gilmore put in long hours. Lisa Horn and Dana Rembold have been giving alot of their time as well. Both are earning quite a reputation as carpenters. Several of Isabel's co-workers from Civco came to volunteer today. Its great to see new people join in at the work site. This is the first Habitat build for many of the women. Of course Jim Cluney and the Care-a-vaners were there bright and early getting things organized. You can see by the pictures that steady progress is being made.

Thanks to the summer "Girl's golf club" that provided the noon meal. Its great of you to help out. Lunch time is a good time for volunteers to enjoy each other's fellowship and get to know each other better.

Roe Heating is getting the furnace and ductwork completed.

Thanks again to all of our donors and volunteers. This would never work without all of you.

In His Service,
Lynette

Tuesday evening

Another busy day at the work site... Jim Cluney, site supervisor, says the plumbing, heating and electrical work is coming along. The windows and exterior doors are expected to go in tomorrow, and then the siding can go on. Inside, the insulation will need to get done and then the drywalling will begin. There has been a small but hard working crew there daily- including the Care-a-vaners. Tonight a group of volunteers from the Washington Mennonite Church came to finish up the shingling. They have very graciously helped shingle the last 3 Habitat homes in Washington.

We can't thank the volunteers enough. Because of you, the cost of the home will be much less than a "conventional" home. Isabel will have to repay the cost of materials in the form of a mortgage, but the labor is given in love. We hope that everyone who works will feel a connection to Isabel and her family and will greet them when they see them at school, church, etc. We hope Isabel will feel a deep connection to the community and will have pride in her home ownership. We pray the entire community will be blessed by this experience and continue to "pay it forward." May God bless you all.

In His Service,
Lynette

Tuesday noon

As you can see from the pictures below, steady progress is being made on Isabel's home. The Care-a-vanners and Jim Cluney, site supervisor, have had a small, but faithful group of volunteers show up to lend a hand every day. Today's lunch was provided by a staff from Stewart school and headed up by Nancy Pim. A big thank you to them! So far the rain has held off and the clouds have provided nice relief from the direct sun. Please pray for continued good weather and safety for the crew. We are out of Gatorade at the site so if you are looking for a way to help out, dropping some off would be appreciated. Fresh fruit is also good for breaks.

In His Service,
Lynette

Saturday evening

Wow, what a day! 31 volunteers signed in and worked beside Isabel at the site today- and that didn't include the volunteers who prepared the meal! Most of the plywood sheeting is up on the roof now, and much of the electrical work got done on the inside. It was great to see the young people who showed up to help, and we even had a visit from Mayor Sandra Johnson. Rhonda Moore and friends prepared a great meal along with the folks from the Presbyterian church. As you can see from the photos, everyone enjoyed getting out of the sun and sitting down for lunch.

We thank the Lord for another safe day at the site- though I noticed Pastor Cluney pushing his luck several times as he hung out over the end of the rafters.(!) The rain ended early this morning and left us with mostly sunny skies and a gentle breeze. The Lord is good, and we give Him all the glory.

On behalf of the Habitat Board of Directors, thank you to all the volunteers who give so unselfishly of their time and talents. We appreciate each and every one of you.

In His Service,
Lynette

Saturday photos