A helping hand:

One of the best ways to learn a new home improvement skill is to volunteer for Habitat for Humanity. Habitat for Humanity Nantucket is now constructing a house at 46 Okorwaw Street. It is the fourth Habitat house on island, and so far, the house raising is drawing more volunteers than any one of the other three island projects. Part of the success is due to Craig Spery, the project's construction supervisor, and to the downturn in the economy. Many contractors and tradesmen are volunteering their time on this project as are many unskilled workers.

(From left) Sybille Andersen, Craig Spery, Tom Barnes, Rob Andersen, Jessie Glidden, Steve Godwin, Kate Bayer, Nancy Rappaport, Burr Tupper and Peter Boynton. PHOTOS BY CRAIG SPERY “I volunteered for the first three houses and joined the Habitat board about a year and a half ago,” said Spery. “The last two houses on Saratoga Avenue took about two and a half years to build. As the project supervisor, I've tried to get more of the community involved. We have sheer beginners who have done no construction working alongside

Marilyn Donovan works on interior wall framing. talented craftsmen. We take all comers.” Since the Habitat homeowner pays back the cost of constructing the house to Habitat, it is important to keep the cost low. Part of this effort is to use volunteers and the homeowner's sweat equity.

Unskilled labor is important to the project, since most of construction involves material handling and moving things from one side of the house to the other, said Spery.

“If you volunteer enough, in a couple of days, you will know how to shingle a house, among other skills,” said Spery.

The budget for the Okorwaw Street project is $261,000, since Habitat is renting the property at no cost for 99 years from Housing Nantucket, the owner of the

(From Left) Barbara Gookin, Colin Carr, Tom Richards (Habitat Nantucket president) and Rob Andersen lot.

“So far, we are on budget, possibly under budget,” said Spery. “We have

not run into many major difficulties and there are more tradesmen volunteering.

One contractor has to stay busy in between jobs and did a lot of great work.”

Spery writes an e-newsletter that is sent to 1600 people who are interested

in the Habitat project. A total of 150 volunteers have worked about 2100 hours so far.

The owner, Katie Deras, is well on her way to logging the required 180 hours in sweat equity.

Deras has three children, Thomas, 16, Max ,13, and Sophia, 9.

This Habitat home will be incorporating green technology from the foundation being built with insulating Styrofoam core blocks. The first floor of the 2,016 square foot three-bedroom, two-bath home is built under ground.

( From l eft) H arry Pa yne, J ulie Y oun g and Kate Deras “We have two of the bedrooms downstairs in the basement, using the earth as insulation,” said Spery. “By utilizing the space in the basement, we can build a one-story structure instead of a two story.”

When Spery took on the role of construction supervisor, he found an added benefit to building “just another house.”

“Working with the volunteers has been gratifying. The emphasis has been more on the people coming together.” I
Roof in place.