Monday, April 25, 2016
By Sean Barron
STRUTHERS
The song “What a Difference a Day Makes” that jazz singer Dinah Washington and other artists popularized talks about how quickly love and romance can be rekindled, bringing with it a sense of renewed bliss .
The title also goes a long way toward describing the progress made in 24 hours on a new home that’s being built, many might say with a sense of love and bliss.
“They did about two months’ of work in two days. I’d say they’ll be done with about 50 percent of the work by the end of today,” said Monica Craven, Habitat for Humanity of the Mahoning Valley’s executive director.
Craven was referring to the status of the 950-square-foot, two bedroom house at 58 Ridgeway St. that Habitat volunteers, along with those from the Habitat Road Trip Crazies, began constructing Saturday morning. Exterior work was expected to wrap up Sunday evening.
The Road Trip Crazies are a loose-knit group of volunteers from 14 states that travels to small communities two or three times yearly. They plan, organize and help build homes in as little as two days.
The structure will belong to Janine DiPaola of Liberty Township, who could be moved in by August. This will be the first time she’s owned her own home, DiPaola said.
Beforehand, she has to satisfy a number of requirements, including fulfilling a minimum of 250 “sweat equity” hours, which include assisting with the construction and volunteering on behalf of the local Habitat organization, Craven noted.
Craven conducted a tour Sunday afternoon of the home, saying that much of the drywall had been added to both bedrooms, one of which has two walk-in closets, the living room and adjacent coat closet, the C-shaped kitchen and the dining area. In addition, the full basement is semi-finished, and 18 inches of insulation will be installed in the attic, she continued.
“The bathroom is about halfway done, it looks like to me,” Craven added.
On the outside, shingles and sheeting were nearly complete on the roof. Also added was much of the front porch, along with siding that will be painted gray, she pointed out.
Once settled in, DiPaola likely will enjoy lower utility bills because the home has a five-star energy rating, which is the highest ranking, Craven continued.
Energy Star-certified homes are built to higher energy standards than most others on the market. New houses with such a designation have undergone a series of tests, inspections and verifications to meet strict U.S. Environmental Protection Agency standards, according to www.energystar.gov .
After the drywall work is finished, inspections for the electrical and plumbing will be conducted, as well as for the heating, ventilation, air-conditioning and cooling system, Craven explained.
She also praised the Road Trip Crazies for coming to the Mahoning Valley at their own expense and using their time and talents to build a home for DiPaola.
“They’re taking their vacation time to build something for someone, not going to Tahiti,” Craven said. “This is their vacation. They’re an amazing group of people.”