By Leah Ballard
Infrastructure costs are a common challenge when it comes to building affordable housing… as many builders can attest. This was one challenge Habitat for Humanity of Archuleta County has faced in the building process this year, on North Pagosa Blvd.
Habitat has begun construction on two homes to be completed this fall. Last week — it was muddy. But despite the monsoon rains, we’ve been busy working toward our commitment to build 15 homes in five years.
The push to build more, faster, was always a goal for board member, Paul Lehman. While all the members of our board supported the idea, a million-dollar annual budget would be a huge undertaking for our rural office. Even as we’ve had a couple years to wrap our head around the cost to build two units, the numbers still make us dizzy… and next year, we are planning three units…
For 28 years your local Habitat office chugged along building one home a year. During that time, we would self-finance a build, and service the mortgage for our homeowners for the next 30 years. Monthly mortgage payments would come in to slowly pay off the cost of construction, and we’d scrounge our pennies for the next build, year after year. We have transitioned on the past few builds, to outside financing. Our homeowners now pay a mortgage to the USDA Rural Development, and we use the funds from the sale to build more, faster.
The logistics of “15 in Five” was set in motion last year with a donation from Archuleta County of 11 tax lien lots to Habitat Archuleta. The Archuleta Board of County Commissioners and the County Attorney did the leg work of transitioning these vacant lots, to a step in the direction of affordable home ownership.
The next step for Habitat Archuleta was a transition to using modular units.
Many Habitat offices across the country are making this transition, as the need for work force housing has risen. Habitat Archuleta is spearheading a partnership with a non-profit modular home manufacturer who is also working with other affiliates in Colorado.
We are not, however, immune to the all-too-common epidemic of production delays and supply chain issues. Perhaps the monsoon season is good timing, as our build sites will be quiet until the arrival or our two modular homes in September.
The expected delivery date for our two modular homes has been moved to September 20 — when we’ll be reaching out to local volunteers to help put the finishing touches (roof, siding, porches) on the homes.
We had two major projects to complete before starting on the two homes: adding a cul de sac to accommodate the driveways, and installing a sewer mainline. Pagosa Area Water and Sanitation District provided materials for the sewer line, and our excavator is contributing discounted excavation services to get both jobs done.
With that infrastructure in place, the next step was foundations for the modular homes and garages. Once again, a local contractor stepped in with an abundance of generosity to complete the foundations. The “stick-built” garages went up with the help of local volunteers as we dodged much needed thunderstorms!
Amber and Jennifer, our future homeowners, and their families have started their “sweat equity” hours, getting a lesson in construction. When Amber came in to sign her USDA mortgage loan documents, she was thrilled with what she was learning on the build site, commenting “That jack hammer is a lot harder than it looks!”
Habitat future homeowners are required to contribute 250 hours of “Sweat Equity” in building their home alongside our volunteers. Their teenagers can also pitch in on these hours, with age -appropriate building tasks or even babysitting for the younger children of this year’s homeowners. Homebuyer education hours also count toward this requirement, as well as attending any “good neighbor” classes hosted by the Pagosa Lakes Property Owner’s Association.
Habitat Archuleta homes are a combination of volunteer labor, subcontractors, in-kind donation of products and services, and homeowner sweat equity. Habitat families work alongside volunteers to build their home and pay an affordable mortgage.
These hours and efforts will be appreciated for generations by our workforce homeowners, the businesses who employ them, and the children who rely upon them.
Contact us to see how you can get involved. Starting September 21, we’ll be on the job site Tuesday through Saturday, 8am to 2:30pm. Please call 970.264.6960 or email office@HabitatArchuleta.org before you arrive, so we can plan for how many hands-on-deck.
Leah Ballard is Homeowner Services Coordinator for Habitat for Humanity of Archuleta County.
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