PHOTO GALLERY

 

Events | 2009 Build | 2008 Build | 2007 Build

About 125 people came out to support Habitat for Humanity on November 21 in Picton and enjoy a full roast beef and chicken supper and a silent auction while raising $7,200 for the Picton Habitat build fund. The 2009 home is nearly ready for the key presentation. Items for the silent auction were donated by individuals and companies throughout the region. Auction items raised $2,612 as part of the total of $7,200 raised.
The crowds came out during the last weekend in March for the annual Habitat for Humanity Maple in the County pancake breakfast. Here local singer Bev Verge keeps the waiting hungry happy.

Habitat volunteer Gerry Taylor cooks up the bacon to go with the maple syrup and pancakes. The event raised $3,000 for the 2009 Picton build. Tours of the maple bush and sugar shack were part of the weekend events at Ed and Sandi Taylor's Honey Wagon Farms in Prince Edward County. (Ed pictured here in a hat talking to visitors)
The East End Mall in Belleville was a busy place on April 5th at the Rent Event Rummage Sale as Habitat for Humnaity volunteers help raise funds for the 2009 home build.
The Habitat Hotties were one of three teams Habitat for Humanity entered in this year's Bonspiel on Feburary 22, 2009. (l-r) Sharon Donahoe (Board Member), Angela Mawer (Board Member), Erin Durham (won furthest travelled to curl – from Cornwall!), Melanie Flynn (Executive Director)

A full 16 teams enjoyed a day of curling on February 22, 2009 and raised over $5,000 for the Affiliate's 2009 home build in Picton this summer.

The annual Ham Supper was popular once again raising about $2,000 for the Affiliate. Volunteers served up a delicious meal including a collection of very fine home made pies. Extra pies were auctioned off at the end of the second sitting raising nearly $225.
Rededication of the second Habitat home built by the Affiliate took place September 20, 2008. The original homeowner sold the home back to the Affiliate after raising her children there, upgrading her education, and landing a well paying and satisfying job where she received a promotion that took her back to her hometown in northern Ontario. The new Habitat family moved into the home after some minor renovations in June. Susan Walker (L) from RBC Dominion Securities, Belleville presented a cheque in support of Prince Edward-Hastings Habitat for Humanity to Affiliate Executive Director, Melanie Flynn on September 19, 2008.

2009 Build

  Affiliate President Norah Buckley (Centre) sits in on one of the many planning sessions for the 2009 Picton straw bale Habitat home build project at Bloomfield's Bethany Christrian Reformed Church in April.
Each member fo the new Habitat family took their turn at turning the sod at the site of their new home in Picton on May 26th. A large crown came out to participate in the sod turning ceremony on May 26 and view the plans for the 2009 Habitat build project in Picton.
Bonnie Dobson, (3rd from left), Chair of the Family Selection Committee and Melanie Flynn (R), Executive Director, introduce the newest Habitat family to the crowd at the May 26th sod turning ceremony. MPAC (Municipal Property Assessment Corporation) employee volunteers took up shovels and hammers June 24 to help begin the Picton build. A similar crew was working at a Habitat build in Kingston the same day.
By noon, June 24, the sewer lines were laid and attached to the main municipal line on Barker street. Project leader, Kyle DenOuden, prepares the base for footing forms as the newest Habitat home begins to take shape June 24.
July 16, 2009: The basement walls are poured and volunteers, including some from CFB Trenton, work on the knee walls. July 20, 2009: Volunteers raise the walls and prepare to build the inner walls.
July 21, 2009. Note the space in front of the stud walls for the straw bales. July 21, 2009: Picton's Power Concrete crew were at the site to smooth the basement floor.
July 30: Tina Therrien of Camel's Back Construction, an expert in straw bale construction technology, drops by the site to plan the straw stage of the build. The roof trusses arrive only an hour late and one truss short.
In one lift, the trusses were up and ready for placement the next day. In no time at all, the trusses were carefully positioned and placed on the wall studs.
August 1, 2009. Time to dig the trench for the power cable from the pole out front. Aug. 1, 2009: The power line is installed the same day the roof trusses are installed
Aug 1, 2009: The trusses are in place, except for the missing one that was delivered a couple of days later. August 1, 2009: Volunteer retired electrician, Jimmy, is on the job again to help wire the home.
Straw bales piled inside the house and ready for installation Tina Therrien of Camel's Back Straw Bale Construction Company (www.strawbalehomes.ca) instructs Habitat volunteers, including members of the Picton Rotary Club, on how to install the straw bales, a job that began August 17.
After several days the walls begin to fill in. Note the mesh on the inside walls which will hold the plaster in place. Habitat for Humanity home buyer, Ron Snider, (dark shirt) adds to his 500 hours of sweat equity, literally in the August heat, helping to install the straw at the back of his house on Barker Street, Picton.
The outside walls also have a mesh to hold the exterior plaster. Prince Edward-Hastings Habitat for Humanity Affiliate board member, Kerry Burgess, works on the front of the house installing mesh for the plaster.
A Habitat volunteer uses a site-made mallet to compress each bale as it is installed. Each bale is placed in the same way bricks are laid until the wall is complete.
Bales must be cut to fit around the standard wall studs. This is done with an electric chain saw: messy but effective. The Wall of Fame grows each week at the site as more and more companies and groups come forward to help in the build. Members of the Picton Rotary Club accumulated over 100 hours of volunteer time by mid August.
The last few straw bales were in place at the end of the day August 25. Now on to the next stage.... It is always nice to have the shade of a mature tree on site when it is break time.
Workers prepare the parging material for the interior walls on September 10. Inside, workers apply the base coat of parging. Eventually, the interior walls will be as smooth as the traditional drywall construction and as easily decorated.
Parging is a messy job so some experience with playing in the mud as a youngster is useful. The straw walls must be kept dry until the parging on the inside and outside is complete so the whole house is covered in tarps.
Work on the basement bedrooms, bathroom and living room is underway while the utilities are installed by September 29. Just inside the front door is a small window into the wall showing the straw inside. Neat.
The interior walls are all plastered by Sept. 29. The exterior tarps are removed after the outside walls were plastered.
By October 27th the exterior is complete. Inside most of the drywall has been installed, mudded, and primed. The furnace and air exchange systems are in place. Next are touchups to the plastered walls before painting, painting the exterior, flooring installation and building the kitchen. Lots to do yet. By November 23, the kitchen is almost done with only the stove and fridge to install.
The living room is done! Walls and ceiling painted, and flooring installed. The carpeted basement stairs are nice and wide. A removable railing will be installed to help with future furniture moving.
The downstairs bedrooms are ready (there are four girls in this family and yes there are two full bathrooms in the house!), doors are hung, trim in place and all painting is done. Two girls will be sharing this large bedroom so separate closets were built for them.
The Snider family, our newest Habitat for Humanity family, moved into their new home in time for Christmas. A large crowd turned out for the December 13th home dedication ceremony where the keys were officially turned over to the new owners.
A prayer and Bible readings helped the new family settle into their new home during the dedication ceremony on Dec. 13. The large open area in the basement will prove very useful to a family with five girls!
 
In the spring, the exterior of the house will be painted and landscaping done.  

 

Prince Edward-Hastings Habitat for Humanity
393 Sidney Street, Belleville, Ontario K8P 3Z9
Office: (613) 969-1415; E-mail: habitat_peh@hotmail.com
ReStore: (613) 962-7526; ReStore Cell Phone: (613) 242-1706

The Habitat for Humanity International web site contains more information on Habitat's history, mission, volunteer opportunities and contact information for other Habitat affiliates around the world.