Habitat Work Blog (Habitat for Humanity of Northern Saratoga, Warren & Washington Counties)

Thank you

2012-02-06T18:07:00.001-05:00

John and Ethel wrote a letter of thanks that they would like to share with everyone associated with the 88 Birch Ave project:

The Finish Line

2012-02-06T17:59:00.002-05:00

January has been a busy month in Lake George. Carpentry and interior trim skills were put to the test to install new doors, install baseboard and close out other trim projects. The carpet and vinyl flooring was installed and the last plumbing fixtures were connected. Cleaning and paint were also wrapped up.

Keith, Nicole, Matt, and Dave after a long Saturday's work

Jason fits an extension jamb for the front door while Keith looks on.

John removes the protective floor covering, revealing a very attractive vinyl floor.

At some points it felt like there would be no end to the painting.

Keith's door fitting station in the basement.

Pine and oak cap for the short wall at the top of the stairs.

Main stair handrail

Main stairs with removable rail system installed

John's gift from his "coffee shop buddies.

Paint and Finishes

2011-12-27T14:45:00.003-05:00

Work on the house continues with paint and finishes.

Before Christmas, painting continued:

Cabinet installation in process

Dave and Keith install kitchen cabinets.

Keith is building some custom trim for the house. This L-shaped assembly will be a cap for the short wall at the top of the stairs. It's constructed of pine with oak inserts.


A custom, removable rail system for the stairs has just received its last coat of finish.

Once work begins in January, we'll finish painting, install the remaining cabinets, then start baseboard trim and hang doors.

2011-12-05T19:10:00.001-05:00

Progress Update

Progress on Ethel and John's house continues with finishes and fixtures.

Just before Thanksgiving we accomplished tasks like installing a new front door and completing railings for the porches

New underlayment was added to the kitchen, hall and bathooms in preparation for new vinyl flooring. The new vinyl wood plank flooring was installed last week and looks fantastic. The new floor and paint has started the transformation to a completed home.

John and Ethel continued their contributions to the house by doing a final rake around the house to neaten up outside.

Inside, wall patching has been completed and painting has begun.

Jim and Keith paint the main bathroom.

Liz paints the hall ceiling

Dave, a new member of our Construction Committee, installs anew electric outlet.

Dave also installed and connected the sink in the mainbathroom.

Matt patches trim that we're re-using instead of replacing.

Shout Outs

Thanks to John Stranahan and American Tree Company. They donated services to remove a dead tree and some overhanging limbs near the house.

Coming Up

We continue painting the walls and ceiling.
The upper kitchen cabinets will be installed.
The bathroom fixtures will be installed.
Door and trim work begins.

Ground Breaking Progress

2011-11-18T16:59:00.001-05:00

Progress Update

Saturday November 12 marked ourceremonial ground-breaking at 88 Birch Ave. In addition to our board members and work volunteers, we were joined by FatherTom Berardi of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church. After our Board President and FamilyPartnership chairperson spoke, Father Berardi offered a blessing on the houseand the family who will soon call it home.

Father Tom Berardi, Ethel and John Beaty


John and Ethel were reluctant to mess up	the landscaping efforts of the Six Flags crew.

Warm fall weather helped uscontinue outside tasks including steps and railings for the back porch andsteps for the front porch were completed. Inside, drywall mud workcontinued to smooth the walls. Paintingand floor underlayment installation were also started.

Shout Outs

Thanks to Father Tom Berardi ofthe Sacred Heart Catholic Church for his participation in our ground-breakingceremony.
Thanks to our board of directors for preparing the ground-breaking ceremony.

Coming Up

With good weather expected, the remaining porch railings will be completed.
The front door will be replaced.
Siding repairs are also on schedule for outside.
Inside, paint work continues along with electrical connections and clean-up.
The remaining underlayment will be installed in preparation for finished floors.

Six Flags Project 6 Work Day

2011-11-18T15:57:00.001-05:00

Progress Update

Under the full moon at 6am, thefirst truck rolled into the jobsite. By7:30, carpenters and their tools from Six Flags arrived to start work on theroof. By 8:30, 58 Six Flags volunteerswere on hand for a kick-off to Project Six. Project Six is Six Flags’ corporate day of giving back around thecountry. Locally, we were very fortunateto be introduced to Steve Krawczyk, Brian Martineau, and DonMcCoy (Park President). For two weeksprior to November 11^th, they planned, measured, consulted andgathered materials. On the 11^th,they showed up with 58 people ready to work. They also showed up with a dishwasher as a gift for the Beaty’s.

When the roofing took longer than expected, Mr. McCoy committed to have the carpenters return another day, at Six Flags' expense, to finish the roof.

Don McCoy power washes the house

In one day:

Interior walls were patched, washed, primed andsome were painted.
All new doors and trim were painted.
Plumbing was connected for the kitchen sink, newshower and the laundry closet.
Wiring was run for a new outside spotlight.
Outlets and switches were replaced throughoutthe house
The basement was insulated.
A new back porch was built.
The front porch foundation was filled andcapped.
A new front porch was built.
Foundation drainage was installed (thanks to alot of digging!)
Landscape beds were created and graded.
The driveway and front walk were re-worked withnew stone.
The roof was replaced.
Yard cleanup, debris removal and raking improvedthe curb appeal of the house.
The siding was power washed.
Numerous clean-up tasks were completed

Shout Outs

A huge Thank You to Don McCoy andhis staff at The Great Escape and Splashwater Kingdom. They brought a great attitude and a lot of help to this project.
Thanks to Sherwin-Williams ofQueensbury for paint and primer donation.
Thanks to Scott Schwartz of HillElectric for donated electrical supplies and fixtures.
Thanks to Action Equipment for donated rental of a skid steer loader, compactingroller and truck/trailer.
Thanks to Barbara Sweet, Executive Director Tri-County United Way, for introducing us to the Project 6 Team at Six Flags.
Thanks to our Board of Directors fortheir efforts to plan, provision and support the Project 6 work day.
The Project Six day was covered in the local media:
Look TV news story
Post-Star news story
- Thanks to D.A. Collins (includingPallette Stone and Jointa Galusha) fordonation of stone, concrete and delivery services.

Transition from demo to re-build

2011-11-06T18:23:00.001-05:00

Progress Update

Beautiful weather greeted thecrew working Saturday November 5. Demolition of the front porch was completed. Minor plumbing linerelocation was done while walls were open.

Speaking of walls, Matt and Mark framed new walls for the basementstairs. These will add safety (fallprotection) as well as a sturdy place to mount handrails.

Mark and Mark dug and poured footings forthe new back porch.

Outside cleanup continued and new bathroomfan/light units were installed, wired, and plumbed to vent outside. Matt and Nicole installed the shower andinstalled moisture-resistant drywall.

Shout Outs

Thanks to Matt for spending hisFriday evening shopping for materials to help us get an early start onSaturday.

Thanks to Hill Electric Supply inGlens Falls for donating the materials needed to update the wiring, panel, andsmoke alarms in the house.

Thanks to Advanced Rental and Supply of Queensburyfor donating the use of a portable mixer and power auger.

Thanks to Matt and Nicole forworking on Sunday to install the shower and drywall!

What’s Coming Up

On Friday the 11^th wewill welcome dozens of staff from Six Flags as they spend a day working on ourhouse. The roof will be stripped andreplaced, the siding will be power washed, new front and back porches will beconstructed, drywall repairs completed, walls washed and primed and floorunderlayment will be installed.

On Saturday, November 12 we willhost our ceremonial groundbreaking at 9:00am. We welcome our friends, committee members, board members, and volunteers. Click here to download the brochure.

Back to an empty shell

2011-10-30T21:32:00.000-04:00

Progress Update

With 20 people on site Saturdaymorning, progress on John and Ethel’s house is accelerating.

The remaining demolition wascompleted. The back deck was removed andthe yard clean-up continued. Thebasement walls were removed and the space cleaned. This will provide our homeowners with storagespace as well as an exercise room. Thebasement cleanout also provided easy access to the furnace and hot waterheater. Dave cleaned and tested thefurnace and found it to be in good working order. Dave also connected our hot waterheater. Upstairs, all baseboards andcarpets were removed. On the main floor,the bathtub was removed along with the surrounding drywall. In the upstairs bathroom, drywall was removedin preparation for next week’s work. Back outside, the new propane tank was buried out of the way. The Construction Committee metwith representatives from Six Flags in advance of their "Project 6" work day at ourhouse. We are looking forward to workingwith their skilled volunteers.

Shout Outs

Thanks to Cool Beans fordiscounting our coffee and bagel breakfast! A well fed crew is a happy crew.

Thanks toKris Johnston of Adirondack Precision Cut Stone for

donating excavationservices for our new underground propane tank.

Thanks toDave Mahoney for his work on our furnace and hot water heater. His efforts have had a positive impact to thebudget for this project.

Thanks toTanya for preparing lunch


Thanks to Steve and Brian from Six Flags and Barbara Sweet from the United Way who met with us in advance of the Six Flags "Project 6" work day.

What’s Coming Up

Next weekend we’ll be pouringfootings for the new back porch, removing the old front porch, installing the newbathtub/shower, replacing drywall, and installing the two bath fans. We’ll also frame walls for the basementstairs and prepare for the Six Flags work day.

Our official ground-breaking iscoming up on November 12^that 9:00am.

If you are interested involunteering with us, please complete the volunteer survey on our website and emailit to our volunteer coordinator.

Thank you to the Saratoga Builders Association

2011-10-30T09:23:00.000-04:00

Habitat for Humanity of Northern Saratoga, Warren & Washington Counties thanks the Saratoga Builders Association for their generous donation after the 2011 Showcase of Homes. Sponsoredby the Adirondack Trust Company along with 60 other generous sponsors, thisyear represented the largest in showcase history with 19 homes on the tour. Allthe homes were located throughout Saratoga County and were ondisplay for three weekends in September and October.

The donation will be used to build affordable housing for families in Saratoga County.

The SaratogaBuilders Association is proud to present a total of $75,000 to two local non-profits from the proceeds of this year's 2011 Showcase of Homes sponsored by Adirondack Trust. From left to right; Heidi Ives, VPAdirondack Trust; Tony Verhaeg, President of SBA; Barry Potoker, ExecutiveDirector of SBA; Michelle Larkin, Rebuilding Together Saratoga County; TammyDiCara, Habitat for Humanity; Lisa Licata-Stoll, Showcase of Homes Co-Chair;Stephan von Schenk, Executive VP Adirondack Trust.

(photo courtesy of Mark Bolles)

A New Beginning!

2011-10-22T20:01:00.002-04:00

The Board, committee members, and volunteers of Habitat for Humanity of Northern Saratoga, Warren & WashingtonCounties are excited to be working on our 21st project house!

Ourfamily

Johnand Ethel are currently Lake George residents. After many years of care giving for Ethel’s parents, they are thrilled atthe prospect of moving into a home of their own. They’ve gotten a great start on their sweatequity and we look forward to continuing our partnership with John and Ethel.

Ethel, John, Matt, Keith

Ourhouse

Afterdoing service as a family home and rental property, 88 Birch Avenue in LakeGeorge will soon be a “like new” home for John and Ethel.

Progress

Todaymarked the initial work day for our rehab project at 88 Birch Avenue. This week Matt and Keith were joined byAntoinette, Jim, and John and Ethel.
The sinks and toilets were removed, the main and second floors were cleared out,and the kitchen cabinets were removed. Anew toilet was installed for use during the remodel. Temporary repairs were also made to a waterline to resolve a small leak.

Amaster plan was also developed by the Construction Committee to be used as aroadmap for the upcoming work.

Kitchen is ready for new surfaces, cabinets, appliances

What’sComing Up

Nextweekend will see us clean out the basement, remove all floor coverings, demothe rotting back deck and replace the front steps.

Watchfor information about our formal groundbreaking ceremony for this year’sproject. We are finalizing details andwill post the date shortly.

Ifyou are interested in volunteering with us, please complete the volunteersurvey on our website and email it to our volunteer coordinator. Please bepatient with us as we sometimes experience an overwhelming response andinterest.

Welook forward to continuing work on Ethel and John’s house and hope you can helpus out!

Moving In!

2011-10-22T19:48:00.000-04:00

In early April, Penny, Chrisand Matt moved into their new home. Their smiles and tears let us know just howmuch this meant to them.

After the weather dried outin the spring, our board and committee volunteers returned to spread top soiland seed a new lawn. The shed was movedto its final home and the driveway was completed.

We’d like to thank all ofthe volunteers, our board and committee members and all of those organizationsthat donated time, materials, lunches, and support for our build.

Thank you!

(Click for full-size)

Weeks 22,23 at 11 Medbury rd.

2011-01-16T21:16:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the lapse in postings, but the progress has still continued at our latest build on Medbury Rd.

The kitchen cabinets are installed and countertops will also be installed this week courtesy of Koeppel's Kustom Kitchens Inc. of Albany. When countertops are in ,Just Service of Glens Falls will come in and install the plumbing fixtures which is the last big item to be completed.
Misc. painting and hardware installations were completed this weekend.

We are very close to completing our 20th project for the Glens Falls chapter of Habitat For Humanity. It has been a long tedious path, but the end result will be a new home for Penny, Chris and Matt and we're sure they are as excited as we are about completing this build.

The house looks beautiful and we could not have done this without the countless donations from all of our loyal supporters of volunteers and contractors .

We will keep you posted when the house is complete.A dedications ceremony will be scheduled in the near future.

No volunteers are needed for this weekend and future weekends as the tedious little items will be completed by the Habitat committee members.

THANK YOU ALL AGAIN FOR ALL OF YOUR HARD WORK!!!!

Week 21,11 Medbury Rd.

2010-12-20T21:08:00.000-05:00

Activity continued on our latest endeavor on Medbury Rd. in the Town of Greenfield.

An Army of three (Keith, Tina and myself) showed up to continue with chores consisting of painting, installing trim and shelving in the closets. All of the trim is in except in the kitchen area. All walls were completed with final paints and all of the closet shelving has been installed.
A big "THANK YOU"goes out to the Glens Falls SHERWIN WILLIAMS paint store for donating the paint for this build.
Please support all our patrons who have donated materials and labor costs to make this build affordable for our latest recipients;Chris, Penny and their son Matt.

****** REMINDER*******

Work will continue on Jan. 8th.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS from the HABITAT FOR HUMANITY staff of Warren, Washington and Saratoga Counties.

Week 20,11 Medbury Rd.

2010-12-13T20:57:00.000-05:00

*The Habitat crew arrived bright and early Saturday morning to our latest build and discovered - FLOORING!!!

All the flooring was installed during the week courtesy of EZ WALK CARPETS. Ryan (owner) of EZ Walk Carpets did an awesome job. This is Ryan's first involvement with Habitat, but we hope it's the start of a long friendship. Thanks Ryan!

Pat Reddon of Reddon Electric was on hand to start installing all the light fixtures and final tie-ins.

Meanwhile the volunteer crew continued with painting of doors and walls and the carpenters installed trim in the house and shelving in the closets. This work will continue this coming weekend and hopefully, we should be in good shape prior to our recess of activities due to the holidays falling on Saturdays.

The 18th will be our last day of work in 2010, but we will be back at it Jan. 8 to put the finishing touches on our 20th build and complete the house by the end of January.

Happy Holidays from Habitat For Humanity of Northern Saratoga , Warren and Washington Counties!

Week 19,11 Medbury Rd.

2010-12-07T21:36:00.000-05:00

Progress continued on the latest Habitat For Humanity build located on Medbury Rd. in the Town of Greenfield.

The Skidmore College volunteer group was on hand for the third consecutive week.Talk about die hards!!!

The tasks at hand were more painting of walls,painting of trim and puttying nail holes of newly installed trim. Interior doors were installed and the trim work is being applied to the windows and doors.

This Saturday's schedule will consist of MORE painting, continuation of trim work install,puttying and painting and the shelving will be installed in the closets.

Also our illustrious electrician will return to start installing lighting fixtures ,outlets and switches.

Kitchen cabinets should be scheduled for delivery in the next week or two and installation of flooring is just around the corner.

It's getting exciting seeing Penny, Matt and Chris' new house starting to take shape.

We couldn't have done all this work without all the countless volunteers and contractors who donate their time and material to this awesome endeavor.

THANK YOU,THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!!!!

See you Saturday.

Week 17.week18 schedule

2010-11-30T21:36:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the lapsein postings, but I was out of town.....so here goes;

Week 17 consisted of painting, painting, and more painting!!!! The Skidmore College crew was back for some more punishment of painting.

They did an awesome job and by days end, the ceilings were all second coated and all the walls were first coated.

The house is really shaping up.

Last weekend was a well deserved rest for all the volunteers and the Habitat members that do so much at and behind the scenes.Everyone is probably just about turkied out by now!!!

Soooooo, it's back to work this Saturday and the tasks at hand will be painting of walls, door slabs, jambs and window extension jambs and trim.

Hope we have a great turnout and once again "Thank You" from Habitat and Matt, Penny and Chris.

Week 16,11 Medbury Rd.

2010-11-14T20:35:00.000-05:00

I'll give you one chance to guess what the weather was like this past Saturday??!!!

You Guessed It!!! BEAUTIFUL!!! Habitat has been SOOOOOOO blessed with the weather on this build, that even the volunteers who are on site each week are talking about it.

And with such great weather, we took advantage of it and completed ALL the remaining chores on the exterior;painting of the shed, completion of all the hand rails on the stairs and ramp and a little house cleaning in our storage unit.

While all this was taking place outside, an ambitious crew from Skidmore college primed all the walls and ceilings and applied the first coat of finish paint to the ceilings.

We would like to thank Matt Walsh from Stillwater who did an awesome job of taping the sheet rock and also Sherwin Williams of Glens Falls for donating ALL the paint for Penny, Chris and Matt's new home.

A delicious lunch was had by all courtesy of Jonesville Methodist Church Youth Group.

This Saturday should be a continuation of interior painting by the Skidmore College crew.

Hope to see everyone there !!!

Thanks from Habitat For Humanity of Warren, Washington and Saratoga counties.

Week 13, Week 14

2010-11-01T19:41:00.001-04:00

Sorry for the absent week of blogging.

Week 13 was continuation of sheet rock and working on the shed. The handicapped ramp was also decked and prepared for railings.

Week 14 was the start of installing the railings (lots of railings!) on the ramp and stairs were also installed at both porches. The interior trim had a coat of finish paint applied and will be stored in the basement until the walls are painted.

Our taper ( Matt Walsh) from Still water will begin taping the house sometime this week and we should be ready to paint the weekend of Nov.13th.

This coming weekend work will continue on the railings and the rest of the trim that wasn't painted should get completed.

We hope to have some big volunteer crews signing up for the coming weekends.we know everyone is busy, but Habitat For Humanity NEEDS YOUR HELP!!!!!

Week 12, 11 Medbury Rd.

2010-10-17T20:53:00.000-04:00

What?? You were wondering what the weather was like at 11 Medbury rd. this past weekend??

Well..... Once again we had the weather Gods on our side and because of that, switched our priorities to the exterior of the house. We had a very small crew due to some last minute cancellations, but that didn't stop us from getting numerous tidbits of work done.

For instance.... the dryer vent was installed, more paint was added to the storage unit, the front porch had some structural improvements made to it(courtesy of Pat Reddon ,yes, Pat , the electrician) Who would of thought Pat can do electrical AND carpentry!!!

Most important though, National Grid turned on our power this week!! YEAH!! No more lead cords from the neighbors house.

The handicap ramp was all framed up and is waiting for decking to be installed.

This coming weekend we will once again turn our attention to the completion of the sheet rock and if the weather cooperates, we will continue with the ramp.

Please make a point of contacting Habitat For Humanity if you would like to volunteer on our project or any other Habitat projects. It gives you a GREAT sense of satifaction and pride to know you made a difference in someones life.

Thank you and let's see a big turnout this weekend.

Week 11, 11 Medbury Rd.

2010-10-11T20:03:00.000-04:00

It didn't matter if it was raining or sunny, because the main item on the work schedule was continuation of the sheet rock .
But just in case you were wondering, it was another beautiful weekend for work to continue on Matt, Chris and Penny's new home.
A small crew was on hand, but a ton of work was completed by days end. About 90% of the drywall is installed and some of the volunteers were able to take advantage of the nice weather and get some paint on the storage shed.
We have to thank St. Mary's 2nd grade class from Glens Falls for making us an old fashion brown bag lunch complete with ham & cheese sandwich (huge) , chips and a delicious apple.

Next Saturday should complete the install of the sheet rock and if weather permits, do some work on the porches and ramp.

Hope to see you Saturday and once again, A BIG THANK YOU to everyone for making our 20th build a project to remember!!!!

Family and Friends Appreciation Day

2010-10-07T22:56:00.000-04:00

We hope that all of our hardworking volunteers and families join us at the Saratoga Strike Zone on Sunday, October 17th from 12 noon - 2:00 pm for the first Family & Friends Appreciation Day!

$10 will buy you an afternoon of fun bowling (including shoe rental), ballocity and a bumper car ride!

Please take a day off and join us to have some fun at the Saratoga Strike Zone at 32 Ballston Avenue, Saratoga Springs.

See you there!

Week 10,11 Medbury Rd.

2010-10-05T21:11:00.000-04:00

Another beautiful weekend( I know, you're getting tired of hearing me say it!!) greeted the volunteers at our Habitat build for Penny,Chris and Matt's new home.

The work load consisted of mainly interior work .Sheetrock was the main item on the agenda and our awesome volunteer crew installed most of the ceilings and some of the interior walls with drywall.
The storage shed out back is just about finished and is ready for a coat of paint before the snow flies!!

This Saturday should be a continuation of sheet rock installation and maybe some paint applied to the shed.
A big "Thank You " goes out to "The Woodsmen Of The World" for supplying a delicious lunch this past Saturday.

See everyone on the 9th and let's keep up the great work for Habitat For Humanity's 20th build.

Week 9,11 Medbury Rd.

2010-09-29T20:25:00.000-04:00

Weather was once again on the side of the Habitat for Humanity crew in Porters Corners this past Saturday.
The main course on the work menu was INSULATION!! I itch just typing the word!!
But a stellar crew from the Warren and Washington County ARC 's jumped in and by noon time, the entire house was insulated and ready for drywall.
The outdoor crew continued with the construction of the storage shed and is nearly complete.

A delicious lunch was provided by the Applebees of Queensbury. Thank you Charlie Brennan (manager) and Applebees

This Saturday we should start installing drywall (sheet rock) and finish the shed.

A big Thank You to our volunteer group from ARC.

See everyone Saturday!!!

Week 8, 11 Medbury Rd.

2010-09-18T19:54:00.000-04:00

Knock on wood!!!! Habitat was once AGAIN blessed with some beautiful weather to continue work on our 20th build.
The ambitious and eager crew from BEST BUY was once again on site to contribute their time and effort to our build for Chris, Penny and Matt.
The siding was completed today and the house looks awesome!! This would not have been accomplished without the direction of our siding expert Bill Tretiak from Tretiak Construction of Corinth. Bill, we can't thank you enough.

The storage shed package was delivered and the majority of the shed is up and waiting for completion next weekend.
Front and rear railings were installed on the porches and a fresh coat of paint was applied to all the exterior doors while the weather was so cooperative.
During the week, Reddon Electric came in and completed roughing in of the electrical work.
And it just so happened, Pat (Reddon) stopped in today just in time for lunch!!!
Pat had heard that SUBWAY was once again supplying us with a delicious lunch. And best of all, they sent cookies!!!! Thank you Subway.

Next week we should start insulating the house and work will continue on the storage shed.

Once again a big "THANK YOU" to all our volunteers and the many companies that have donated or discounted their labor and material to help keep our project costs minimal.

11 Medbury Rd. Week 7

2010-09-12T17:54:00.000-04:00

Habitat For Humanity continued with great progress on it's latest venture at 11 Medbury Rd.

This weeks featured work crew was from the Best Buy Company. An eager bunch of volunteers were on hand to assist our two contractors on site this week; Bill Tretiak from Tretiak Construction and Pat reddon from Reddon Electric.

Siding work progressed very nicely and should wrap up next weekend. The electrical rough ins continued and should also finish up by next weekend. The Best Buy crew also insulated the basement and assisted with installation of the three exterior doors.

Best Buy had such a good time Saturday, they will return for an encore presentation next Saturday.

Next Saturday's schedule will consist of siding and fascia, continuing with the electrical, painting the exterior doors and trim, installation of the railings on the front and rear porches and beginning to assemble the storage shed out in the yard.

A big thank you goes out to Subway for providing a delicious lunch for all our hard working volunteers.

See you all next Saturday andf let's continue to make Penny, Chris and Matt's dream become a reality!!!!

11 Medbury Rd.,Week Six

2010-08-29T20:38:00.000-04:00

Habitat for Humanity was blessed with another beautiful Saturday to continue work on Chris, Penny and Matt's new home.
During the week, the crew from Just Service Plumbing and Heating of Gansevoort started roughing in the plumbing on our latest build. Just Service is a new contributor to our organization and we welcome them aboard.
On Friday, East River Builders of Luzerne installed the new shingle roof. East River Builders is one of our returning contractors and we appreciate their contribution to our project.
The tasks at hand on Saturday were installing the new windows and starting to install siding.Also work was to be continued on the front porch.
Bill Tretiak from Tretiak Construction volunteered to help with the installation of the siding. Bill is also a repeat vendor who donated his time and effort to our last build.
All the windows were installed and insulated, the front porch was framed and decked and a good portion of the siding was started.

Thank you to all our our contractors who make our dream of affordable housing come true for all our recipients.

*******REMINDER********

No work scheduled for the weekend of Sept. 4th. ENJOY your Labor Day weekend and we'll see you all on Sept. 11th.

THANKS from Habitat for Humanity of Warren,Washington and Northern Saratoga Counties.

11 Medbury Rd. Week 5

2010-08-24T18:47:00.000-04:00

The weather Gods once again cooperated with the Habitat for Humanity crew.

Saturday was one of those not too hot, not too cool days, so alot of work was accomplished.

The remainder of the roof sheathing was installed,
The trusses were all braced and all sheetrock nailers installed on top of all the interior partitions;
The basement furring installation on the walls was completed;
Blocking for cabinets and grab rails were installed;
The rear porch landing was framed and decked;
Proper vent installed in the trusses for insulation;
And the front porch was started to be framed.
Also the electrical service was partially installed and outlet and switch boxes mounted in the house. The electrical work is being provided by Reddon Electric of Ballston Spa which did an awesome job on last years build. Welcome back Pat Reddon!!!

WHEW!!! I'm tired just typing all that stuff. GREAT job by our ambitious group of volunteers who also were treated to a delicious lunch provided by; Molly Mason Jar restaurant of Luzerne and Price Chopper of Queensbury. Please support these businesses who support our great cause.
This week the shingles will be installed on the roof courtesy of East River Builders of Luzerne who was one of our strong supporters of last years build.

This weekend the work schedule will consist of installing doors and windows on the exterior and the start of the siding.
Hope to see another energetic crew of volunteers to continue making great progress on our build.

******* NOTICE*****

We will not be working the weekend of Sept. 4th so everyone can enjoy the last big weekend of summer.

Next Saturday we will install doors and windows and start the installation of the siding.

11 Medbury Rd. Week Four

2010-08-14T20:40:00.000-04:00

Week four was once again blessed with a BEAUTIFUL day to set trusses on Chris, Penny and Matt's new home.
As mentioned in the previous post, Gallop Concrete was supposed to set our trusses for us. Due to a mechanical problem, Gallop was unable to keep their commitment, which sent the Habitat crew scrambling to find a crane service at the last minute.
A big, HUGE, Billy Fuccillo thank you goes out to ALLMARK SERVICES of Nassau for coming to our rescue on such short notice to set our trusses with their crane. THANK YOU MARK MOESKE (owner) for donating your labor AND crane free of charge.
The trusses were set and 3/4 of the roof was sheeted today. This chore will be completed next Saturday.
Also completed today was the unenviable task of working in our short crawl space installing furring on the concrete walls which the insulation will be affixed to. Blocking was also installed in the house for grab rails and cabinets and Tyvek wrap applied to the exterior walls.

Many, many thanks to all the volunteers who worked hard today. Also a big thank you to the members of the Habitat committees who keep us hydrated and WELL fed during the builds.

Next week we should wrap up the roof sheathing, brace trusses, and additional blocking. Also we may start drilling holes for wiring and mounting boxes.

Keep up the GREAT work everyone. Penny,Chris and Matt are counting on YOU!!!!!!

11 Medbury Rd. Week Three

2010-08-09T21:01:00.001-04:00

Habitat was once again blessed with a beautiful day to continue work on Chris, Penny and Matt's new home.
We had a large crew on hand to complete the task of framing all the interior walls and bracing all the walls and completing the sheeting on the exterior of the new home.
The volunteer crew did an excellent job in a timely manner which meant everyone went home early to enjoy the rest of their weekend.
The roof trusses are scheduled to be built this week and delivered on site in time for Saturday.
Lou Gallop of Gallop Concrete has generously offered to set the trusses free of charge with his boom truck this weekend which will make everyones life a lot easier. Thanks Lou!!!

A big shout out goes to this weeks vendors which donated or discounted items; Fierro's Pizza of Greenfield Center and Wiley Bros. Inc. Lumber of Schaghticoke,Rensselaer county.

Thank you from the Habitat for Humanity of Warren, Washington and Northern Saratoga Counties.

See you Saturday and hopefully we "raise the roof"on our latest build.

11 Medbury Rd. Week 2

2010-07-31T20:46:00.000-04:00

What a difference a week makes!

Last week the Habitat crew worked through some brutally hot and humid weather and started Chris,Penny and Matt's new home.
This Saturday ,it felt like a touch of fall in the air first thing in the morning.Cool, crisp air greeted the volunteers who were on hand to start framing the walls. A small, but eager crew assembled the "headers" for the walls and all four walls were framed, sheeted and stood in place.
Pizza was provided by Rocco's of Corinth for lunch .

Next Saturday we will frame all the interior walls and brace everything up plumb and level in anticipation of setting the roof trusses the following weekend.

Thanks to all the volunteers who showed up and if you would like to help out, stop in Saturday and we'll gladly put you to work!!

See you Saturday!!!

2010-07-25T18:28:00.001-04:00

11 Medbury Rd. Week 1

2010-07-25T18:10:00.000-04:00

Glens Falls Area Habitat For Humanity is proud to announce the start of our 20th build!

This past Saturday was our official groundbreaking ceremony for the new home located on Medbury Rd. in the Town of Greenfield.

First off we have to apologize for not getting the word out sooner about the dedication. The ceremonial date was pushed back twice due to scheduling conflicts among the various trades.

But after a hectic week in which Gallup Concrete poured the footings and walls, and coated the foundation , PCD Construction backfilled the foundation and dug the initial hole for the house.

We also have to thank Thompson and Fleming surveying and Engineering America for all their work prior to a shovel even being placed in the ground.

This past Saturday the main bearing beam was built and placed in the foundation and then the entire floor system was framed and the plywood floor was installed.

It was a brutally hot day, but the volunteers performed flawlessly!!

Special thanks to Price Chopper for providing lunch, along with Versatile Storage for the storage unit which will be on site for the duration of the project.Also Stone Industries for the portable restroom.

One more shout out goes to Hawk Well Drilling for continuing to be a huge supporter of our Habitat projects. The well has already been drilled and will be piped in later on in the build.
Next Saturday will be the day when we frame up all the walls for the new home for Chris, Penny , and their son Matt.

Hope to see a big turnout of volunteers and let's see if mother nature supplies us with a beautiful day!!

See you Saturday.

Groundbreaking Ceremony

2010-07-21T16:44:00.000-04:00

After much anticipation, we are starting to build our 20th house in the affiliate's history of 20 years. This will be our 5th and last house on Medbury Road in Porter Corners. This house is located at 11 Medbury Road.

Please join us on Saturday, July 24th at 9:00 am for the Groundbreaking Ceremony for Penny, Chris, and Matt's new home!

If you are interested in volunteering with us, please complete the volunteer survey on our website and send it to our volunteer coordination committee for review. They will be in touch with you to schedule a Saturday for you to volunteer at the jobsite. Please be patient with us as we sometimes experience an overwhelming response and interest. We are all volunteering together!

Also, for latest updates and information, please find us on Facebook. Be our friend!

Upcoming Build for 2010

2010-06-01T21:12:00.000-04:00

Glens Falls Habitat for Humanity will commence work on their TWENTIETH home this year!!!

The location of this years build will again be on Medbury Rd. in the Town of Greenfield, which was also the site of last years build.

Stay tuned for more information as the start time looks to be somewhere in the beginning of July.

We hope to see many of the same faces of the volunteers that have supported us in some of our past endeavors.

Lets make our 20th build one for the record books!!!!

Weekend Eighteen

2009-12-02T18:14:00.000-05:00

We are nearing the completion of Rachael and McKenzie's house!

The week before Thanksgiving was a busy one at 17 Medbury Road. We were able to hang all of the interior doors and install the remaining door hardware, shelf brackets, and window blinds. We also completed the trim in the living room. Rachael and her friends went through the house and touched-up paint.

Reddon Electric returned to complete the electrical work. The plumbing fixtures were delivered and will be installed in the coming weeks.

Volunteers also helped clean the house and organize the storage container. We are almost done! I would like to once again thank the many volunteers, organizations, and companies that have contributed to this project. Your hard work and dedication make all the difference!

Weekend Sixteen,Seventeen

2009-11-15T21:03:00.000-05:00

This week I'm combining two weekends into one blog.

I was not there last weekend(Nov. 7th) , but can tell you that the trim work was continued and all the walls and ceilings were touched up with joint compound and painted where necessary.
The closets were all accessorized with closet maid wire shelving and the appliances arrived for installation.
The storage unit was started to be cleaned out in anticipation of being removed from the work site in the next few weeks.

This past weekend , 99% of the trim work was installed, puttied,and painted. The electrician from Reddon Electric completed most of the final connections and installs of electrical fixtures.
Hardware was installed on all the interior doors and the house was thoroughly cleaned in anticipation of carpet being installed this week by Carpetland.
Once the countertop is fabricated by Curtis Lumber, we will install it and then our plumbers can come in and complete all plumbing fixture installations.

We are getting very close to completion at 17 Medbury Rd. and I know Rachel and McKenzie are anxious to move into their new home.

I would like to personally thank ALL the many volunteers , organizations and companies that have contributed to this great cause.
In tough economic times that we are all facing these days, it is truly inspiring to see people come together for a common cause such as this an accomplish it in such a short amount of time.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU from the Habitat For Humanity BLOGGER!!!!

Weekend #15

2009-11-01T20:22:00.000-05:00

The crew from Skidmore College was once again at work at 17 Medbury Rd.
The tasks at hand were installation of the interior doors and once these were in, the team filled in the nail holes, painted the door slabs and also the door frames.
The exterior doors were also painted along with the frames. While this work was being done , the storage shed out back was finally completed and painted.
This should complete all the exterior work at 17 Medbury with the exception of final grading and landscaping which will be done in the spring.
The electrical fixtures are being installed and the kitchen cabinets were also hung this week.
Vinyl flooring was installed courtesy of Carpetland Flooring.
Next week the trim work will be installed , nail holes filled and misc. touching up of walls and trim.
Hope to see you all next Saturday. Thanks for making Rachel and MacKenzie's dream a reality!!!
A special thanks goes out to the Girl Scout Troop 3074 from Glens Falls for supplying the Habitat crew with an awesome lunch!! The food was excellent.

Weekend # 14

2009-10-25T20:56:00.000-04:00

I hope everyone enjoyed the weekend we had off, but it was back to work for the Habitat crew at 17 Medbury Rd.
The taping of the sheetrock was completed and it was time to paint Rachel and Mackenzie's new home.Many thanks to Bill LaFountain and his crew for doing a great job on the drywall taping.
It was a good thing we had inside work to do as it poured most of the day.
Amazingly, we primed and painted the entire house in one day!!!Awesome job by the featured work crew of Skidmore College.
We would also like to acknowledge Highland Heating and Plumbing for making a special trip down on Saturday and getting the furnace running for our work crew.
Next week we should start hanging interior doors and painting the doors and frames. Also the kitchen cabinets should arrive for install.
Maybe if the weather cooperates, we can finish the storage shed.Keep your fingers crossed.
See you all Saturday and "Thank You" for making our project such a huge success.

Weekend #13

2009-10-11T09:09:00.000-04:00

Well it was lucky weekend #13 as the weather cooperated and the Habitat group was able to complete some much needed work outside this weekend.
With winter knocking on our door, the plan was to complete the front porch railings and steps,install a landing at the rear door and try and finish the storage shed that was started a couple of weeks ago.
The shed is almost complete with the exception of the front doors and some trim.
Meanwhile a few workers were finishing up some odds and ends of sheetrock in the house while in the basement, all the interior trim pieces were given a fresh coat of finish paint.Also the dryer vent was installed and the grounds were cleaned up of all the excess materials.
This week our taping crew should start taping the sheet rock, but this work won't be completed by next weekend.
This means that all the hardworking volunteers will get a weekend off to work on their own houses that I'm sure we've all been neglecting.
Painting of the interior should be on the schedule for the weekend of Oct.24th.

Enjoy your weekend off and "Thank You" from the Habitat crew at 17 Medbury Rd.

Weekend #12

2009-10-05T22:17:00.000-04:00

Weekend number twelve was overcast and gloomy, so work was concentrated to just the interior at 17 Medbury Rd.
Sheetrock was completed with the exception of one closet , so next up will be the taping of the sheetrock. This will be done by TMSM Drywall Finishers of Corinth.Bill and Terrylee LaFountain have graciously donated time AND materials needed to complete the taping.This work will commence sometime next week.
This coming weekend (if Mother Nature cooperates), we will complete the outdoor storage shed, the back porch and the railing at the front porch. This should complete outdoor projects so we can move on to the interior and start putting together the interior on Rachel and McKenzies new home.
Many thanks to the repeat crew from the Saratoga "Y" and for supplying lunch to our hard working crew.
See you all this Saturday.Keep your fingers crossed for good weather!!!

Eleventh Weekend!

2009-09-29T17:33:00.000-04:00

This Saturday was a spectacular Fall day. The only thing that could have made it better was if a couple of balloons from the Balloon Fest had flown overhead!

We had a wonderful group from North Warren High School that included students and teachers. Thanks to Mike Therio and his wife, Susan, for organizing the High School Seniors at North Warren. They did an awesome job. A group consisting of just students sheet rocked almost the entire back bedroom themselves, including the closet which is a very time consuming job.

From a hard labor point of view, several volunteers took on the back-breaking task of filling in the ditch in the front of the house. Many rocks and lots of tree roots made the job a true workout.

Another group of volunteers were given the task of building the shed. The directions that came with the shed were a little tough to follow - even for our experienced construction folks. But they persevered, and got most of the shed put together.

So for this upcoming, projects will consist of continued work on the sheet rocking, completion of the shed, some work on the front porch railing, and perhaps some work on the back entry/porch.

10th Weekend

2009-09-20T12:27:00.000-04:00

Well folks, don't expect the typical creative and clever blog as Aaron is out of town this week and next! I will try my best to make this sound interesting....We had a chilly but sunny day yesterday to hang the sheetrock. The crew from Queensbury United Methodist Church and other enthusiastic volunteers worked very hard to get the sheetrock on the ceilings (never an easy job!). The materials were generously donated by Snyders Drywall in S. Glens Falls. The Drywall Center of So. Glens Falls donated the delivery of the drywall. And the much-needed lift was donated by Allerdice. A sincere thank you to Synders, Drywall Center, Allerdice and all of our volunteers in giving Rachel and MacKenzie smooth and even ceilings and walls!

Next week we will continue hanging the sheetrock along with finishing up miscellaneous projects (front railing, back steps, etc.). Looking forward to another fun Fall weekend!

9th Weekend

2009-09-13T21:05:00.000-04:00

After taking some time off to enjoy the beautiful Labor Day Weekend, the Habitat crew was once again in action at 17 Medbury Rd.
The Saratoga Rugby Women had the pleasure of insulating Rachel and McKenzies new home.
The whole house was insulated and swept clean on the inside while Bill Tretiak of Tretiak Construction continued installing siding on the outside of the home.Bill should finish installing siding this week. Many thanks to Bill for his efforts.
Also we should point out that Community Plumbing and Heating of Stony Creek has roughed in most of the plumbing on the new home.We also appreciate their contribution to our project.
This coming Saturday we will start to install the sheetrock and continue with some misc. projects on the exterior. Hope to see another energetic crew and keep up the great work!!!
THANKS EVERYBODY!!!

Eighth Weekend

2009-08-31T20:55:00.000-04:00

So our streak of beautiful weather finally ended!! Oh well,All good things must come to an end.
Saturday was a wet one so work was concentrated to the interior of the house at 17 Medbury Rd.
A very small crew (six including myself) installed the underlayment for the vinyl flooring in the kitchen, laundry and bath rooms. In the basement, the perimeter of all the exterior floor joists were insulated to keep Rachel and McKenzie's new home toasty warm.
The crew was out of interior work by 11:30 and the rain was still coming down, so all were sent home.
Yours truly stayed and built the stairs for the front porch and completed the railings on the front porch also.
Work will resume on the house on Sept.12th. Have a great Labor Day weekend and we hope to see everyone back at 17 Medbury once again.

Seventh Weekend

2009-08-25T12:47:00.000-04:00

The Habitat crew was hard at work again this past weekend at 17 Medbury Rd.
The agenda included continuation of the vinyl siding application and installation of the electrical system. Habitat was assisted by Bill Tretiak of Tretiak Construction of Corinth and Pat Redden of Redden Electric of Ballston Spa.We appreciate (and of course Rachel and McKenzie appreciate) the assistance given by these fine contractors.
This weeks feature work crew was the hard working crew from St. Peter's Church.
Everyone seemed to enjoy the day (although our stretch of good weather ended.Oh,well!!) and we are exceeding our anticipated schedule of progress.
Keep up the great work folks.!!!
We would also like to thank the Saratoga Abundant Life Church for providing a delicious lunch this past Saturday.
This weekend we should wrap up the vinyl siding and just about complete rough in of electrical work.
See you all this Saturday .

Reminder; No work is scheduled for the Labor Day weekend , so keep this in mind if you plan on showing up the weeknd of Sept.5th.

Sixth Weekend

2009-08-17T12:26:00.000-04:00

This weekend the Habitat crew with the help of MANY volunteers from the Saratoga Rugby Association continued great progress on Rachel and McKenzies new home.
The front and rear doors were installed on the house , the electrical rough in phase was started and the vinyl siding installation began.Work also continued on the front porch.While several crews worked on the siding, another crew had the envious task (not fun) of installing the insulation on the concrete walls in the basement.
There were almost 30 volunteers on hand this past weekend from Saratoga Rugby, by far our largest group.Habitat thanks all of you for your support of this worthwhile project.
We would also like to thank them for providing an AWESOME lunch.!!
Next week we will continue with installation of the siding and work on the porch.
Our perfect streak of weather continued, so lets hope it continues again this coming weekend.

Fifth Weekend

2009-08-09T15:34:00.000-04:00

We're five for five weatherwise!!! Saturday was another picture perfect day for the Habitat crew at 17 Medbury Rd.
We arrived to see the new shingles all completed on Rachel and McKenzie's house. Yeah!! No more wet floors.
The crew completed the bracing of the trusses,removed all temporary bracing,installed the decking on the front porch,bridging in the floor joists installed and all the new windows were installed and insulated. A lot of tasks completed for a small crew, but a job well done by all.
Next Saturday, we will start to install the vinyl siding on the house and continue working on the front porch.Also front and rear entry doors with hardware will be installed.

Hope to see another ambitious crew this weekend and see if we can continue our amazing streak of good weather.
Thank you to all who have contributed to this project. Rachel and McKenzie are truely grateful for all your efforts!!

Fourth Weekend

2009-08-02T14:56:00.000-04:00

Bob Kovachick, Keep up the good work!!! Habitat has been blessed with four great weekends of weather in which to build Rachel and MacKenzie's new home.This weekend a small, but ambitious crew from J.M.Z. Architectural and Planning firm continued great progress on the new structure. The sheeting was installed on the rest of the roof with one crew of workers while the other team assembled the framework for the front porch.
During this coming week, the shingles will be installed on the roof courtesy of East River Builders,LLC out of Lake Luzerne.
The schedule for this coming weekend will include the installation of the new windows while work continues on the front and rear porches.Final placement of bracing in the attic area on the trusses should allow us to remove all the temporary braces which are presently installed on all the interior walls.
Habitat for Humanity is extremely grateful to all the volunteers. We are actually further along than we anticipated on our schedule to complete the new home.
See you next Saturday and let's hope to go five for five weather wise!!!

Third Weekend

2009-07-26T20:38:00.000-04:00

Once again Mother nature cooperated with Habitat for Humanity and provided us with a beautiful day.
A HUGE crew was on hand and an enormous amount of work was completed on Saturday.
The remaining interior walls leftover from last weekend were built, stood in place and braced.The gable end trusses were sheeted on the ground prior to being craned into place. All the roof trusses were set, braced and ready for roof sheeting. After lunch,we started installing the plywood on the roof while other volunteers installed blocking in the walls,finished up some misc. sheeting on the exterior walls and organized the job site '
Thanks to Gallop Concrete for supplying the crane to set the roof trusses on the house.
Next weeks agenda will be to install the rest of the roof sheeting and build the front porch deck.
Many thanks to all who helped. Keep up the great work!!

Second Weekend

2009-07-19T16:36:00.000-04:00

17 Medbury Rd, was once again the scene of much activity this past weekend for the Habitat crew.
Approximately 13 volunteers showed up to frame the walls for Rachel and McKenzie's new home.The weather looked threatening in the morning, but it turned out to be a beautiful day.
All the exterior walls were erected, sheeted and stood in place. Also some of the interior walls were built and installed.
This coming weekend we will concentrate on completing all the walls and in the afternoon, the trusses for the roof should be up and braced in place. Let's hope we have another beautiful weekend weather wise and we hope to see another ambitious crew of volunteers to complete these tasks.
A special mention should be made to note that our P.R. officer Marilyn Reisch was on site bright and early Saturday morning !!! Marilyn prefers to do most of her work in the afternoon, so it was a pleasure to see her so early on a Saturday morning. Keep up the good work everybody. \
See you next Saturday (7/25/09)

First Weekend

2009-07-13T09:38:00.001-04:00

Our first weekend at 17 Medbury Rd. was a huge success!! An energetic crew was able to transform a pile of building material into the floor system which will support the hopes and dreams of Rachel and McKenzie for years to come.
In one day, we built the main bearing beam, set it in place, framed the floor system and installed the floor decking.
The weather was perfect and excitement was in the air as everyone there truly enjoyed themselves.

The schedule for this coming weekend is to frame all the walls, sheet the exterior walls and stand up and brace all the walls. This is probably the most tedious weekend on tap, so a big crew would be greatly appreciated.
Hope for another beautiful Saturday and we'll see you all on the 18th.

News coverage of the Groundbreaking Ceremony

2009-07-12T20:42:00.000-04:00

Check out what Channel 13 had to say about our Groundbreaking ceremony on July 11th!

http://wnyt.com/article/stories/S1024469.shtml?cat=300

Groundbreaking Ceremony - July 11th at 9:30 am

2009-06-24T16:26:00.000-04:00

Join us for the Groundbreaking Ceremony for Rachael and McKenzie's new home!
The ceremony will begin at 9:30 am at 17 Medbury Road, Porters Corners!
This will also be our first day of building.

Community Meeting - June 23 @ 7 pm

2009-06-22T18:18:00.000-04:00

Please attend the Community Meeting to learn more about our upcoming build! We hope you will join us in helping our newest family build the home of their dreams!

Tuesday, June 23rd at 7pm
Adirondack Life Fellowship
8 Mountain Ledge Drive
Wilton NY

New Build Coming Soon!

2009-03-11T18:12:00.000-04:00

We are excited to begin our next build in Greenfield Center this spring! Check back soon for more information.