Habitat homes are built by volunteers with supervision from staff members. Volunteers work on site Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. To request a Volunteer Information Packet containing construction guidelines and safety information or to discuss scheduling a work day, please contact Laura McClellan at 215.348.2204 x302; l.mcclellan@habitatbucks.org.

Construction Notes + News

> See photographs of our current homebuilding efforts on the Currenly Building page!

March 2008
Cluster 11 is finally complete and all homes are settled, Cluster 10 is nearing completion of the final two homes and Cluster 9 foundations are nearly complete with framing started.

The final cluster of homes at Emerald Hollow, Cluster 13, has been staked out and is awaiting permits. The construction staff and volunteers are thrilled to get started on the final home of the Emerald Hollow community!

With Emerald Hollow wrapping up, we've got our eyes on southern Bucks County. Habitat for Humanity will be working on new home designs for the Bristol-area with a focus on sustainable/green building. Stay tuned for more information!

We are actively looking for land or properties in the lower end of the county, if any one has information about possible projects please contact Mike Fallon at the Habitat office; 215.822.2812 x 312 or m.fallon@habitatbucks.org.

February 2008
Partner families settled on three homes in February, including the final home in Cluster 11. Drywall has been completed on the two remaining homes in Cluster 10. Foundation work is nearing completion on Cluster 9.

January 2008
Settlement occurred on the first home in Cluster 10. Volunteers installed insulation and drywall, painted walls and doors, and installed flooring in the remaining homes in the cluster. Foundation work continues on Cluster 9.

December 2007
December was a slow month for the construction staff with all of the holiday festivities, but we are moving forward on Clusters 9 and 10 with settlement coming soon for unit 48 in January.

November 2007
Drywall is complete in the final home in Cluster 11. Volunteers have begun installing insulation and drywall in the homes in Cluster 10, and the first settlement in the cluster is expected to occur in January. Foundation work continues on Cluster 9.

October 2007
Roofing is complete on Cluster 10, and patio doors and staircases have been installed. Garage foundations and framing are complete. Foundation work has begun on Cluster 9.

August 2007
In August grading was completed and grass seed planted around Clusters 11, 12, 14 and 15. The grass seed is growing nicely and Emerald Hollow is now green! Settlement occurred on the first end unit in Cluster 11. Drywall is complete in the other end unit and painting and vinyl floor installation has begun. The home should settle next month. Foundations and first floor framing have been completed on all five homes of Cluster 10. Work on decking and 2nd story framing continues on all the houses in the cluster. Phase 1 punch list is proceeding forward with dedication of the road system to follow in October.

July 2007
During July volunteers insulated two homes in Cluster 11 and began installing drywall. 2nd story framing has proceeded on three homes in Cluster 10. The foundation is complete on a fourth home, which is now ready for framing. Landscaping was completed in front of all homes in Clusters 14, 15, and 12, and some of Cluster 11.

June 2007
The first home in Cluster 11 settled on June 13, and another home is nearly complete. The final two homes are ready for insulation and drywall. Driveways and sidewalks have been installed in front of the cluster. Framing has begun on 3 homes in Cluster 10, with 1st and 2nd story framing completed on one of the homes. Foundations are nearly complete on the final 2 homes in the cluster.

May 2007
Roofing is complete on Cluster 11 and siding has been installed. Drywall installation is complete in the first two homes in the cluster, and volunteers have been painting and installing vinyl flooring. Outdoors sidewalks are being installed in front of the cluster. Foundation work is continuing in Cluster 10.

March/April 2007
The final home in Cluster 12 settled in late April, and with the exception of some landscaping the cluster is complete. Framing is finished on Cluster 11, and drywall installation has begun in the first home. The second home has been insulated and drywall installation will begin next month. Roofing is almost complete on the final two homes. Cluster 10 footers have been poured, and volunteers have begun foundation work and laying block for the homes. The storage barn adjacent to Cluster 10 has been dismantled in preparation to begin construction of another cluster of homes in its place.

February 2007
The final mid-unit in Cluster 12 settled in February, and volunteers painted, installed doors, trim, and flooring in the end-units. Framing continues on three of the homes in Cluster 11. Roofing trusses have been set, the roof is sheathed and windows have been installed in the first end unit in the cluster.

January 2007
In Cluster 12, carpet, trim, and cabinets have been installed in the final mid-unit and settlement will be in early February. Drywall has been completed in the end-units. Cluster 11 foundations have been completed and 1st and 2nd story framing has begun on two of the homes.

November 2006
Framing and roofing is complete on Cluster 12, and siding and windows have been installed. Several homes have been insulated, and volunteers have begun hanging drywall. Two homes from the cluster will be completed in December. Foundation work has progressed on Cluster 11. Block is nearly complete, and volunteers will begin framing next month.

August 2006
As an active participant in the Women Build program since it began, Bev Cupo has quickly become an indispensable volunteer. She has been on site more Saturdays than not in the past year and does an awesome job of keeping Ray in check. She’s so great, in fact, that we offered her a job! Bev joined the site crew as a staff member in July and we look forward to having her around every day of the week. Welcome, Bev!

July 2006
The Bergey family settled on their home in Cluster 15 on August 23rd, and settlement on the last home in the cluster is scheduled for September. Cluster 12 foundations are complete, and first-floor framing has begun on all five units.

June 2006
Two homes in Cluster 15 have settled, and the remainder are close to completion. The dedication ceremony for the cluster will be held on Thursday, July 20th. Foundation work continues on Cluster 12. The slab for the first home is poured, and framing will begin next month. Thank you to June’s volunteer groups: Episcopal Hammers, Doylestown United Methodist Church, St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Hilltown, Trinity Lutheran Church in Lansdale, Old Navy, Quakertown Lutheran Cluster, and returning Collegiate Challenge group St. David’s the King Roman Catholic Church in Princeton Junction, New Jersey. Thank you to Trinity Lutheran Church in Perkasie, St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Hilltown, Blooming Glen Mennonite Church, Quakertown Lutheran Cluster, St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Doylestown, Ridge Valley Church of Christ, Applebee’s, and Domino’s Pizza for the excellent lunches!

May 2006
Drywall installation was completed in two homes in Cluster 15, and painting, cabinet and flooring installation has begun. Foundations and plumbing work are proceeding on Cluster 12. The road connecting Phase I and Phase II of Emerald Hollow has been paved, and sidewalks are in progress. Thank you to Trinity Lutheran Church in Lansdale, Women Build, Faith Christian Academy National Honor Society, Doylestown United Methodist Church, and Microsoft for volunteering during May, and to Quakertown Applebee’s, Covenant Presbyterian Church, Women Build Food Team, Blooming Glen Mennonite Church, and Microsoft for the delicious lunches provided to the volunteers.

January 2006:
Despite being short-staffed during January, lots of progress was made on Cluster 15. Garages were framed, and roofing is almost complete. The homes are ready for window installation and electrical wiring. Thank you to our January volunteers: Bucks County Community College, Old Navy, Doylestown United Methodist Church, Option One Mortgage, St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, Episcopal Hammers, Redeemer Lutheran Church and the Penn Foundation, and also to Blooming Glen Mennonite Church, Applebee’s and Covenant Presbyterian Church for the excellent lunches they supplied.

While volunteers worked in the cold at Emerald Hollow, construction leader Jenny Williams spent several weeks in the sun on a Global Village trip building a home with Habitat for Humanity Costa Rica. To learn more about international building opportunities, visit http://www.habitat.org/gv/default.aspx.

Construction Coordinator Robin Fraser also departed for Central America, where she will be serving two years in the Peace Corps as a water and sanitation specialist in Honduras.

December 2005:
Cluster 14 is almost complete! Volunteers spent December painting, installing closet shelves, and installing kitchen cabinets and countertops. After carpet installation and touch-up painting, the homes should be ready for occupancy. Stay tuned for the dedication date. Cluster 15 2nd story framing is almost complete, and roofing trusses have been set on several units. Thanks to December’s volunteer groups: Venturing Crew 1, Doylestown United Methodist Church, Episcopal Hammers, and house sponsor H&R Block/Option One Mortgage.

November 2005:
Painting is nearly complete in cluster 14, and crews are currently working on installing vinyl flooring and trim in the homes. Outdoors, siding is finished, and decks are almost complete. Second story framing continues on Cluster 15, and roofing trusses were recently delivered, and should be installed soon. Thank you to November’s volunteer groups: PSGA, Davisville Church, Central Bucks Newcomers Club, GMAC Mortgage, Doylestown United Methodist Church, GE Infrastructure, Delaware Valley College, and The Gap.

May 2005:
We are thrilled to announce that we have broken ground on Phase II! (Special thanks to Justin Isabell for his tireless effort in putting together the drawings for Phase II.) In mid-April, general contractors, Couzin’s Excavating & Contracting, Inc., took to the heavy equipment and began the work on the new site which will accommodate 36 additional homes in Emerald Hollow. Crews began with tree protection and silt fence and have begun to cut in the retention basin. Volunteers have been taking advantage of the spring weather, installing a split rail fence on the property. Permits for the first homes have been filed, and we will soon be laying the foundation and hammering nails for a 6-unit cluster.

Meanwhile, the site crew has been working hard to complete all development punchlist items on Phase I. They have been grading and seeding, repairing sidewalk and finalizing the Phase I basin area. In addition the site crew has made interior and exterior repairs to the farmhouse located on the Phase II property. The house currently serves as home for our AmeriCorps staff and will be sold off at the end of Phase II to help defray the cost of the 36 homes being built. The repairs and maintenance of the farmhouse will ensure that the building remains a valuable asset for the future.

Finally, the site crew has been active in community service projects in the Bucks County area, lending their expertise to assist our neighbors in need. While we have made excellent use of the last month, we are looking forward to welcoming our volunteers back to site and beginning the foundations and framing of our first Phase II homes.