Hammers On Fire

Anyone who's waited months for his dream house to be built can only imagine the remarkable scenario that took place in June in Sarasota and North Port. Five local builders-Fidelity Homes, Jade Homes, Todd Johnston Homes, David Schroeders Construction and Peter Shipps Design & Construction-partnered with Habitat for Humanity affiliates in Sarasota and Venice to construct five houses in just five days.

The Herculean effort by these members of the Home Builders Association of Sarasota County was part of a nationwide "builder blitz" to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Habitat for Humanity.

"It was a spectacular five days," says Mike Jacobson, executive director of Habitat for Humanity Sarasota. "I've never known houses come together quite that quickly. The entire sod went in in 18 minutes."

Millard and Linda Fuller created Habitat for Humanity International 30 years ago. The young couple, who had made their millions and given it all away in search for a more meaningful life, hit upon a way for people to own their own homes and improve their communities. Their solution was no-profit, no-interest housing that the homeowners would help build, with low mortgage payments going into a revolving fund to help build more houses. Today Habitat for Humanity has built more than 200,000 houses around the world.

John Olliver of Precision Custom Homes in Venice coordinated the local effort. His daughter and company partner, Kelly, says the builder blitz was an experience her father looked forward to, despite-or perhaps because of-first experiencing it last year when he built a Habitat house in five days, four of which were rain-sodden. For his efforts last year, he won the HBA Builder of the Year award from the Sarasota chapter.

Habitat for Humanity pulls permits and lays the concrete slab and plumbing, but the builders do everything else. "Each builder goes to the ends of the earth to set it up," says Olliver.

"We're doing it because it's a good cause and the right thing to do," says David Schroeders, who planned to have a construction manager and seven or eight supervisors on hand as well as volunteers. Schroeders managed to get some of his subcontractors to donate labor and materials, then filled in the gaps from his own pocket.

Other builders cite similar motivations. "We are a very community-minded company," says Pete Shipps, who has raised money for police bicycle patrols and radio controls for the fire department. But this build was the biggest community project he's done, says Shipps, and it was made possible because of the many subcontractors who donated time and materials.

"It's really refreshing to see," he says, especially since "the building market is off, and now it's not as easy to get people to step in."

Shipps expected more than 100 of his people to show up in hard hats to construct the three-bedroom, two-bath house on Florribana Street in North Port. Much of that is motivated by community spirit, but he admits some of his employees may have an ulterior motive. "I spent the earlier part of my career swinging hammers," he says. "A lot of the crew is anxious to see if I can still do it."

And the future residents were anxious to see the final product. After all, they had made it through a long and strict approval process. A persistent Habitat for Humanity myth is that the organization "gives away" free houses. That's not accurate, explains Judy Wilcox, executive director of Habitat for Humanity Southern Sarasota County, which encompasses the area from Osprey to the Sarasota" target="_blank">Charlotte County line. Wilcox says the recipients of the homes must agree to spend 300 hours working on the construction site ("sweat equity" in Habitat parlance), save enough money for a down payment and take classes that teach them about budgeting, maintenance, home ownership and finance.

For the recipients, the results go far beyond having a roof over their heads, says Wilcox. "It's a family- and community-strengthening vehicle," she says.

Wilcox says that while Habitat tries to get as much money, materials and time donated as possible, it does absorb a lot of the costs. "Land is our greatest challenge," she says. "We're hoping to get land donated. But we just bought four lots in a community last week for a six-figure amount."

Studies have shown that children of families who own their own houses are 30 percent more likely to graduate from high school and 20 percent more likely to graduate from college. Home ownership is also linked to lower dropout rates from school and a decrease in antisocial behavior.

In beautiful Sarasota County, where gated communities and luxurious homes seem the norm, it may be hard to imagine a need for Habitat's services. Don't let that fool you, says Wilcox. About 7,000 people in Sarasota County fit the criterion of making 30 percent to 50 percent of the area's mean income ($17,500 to $29,000 for a family of four), she says. Many of these families are paying $700 to $1,000 a month for substandard rentals, Wilcox says; were they to be approved for a Habitat house, they would probably only pay around $500 a month for their mortgage and escrow.

"For most families, this is the first time they are living in family-owned homes," says Wilcox. "Ninety-five percent of them succeed. Very few don't."

Now, after the builder blitz, five more families in Sarasota and North Port have a place to call home, thanks to the Home Builders Association of Sarasota County and the participating builders.

"They really stepped up to the plate wonderfully well," says Wilcox, who noted that the smaller, local builders tended to be the first to volunteer the huge amounts of time and labor that such a donation calls for. Although 1,000 houses were supposed to go up nationwide during the Builder Blitz, partly because of Hurricane Katrina, that number was reduced to 800.

"Eight hundred is still phenomenal," says Wilcox. "It's made a huge difference in the lives of thousands of people."

"I absolutely believe in the mission of Habitat for Humanity," says David Hunihan, president of Fidelity Homes, who has served on the Habitat board for more than five years. "We [at Fidelity] are very involved in trying to be proactive with affordable housing issues facing the region, and trying to be part of the solution. Habitat is one of the few organizations truly addressing the affordable housing issue right now."

Everyone's hard work was rewarded on a Friday evening, when five emotional families received the keys to their new homes.

"To see the homes come together was an overwhelming experience," Habitat's Mike Jacobson says. "The builders gave the gift of not just product but of passion. There was not a dry eye in the house."