For the most part, construction is the most known branch of Atlanta Habitat for Humanity building hundreds of homes over the last 40 years.

The reality is that building is actually the final step in what could be a year(s) long process. Homebuyers must complete 250 sweat equity hours before they can complete their build. These hours can be completed by:

• Attending additional Home Smart elective classes.
• Volunteering in the Atlanta Habitat ReStore for scheduled shifts.
• Volunteering in the Atlanta Habitat warehouse on any Wednesday through Friday.
• Helping build an Atlanta Habitat house on a scheduled construction day.
• Attending neighborhood meetings of the local Neighborhood Association or Neighborhood Planning Unit.
• Acting as an Ambassador for our program and attend outreach events.

The actual build takes 8 days.

“We build no matter what the conditions are, you can’t say oh, ‘it may rain. Let’s postpone’ well we can’t because we have goals to hit and 50 houses to build and sponsors and volunteers don’t always understand that, but we strongly encourage them to show up anyway, because you’d be amazed at how much will get done.” Jim said.

Every Saturday for two months new homebuyers, along with dozens of volunteers, are guided by house leaders and skilled supervisors to build high quality, affordable and energy-efficient homes.

“(House leaders) get to build that relationship with that family one-on-one, they get to know them and their kids. They get to prepare them for living in this house for the next 30 years and then Family Services picks up the ball with continuing education,” said Jim Blackstone, Director of Construction.

In addition to serving the family directly, house leaders act as teachers, and motivators, to the many volunteers on the build. Many come in afraid to try new things and are often surprised what they can contribute to the build by the end. According to Jim, House Leaders have “the best job at Atlanta Habitat.”

Affordable Green Building

From the very beginning Atlanta Habitat for Humanity has been committed to sustainable, affordable housing. This commitment has made them unspoken heroes when it comes to low waste builds.

“When Habitat first started back in the 70s middle Georgia, it was a great idea and a great need was recognized and how we were going to do it,” Jim said. “In my opinion, that was the birth of affordable green building. Because the resources were very limited.”

The house plans are in two foot increments, because that is the way lumber is sold for very little waste. Generally, a contract homebuilder will have a dumpster full of discarded materials, at the end of a Habitat build all the waste can fit into the back of a pickup truck.

In the beginning Habitat was simply about shelter. In 2002, they began to incorporate air conditioning, air sealing and responsible use of materials over the years.

“Our houses can knock anybody for energy efficiency and tightness, stability, any home anywhere. Bring it,” Jim said.