Habitat for Humanity

On September 28 I went to the Habitat for Humanity site with a few other class mates. The weather was not the nicest and it was slightly raining. Once we got there we got an overview of what Habitat for Humanity does. We met all the workers and the woman who would eventually be living in the house. We went over the safety rules to make sure none of us got hurt, then we got straight to work.

There was a wall that was already started, so we got to assist in finishing it. There are these pieces called "greenies" that are nails with a circle of a rubber substance around the top. This allows a better protection against water and they were only used on the water proofing section of the wall coverings. Once nailed they are completely flat, as long as it was done correctly and they are easier to see. Next we were ready to put up the wall. Before that Bob, the head construction worker, put little pieces underneath the wall so that we could get a grip on it. All of us were spread out which made pushing the wall up much easier. We had to hold up the wall while it was connected to the other walls with nails. When putting up the wall we had to make sure that the floor line was straight against the designated line along the edge of the floor. It was a successful lift.

Next we started on the opposite was, but this time we had to build the whole thing. We had to get the pieces of wood, but before using them we had to make sure that they weren't warped in anyway. To check that, you have to hold up one side and look to the bottom to see if it curves. Each section had windows that needed to be accounted for. There are specific dimensions and wood lengths that need to be used. Hammering is no joke and after a while my arm started to become tired. Thankfully we got a break for lunch. After that we continued the wall and set that one up just as we did the other one. This wall was a little off the line so someone on the had to hammer it from the outside.

Building the wall and putting it up opened my eyes to how a house is constructed. Having to do the physical work really proved to me the construction of a house is very important. I got to see all the aspects to constructing a house and it made me appreciate the structure of buildings.