Doug Copley, Construction Supervisor at Koinonia Ridge in Snoqualmie give us this update:

Unit #10
This week: Focus on interior finishes. Continue work on deck.

Unit #13
Exterior Paint about 50% complete.
Passed, HVAC, framing and electrical inspections.
Insulated walls.
Permanent power and gas are ordered and should be installed by March 2nd.

Unit #30
Sheetrock is installed and ready for paint.
Continued exterior paint, south side 90% complete
This week: Starting interior work. Continue work on Deck.

Unit #32
HVAC rough-in 75% complete.

Unit #33
HVAC rough-in 95% complete.
Installed 1st course of siding - 50% complete.

Unit #41
Continued with electrical rough-in- 50% complete.
Finished painting and siding over areas for roofing to be installed.
Worked on south gable- 90% installed.
This week: Complete electrical rough-in and insulation.


Mike Hammerquist shares his update from Patterson Park in Redmond:

It was quite a thrill seeing the Sheetrock delivery on Weds. The hangers started on Thursday and should be done on Tuesday. On Wednesday we will scrap out and corner bead, with taping to start on Thursday.

Siding continues, 99% overall complete. We should have the last piece on this week. Caulking and painting made good progress this week. The southern end of the building is fully painted from the ground to the roof and the towers/ plank setup has been moved to the other end. The last soffit was finished on Saturday. We will build decks after we finish the painting above them.

Work this week will include painting, caulking, some siding, decks and site maintenance.

Habitat EKC is looking for professional painters to volunteer their time in the upcoming months. As Habitat EKC narrows down the finishing details on homes in Koinonia Ridge in Snoqualmie and Patterson Park in Redmond there will be a surge of painting needing to be done. If you specifically have painting and finish work experience, please contact Jayme Aumann, Habitat EKC Volunteer Coordinator to arrange a date to volunteer your skills at 425.869.6007 ext 232 or e-mail her at jaumann@habitatekc.org.

Patterson Park:

Insulation is ready for inspection on Tuesday.
Electricity is hooked up and the meters are set.
Gas meters are unlocked and turned on.
Soffits are 80% complete.
Siding closer to being complete.
All furnaces running properly.
Sheetrock is scheduled to be delivered this week.

Work this week: siding on roof, caulking, painting and decks.

Koinonia Ridge:
Unit #10
Millwork 90% installed and painted.
Cabinets complete.
Countertops - 75% built.
Electrical trim - 75% complete.
HVAC trim complete.
Installed toilets.
Insulated pipes in crawl space, water is on.

Unit #13
Electrical rough-in 80%, panel wired.
Siding complete.
Continued with exterior paint.
Framed front deck.
Worked on framing corrections.
HVAC completed and ready for re-inspection.

Unit #30
Iinsulation passed inspection.
Sheetrock is up and inspected.
Utilities should be connected this week.
Framed front deck.
Ordered interior doors and millwork.

Unit #32
Continued with 1st level of siding, 3 sides complete
Plumbing rough-in - 80% complete.

Unit #33
Installed housewrap over lower roof.
Installed two more windows.
Installed sheetrock and wiring for furnace room.

Unit #41
Completed siding on back of house.
Continued with exterior paint.
Started layout, drilling and installing boxes for electrical rough-in.
HVAC 90% complete, wall terminations will be installed after siding goes on.

Sheds are ready for homeowner use. Trim paint continues.

We had a professional painter volunteer this week. He painted all of the interior doors and all trim that was installed in #10. It looks amazing!

Next week we will continue with exterior painting, electrical rough-in on #13 and #41, countertops and millwork #10, and random siding. Possibly more decks as well.

Habitat EKC has selected 6 new families to work toward becoming homeowners at Koinonia Ridge in Snoqualmie in 2009!

One selected family in particular, the Zavodovs, had a special connection to Habitat already.

In 2008 the Culai family was selected for a home in the Patterson Park development in Redmond, WA. Both the Zavodov and the Culai families are immigrants from Moldova, a landlocked country situated between Ukraine and Romania, and independently set up roots in east King County. Through area resources the two families connected and became part of each other’s new community in the States.

Iulia Zavodov has explained the serendipitous way they met: "Our kids went to the same daycare, even in the same classroom. Occasionally, I heard Carina talking to her kid in Romanian, and I asked her where she is from. During the conversation we found out we are from the same city, even from the same district of the city, I knew Carina’s neighbors next door [in Moldova], but we never met - only here, in Renton.”

When the Zavodov family was selected in January 2009, it was decided that the Culai family was the obvious choice to share the news. The ability to let great friends, and in America the closest thing to family, contribute in the selection process supports our mission to empower families, build community, and create hope.

Now both the Zavodov and the Culai families are a part of the Habitat for Humanity community, one that they can be connected to for many years to come.

Due to the great weather we had last week, the Habitat Construction crews were able to get a lot done! If you were out there volunteering with us, thank you and we hope you enjoyed the sunshine. If not, please come and join us at either of our current build sites: Patterson Park in Redmond or Koinonia Ridge in Snoqualmie. For more information about volunteering with Habitat click here.

Update: Patterson Park, Redmond:

Framing inspection passed.
Insulation began this week on 2 units.
Garage insulation completed – Plywood on final interior sheer walls begins this week.
Siding is on - Roof gables 60% complete.
The good weather gave us a chance to paint some.
Work this week will focus on finishing the insulation, with some painting or on roof siding.

Update: Koinonia Ridge, Snoqualmie: We welcomed our new families to the site on Saturday. After an orientation several were able to stay and work on siding. We also had more high school students who did the bulk of the insulation work as well as the shed painting.

Unit #10
Cabinets - 50% complete.
Exterior paint- 85% complete.
Electrical trim- 50% complete.
Installed deck railings.
Graded lot for landscaping.

Unit #13
Continued siding- 85% complete.

Unit #30
Passed HVAC, electrical and framing inspections.
Continued exterior paint.
Insulated house.

Unit #32
Plumbing rough-in continues.
Installed rear siding.

Unit #33
Began prepping utility room for HVAC install.

Unit #41
Continued siding- 70% complete.
Painted siding over roof with two coats, touch ups remain.

Sheds- started body color paint. Poured concrete pad for generator install at the community center.

Habitat for Humanity is deeply saddened by the death of Millard Fuller, the visionary whose ideas and tireless work created Habitat for Humanity.

Mr. Fuller led Habitat from its founding in 1976 until his separation from the organization and his founding of the Fuller Center for Housing in 2005. He died early today, Feb. 3, following a brief illness. He was 74.

“Millard Fuller was a force of nature who turned a simple idea into an international organization that has helped more than 300,000 families move from deplorable housing into simple, decent homes they helped build and can afford to buy and live in,” said Jonathan Reckford, chief executive officer of Habitat for Humanity International. “The entire Habitat family mourns the loss of our founder, a true giant in the affordable housing movement. Our prayers are with the entire Fuller family.”

The idea for Habitat for Humanity was born at Koinonia Farm, a Christian farming community founded in 1942 in rural southwest Georgia to be a “demonstration plot for the Kingdom of God.” Millard and Linda Fuller made their way to that demonstration plot in 1965.

By the time Millard Fuller turned 29, he had earned his first million dollars as an entrepreneur and attorney. But as his finances flourished, his health and marriage crumbled. To save their marriage, the Fullers decided to begin anew. They sold all that they owned, gave the money to the poor and in their searching, landed at Koinonia where they began soaking up the teachings of farmer, theologian and community founder Clarence Jordan.

In time, Jordan and Fuller launched a program of “partnership housing,” building simple houses in partnership with rural neighbors who were too poor to qualify for conventional home loans. The first house was dedicated in 1969 and others soon followed. In 1973, the Fullers took the concept of partnership housing to Africa. Within a few years, simple concrete-block homes were replacing unhealthy mud-and-thatch homes … and Millard Fuller had a bold idea: If partnership housing could improve lives in Georgia and Zaire, why not the rest of the world?

In 1976, the Fullers returned to the United States and launched Habitat for Humanity International. By the organization’s 25th anniversary, tens of thousands of people were volunteering with Habitat and more than 500,000 people were living in Habitat homes.

Millard Fuller was a prolific writer, authoring 10 books. He had received more than 50 honorary degrees and in 1996 received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor. In presenting the medal, President Bill Clinton said, “Millard Fuller has done as much to make the dream of homeownership a reality in our country and throughout the world as any living person.” Jack Kemp, former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and former HFHI board member agreed, adding, “When I’m asked about housing success stories from our inner cities, the first group that comes to mind is Habitat for Humanity."

Among numerous other awards, Fuller was named to the National Housing Hall of Fame and had received the World Changer Award, the World Methodist Peace Award, the Norman Vincent Peale Award, the John W. Gardner Leadership Award and the Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarian Award.

“Millard Fuller’s drive and relentless commitment to affordable housing captured people’s imagination and changed lives around the world,” said J. Ronald Terwilliger, chair of Habitat for Humanity’s International Board of Directors. “His inspiration lives on in Habitat’s work and through its employees, volunteers, partner families and supporters. We extend our sincere condolences to the Fuller family and are keeping them in our thoughts and prayers.”

Last week, Adam Guy of AG Tree Service, LLC, in Kirkland, volunteered his time and services to help a Habitat community in Newcastle with tree removal. Adam contacted HFHEKC offering to help Habitat homeowners at no cost. Adam's timing was uncanny; our Coal Creek Terrace HOA board president had been searching for someone to help with old trees on the property.

HFHEKC and all the homeowners at Coal Creek Terrace thank Adam and his company for their generous donation and support of our organization.

AG Tree Service, LLC
425-830-8820
www.agtreeservice.net