Our New Home

You have seen the "before" picture and now...

(thanks to my sister getting a great shot the day of the blessing)

here is the

"after" picture!

Thank you God for making this possible
through Habitat for Humanity
and all the people who contributed
to the transformation of our home.

(A great shot from Habitat)

Homeward Bound

Our Habitat House Warming/Blessing is officially scheduled, and so the reality 

of owning this beautiful home has suddenly become less surreal and very real to all of us.

Oh, and NO this is not the finished product!!! 

The transformation has been total, and God has amazed us once again.

Through Him he has enabled an incredible team to breath life back into this house,

making a home for our family that exceeds any expectations we had!!!

"And my God will meet all your needs 
according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus."
Philippians 4:19

Finer Details

Love all that God is doing through the great team at our site!  

The finer details are so great, the house is really coming together beautifully.

 Stairway Railing 

 Front Porch Columns

 Landscaping

 Towel Ring

 Bathroom Sink Faucet (So pretty!)

 Toilet Paper Holder (A must have!)

Counter Tops

More Appreciation!

Thank you to the great groups that came out to help last Saturday and Wednesday. 

The AWESOME group of ladies from the sorority DST were such a blessing!  

Allstate also sent a great group Wednesday, we appreciate you!

 Hannah demonstrating the "Lazy Susan" cabinet!

 Kitchen Cabinets!

 Side Porch Columns

Shout Out!

A Shout Out for all the GREAT VOLUNTEERS 

who have come out to make our house into a home:

Christ Community


Chris's Dad


Church Friends:  Phyllis and Dan, Vesta, Len and Claudia, Randy and Heather and family, Jill, Evan, Sarah Ware, and others...


Concordia


Dan Jensen - Dan the Man, Dan in Charge..YOU ARE THE BEST!
(Our amazing project manager)


ECC


Elmhurst College


Fisher Clinical


Harper College


Hoffer Plastic


My Dad & Mom (For assisting with construction and child care...)


Naselli Brothers


Northwestern University


Omron


The Regulars:  Dan "Not in Charge", Neil, Wayne, Paul, Mitch, Brian, Matt, Ross, Henry, Tom, Don, Ross...
(Please forgive me if I miss someone...)


University of Wisconsin - Stout (You rocked Spring Break!)


Willow Creek (and their lunch crew!)

New Pictures

 Doors have been hung in most of the doorways.

 Flooring has been laid throughout the 1st floor.

 Exterior painting has begun.

The side porch detailing being added.

Making Progress

It has been a busy and productive season at the house, with progress moving forward in leaps and bounds! It has already been transformed from an empty shell of open space, to a house with walls, archway doors, and new windows.

A great team of students came from the University of Wisconsin Stout, they worked on our site as well as the site in Carpentersville. The team on our house hung drywall on the week of their spring break, completing all of the walls on both floors in just one week! We all celebrated with a cookout at the end of their work week. The weather was incredible, and our entire family enjoyed spending time with the students.

Now, the drywall has been finished, the back porch is in progress and the outside is being prepped, sanded, and primed. Here are some pictures of the progress to date:

Volunteer Up! (Reminder)

Volunteer Up!

The Hunt Family Habitat House is Online!

To register to volunteer go to: http://www.volunteerup.com/Login.asp?w=i&o=175

Register to create a user name and password to log into the system

(Be sure to mark the "Family Partners and Friends" box)

Our friends and family can put in up to half of our sweat equity hours!

Log in and look at the calendar for "Sign Up" opportunities at 140 N Channing

Select the Shift on the day you want to volunteer

It will be under the "Family Partners and Friends" choice

Come and join us!

Moving Forward

Today 2/11 and last Saturday 2/4 were both very productive days, and our project is moving forward. We have been really blessed by the great people that have come out each week, including a team from Concordia University and the group today from Christ Community Church. In addition to these teams, there has been a flood of highly skilled individuals coming out on both Wednesdays and Saturdays. The average on Wednesdays has been remarkable, with up to 12 skilled men on any given day.

Two weeks ago we did not even have a 2nd floor, and as of today there is both a brand new 1st and 2nd floor, all of the framing for walls on both stories, two sets of stairs, quite a bit of plumbing, as well as a stand-up tub and shower, and some of the heating ducts! Today, we cleaned the job site after the work on Wednesday and brought in a delivery of dry wall and wood beams. We began the framing around the heating ducts and also removed the false ceiling from the addition that will eventually be removed. A dedicated few shoveled heavy loads of dirt from one place in the basement to another, to fill in an area that will be sealed off.

As we move forward it is truly exciting to see the total scope of this project, and all that we are being offered through this process. It is really hard for me to even say in words how much it means to me personally, how much it means to us as a family. Chris and I truly appreciate each and every person involved in moving this project forward. We are a day closer to completion each day we work together. In doing so you are moving us forward also, as we are that much closer to our dream of owning our own home.

Busy Building Day

Today when I entered our future house there was a very experienced team already working to build the support beams for the flooring that will be laid for the second story. Although there was a little less for me to do, I tried to keep busy doing what I could. The carpentry work required skills that I do not have, and the team had quite a rhythm going. I was able to run to get some joist brackets from Menards, and worked to keep the build area clean. It was rewarding when one of the men thanked me for cleaning, saying that it was an important role that made the site easier to navigate. Dad worked today as well, he was busy on the 2nd floor helping to get the beams into place. Here are some pictures of the work that was accomplished. By next week the 2nd floor plywood flooring should be completely laid out.

Dan builds the landing for our stairs going to the 2nd floor.

The support beams for the 2nd floor...

Framing on the 1st floor with flooring laid on top.

The front hallway...

Support beams for the floor.

The main floor of the house, front to back.

Great Morning

When I knew that my friend Phyllis from Vineyard was coming out to the house today, I got excited and decided to join her for a great morning together. Her husband, Dan, had the day off and came out too. It was great to be together with them and the regular Wednesday crew, they accomplished a lot in just the morning. Thanks Mom for hanging out with the kids for the morning! :)

The house now has no second floor, but not for long! The plan for the afternoon was to start rebuilding it on top of the framing that is already in place on the main floor. Phyllis and I tore off siding from what will become a back porch area, hauled things to the dumpster, and did lots of sweeping!

I also had the opportunity to meet a woman named Amy who coordinates volunteers at her church Trinity Lutheran of Roselle. They hope to encourage more of their members to volunteer to work at Habitat sites in the area. It was great to be able to touch base with her this morning, and encourage her interest in having the church come out.

Here are some pictures from the morning:

A full dumpster gets picked up...

Cutting out the old beams, 2nd floor...

No 2nd floor!

In a Day

No floor last week...

They say that Rome was not built in a day, and this is certainly very true. Our house will not be finished in a day either, but it is amazing to see what can be accomplished in just one day.

Last week, when I left the house there was no flooring throughout the entire first floor. Today, upon returning the entire first floor was built!

By the time Chris left today, there were framed walls for our hall entrance-way, basement stairway, and den! The team today was really working hard, and included regular volunteers as well as a great group of students from Northwestern.

If you are interested in getting in on the action, sign up today! There is always work to be done, and even though I am not skilled I was busy almost every minute.

New flooring this week!

Framing our entrance-way!

Day Two!

Day One...cold and snowy!

The first floor getting torn out...

The basement looking through the flooring.

Wow...no more floor!

Day One!

Day One...warm and sunny!

A new roof!

Cutting out walls!

Down comes the wall making room for a future side porch.

Lunch Anyone? :)

New Year

As our family enters into 2012 we realize that this will be a year full of many adventures and challenges. Our house has officially been added to the volunteer calendar, and we start working tomorrow. We are walking very humbly in this process, because we know that God is blessing us with an amazing opportunity.

When visiting another Habitat home in Elgin I learned that a volunteer had taken on the project of refinishing the original handrail going from the first to the second floor. This labor of love literally involved striping layers of paint off the large piece and recreating the missing pieces to complete the railing. I was moved to tears to think of the heart that went into this home, and now our home will be filled with love even before we move in.

Chris and I have lived in a spacious and gracious 1920's apartment, and in the basement of our friend's warm home (that was once a barn), and now we reside at my parent's handsome colonial home. In all these places we have found home, in each other and with our four wonderful children. That being said, owning a home represents something to a family and we are very ready to make a home together in the very near future.

In God's faithfulness to both of us, in our marriage, in our financial journey, and in the gift of our children there are so many stories or testimonies. Every story points back to God and how good He is. Through trial and through blessing He is our heavenly Father who loves us. He loves us so much that he gave us love through His only son Jesus.

Every volunteer that steps foot in our home and the other Habitat homes all over our Nation and world are a reflection of this love. For this gift, and the work ahead of us in this New Year we are extremely grateful.

1 John 4:7-12

"Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us."