Despite Obstacles Construction Progresses at Habitat for Humanity Site

Progress is being made on the construction site of the Habitat for Humanity affordable housing project at 39 Morris Ave. in Summit. Work is essentially on schedule and volunteers are coming out, rain or shine, to complete the work by its December deadline.

"Things are excellent," said Blair Bravo, executive director of Morris Habitat for Humanity. "We are now framing the second floor [of the building], and in the next week or so, we will bring in trusses and start working on building the roof."
 
The nonprofit, in a joint effort with the the City of Summit and the Summit Affordable Housing Corporation, is erecting a two-story condominum containing six units. The effort has been in the works for more than two years, and it hasn't been all smooth sailing.

"Up until we bought the building, there were some challenges," Bravo explained. "When the zoning authority , there was a group of folks that , so that delayed us and we had to wait for that process to work itself through. That pushed our project off about four months."

Then there was the matter of a next door neighbor who had concerns about how a dwelling for six families would impact her life. Bravo admits the woman's issues with the project were "very legitimate."

"This is a building that will happen right on her property–the side yard setbacks are very narrow. This property butts up to her driveway.  She wanted to know how this would affect her quality of life," Bravo said. "We've been working with her to be very respectful, putting a construction fence up and making sure there is no dirt on her property.  Part of the zoning contingency was to make sure there is the proper screening with trees, etc. She is helping us select the screening because she's going to have to look at it, too, and we want make sure that she is in on that process.

"We don't want to just come into a neighborhood and be there. We understand that change is hard and [the project represents] a major change there–the design and the look of the home are important to us, and also to the folks who have to live and work in the area," she said.

A visit to the construction site shows that indeed there are trees in front to minimize its view from the street. It is also clear that the building does not look like a typical condominium structure–rather, it resembles a large single- or two-family home, much like many of Summit's residences.  Surely enough, much of the framing is in place. The first two condos, covering the first and second floors are visible, even though they are now a collection of two-by-fours standing on a concrete base. 

Construction supervisor Doug Wright offered a building update during Patch's visit to the site on April 16. 

"Today, we're going to be working on framing. We're going to have to get a lot of plywood up. We're almost ready to put the floor over the last unit," he explained. "Our roof package came in yesterday, and I'd like to see it on top of the building and not sitting in the driveway. So we're going to try to get the floor on that last unit so that we can start to lay out walls this afternoon and start framing that last unit. Then, we can start on the roof.

"We've got some issues: We have a missing header in the front. I noticed that they have not quite finished the floor system on the far side. There some rim boards that still need to be nailed in and some floor joints that have not been put in place left. So there's a little bit of work on the floor trusses before we can actually start laying the floor down. That means today is a definite hard hat day."

A tour of the site so far reveals that the condo units are larger than they might appear to be from the outside. Wright credits the clever, efficient design of the building to Seth Leeb, an architect based out of Morris Plains. 

"He's donated about $40,000 in pro bono services, including giving testimony before planning and zoning boards. He also donated for the six-unit dwelling we're building in Denville," Wright said. "I used him for my personal home. I paid him for my house and then hit him up to help with Habitat and he agreed to do it."

What is most interesting about the design is that the house at Number 39 is perpendicular to Morris Avenue. So while it looks like a single family home from the street, in actuality, the two-storey building stretches sideways and has room to hold six families. The two front units (one atop the other) are three-bedroom units; the remaining four are two-bedroom homes. 

Helping with the construction on April 16 were employees from the New York City and northern New Jersey branches of New York Life who had come to fill community service hours.

"Giving back is very important," said Nellie Bobe of the NYC branch, "so I thought, one, that it would be a great opportunity to get the experience, and two, to know that families will be getting into a home that I helped to build."

Luann Majcher, who works in the Clinton, N.J. office, concurred. "I've been doing Habitat for two years now, and I just like helping out and doing the difficult labor involved to help others live in a nice home," she said. "I like the camaraderie, and I've met some of the homeowners as we've been building. It's nice to get to know the people who will benefit because of this organization. They're working right alongside you, it's not like they're sitting and watching. It just amazes me what we're able to accomplish as people."

After giving volunteers a brief orientation detailing Habitat for Humanity's mission, a list of its ongoing projects, and safety tips, the supervisor assigned people to work groups and the day's construction began.  The immediate task is to finish installation of the missing header, two 2x10 pieces of lumber with a section of 1/2-inch-thick plywood sandwiched in between and a 2x4 connected along the bottom which is placed over each window and door and secured with studs in order to give the wall enough strength over the window or door to support what is overhead, so that work can begin on the structure's second floor.

The volunteers and construction professionals make quick work of that job. In little more than an hour, the header is in place.  The next goal is to finish framing for the back condo units.

According to Blair Bravo, the project seems to be on schedule so far. She had hoped to be even further along with the building, but the winter was a tough one. Despite the cold and snow, the workers continued with the job.

"Summit folks are very hardy. They came out in frigid snowy weather and temperatures with frozen ground and rain and mud. If you go on our Facebook page, you can see the photos," she reported. "It took four weeks to put the foundation in, where typically it takes a week. But we didn't want to stop our building, because I have a goal to get the families in by December of this year. In order to do that, you gotta keep going. "

That includes the people who will live in the building once it is completed. After surviving a rigorous selection process, the six families–who must be U.S. citizens, put $1,000 down on the house, and have an income between 30 and 80 percent of the city’s median income (between $26,000 and $70,000 for a family of four)–must take home ownership classes and contribute "sweat equity" into the project by putting in at least 300 hours into the building process.

Bravo said the homeowners work hard because they are passionate about the place in which they will live. She noted that they are also aware that they are getting an excellent deal on their new home: The median price of a home in Summit $619,000, she said. A unit in the condominiums ultimately will cost the Habitat homeowners about $150,000.

But the volunteers are passionate about the project, too.

"They come out every week and they work hard," she said.

Of course, new volunteers are always welcome. Bravo recommends calling in advance in case work-stopping inspections are scheduled. Construction generally takes place every Tuesday through Saturday from 8:30 a.m. through 4 p.m.

"We welcome walk-ons, and you don't need any skills, just a pulse and a smile. We take care of the rest," she said. "Bring your lunch and dress appropriately. If you say you're good at moving dirt from one place to another, that's what we'll have you do."

At the same time, fund raising continues. Donations of materials, services, and money are welcome to fund the project 100 percent.  Bravo said planning is under way for a fall fund-raising event similar to the effort held in October last year.

"I remember being a first-time homebuyer and how that felt, and there is nothing like that feeling. It is a true American dream," she said. "Everybody who comes here feels that. We are really helping people getting into their first home. That will be good for our town, our neighborhoods, and our economy. These folks are going to be shopping in downtown Summit, and that's good. That's what we want."