Habitat for Humanity kickoff: Walls raised, nails hammered, a Dallas Cowboys hard hat

By: AARON CLAVERIE - The Californian | Saturday, January 12, 2008 8:28 PM PST ∞

TEMECULA - The sound of hammers made it real for Dawn Pleasant.

The 37-year-old administrative assistant, a single mother looking after two teenage boys and a 14-year-old girl, has known for years that Habitat for Humanity planned to build her family a home on Pujol Road near the First Street intersection.

The city of Temecula's Redevelopment Agency sold the land in early 2003 to nonprofit Habitat for $10. A groundbreaking was held that summer. A groundmoving celebration was held in the summer of 2006; sponsors spoke and the five families selected for the houses were introduced.

On Saturday morning, Pleasant and her daughter, Gabriella, watched dozens of volunteer workers, including her two sons, put together the frames for the walls of her new 1,100-square-foot, three-bedroom/two-bath home.

Saturday was the kickoff of Habitat for Humanity's build schedule, which will run for about eight more weeks. The majority of the home building will happen on Saturdays, but there will be some groups that work on the project during the week.

"After a few years, it's always on your mind but the excitement isn't what it was. When the foundation was poured it sparked it again and hearing the nails ... it's very exciting," Pleasant said.

Gabriella, standing at her mom's side, said, "Yes, I'd love to hear nails up close ... as I hammer them into the wood."

The exchange between the two was a running joke all morning because Gabriella, at 14, wasn't allowed to do anything that might be considered dangerous.

"Why don't you go eat a doughnut," Pleasant told her.

Gabriella pleaded in return, "I want to be able to work. It's like sentimental to be able to say years from now that I helped build the house."

Tammy Marine, Habitat for Humanity Inland Valley's executive director, said the volunteers, including some hardhat-wearing construction crew veterans, are selected for the jobs based on their skill level.

Everyone signs up through Habitat's Web site and they are slotted into the build schedule, she said.

The system looked to be working smoothly at 8:45 a.m., when the first wall frame was raised.

A cheer went up from the dozens of workers at each home footprint.

Some of the volunteers were obviously seasoned, using nailguns to "thwack, thwack" in nails and the side of a work boot to line up the wood for the frames.

Centex Homes, a Dallas-based homebuilder, donated one complete house. Centex donates an average of 20 houses to Habitat each year nationwide.

Donations obtained by 1,000 Friends of Habitat and the Realtor House Program will build a second house. The group 1,000 Friends of Habitat is modeled after a program created on Whidbey Island in Washington in which donors contribute a moderate donation of $50.

The recently-created Realtor House Program brings professionals from the real estate industry together in support of a Habitat house.

Bank of America will fund one complete home and also provide a summer intern to support the program. Thrivent Financial will fund 80 percent of the fourth house plus facilitate the majority of the necessary volunteers.

John Meyer, director of Temecula's Redevelopment Agency, said the RDA spent $250,000 on the off-street improvements, the curbs and gutters.

The five homes will join two more Habitat homes on Sixth Street to give the city more affordable housing options.

"At these (price) levels, it's great," he said.

For Emma Alcantar, a 46-year-old employee at Milgard Windows, being a homeowner will mean the end of apartments, which she has lived in for all of her family's 17 years in Temecula.

Alcantar, who will be Pleasant's next door neighbor later this year, has two daughters, 12 and 14, and they will be able to have their own rooms. The roommates don't fight all that much, she said, but they are looking forward to having a pet and their own rooms to paint.

"There will be more space for them to play and have friends over," Alcantar said.

The house next door to the Alcantar's, which will all face a new street that's being called Habitat Way, will be home for Rosie Castaneda, a 44-year-old campus supervisor at Chaparral High School.

Working on Castaneda's future house was volunteer Cathy Crawford, a history teacher at Chaparral who taught Castaneda's daughter in one of her classes.

Crawford, who has lived in Temecula for 14 years, said she was having a great time.

"It's amazing to see the progress, even in an hour," she said.

As Crawford leaned on a wooden frame for a supporting beam, three Chaparral High School Pumas - Jade Laguer, Christina Hagan and Samantha Billena - popped over to give her a bottle of water.

The teens said they were excited to help out in any way they could because of their respect and admiration for Castaneda.

"It's all about Rosie!" said Jade, a 17-year-old senior.

Two of the homes will face Pujol Road and the others will face Habitat. Members of each of the families plan to get together for barbecues and block parties.

"If you see us partying, come on over," said Castaneda, watching her home being built.

Talking about the support of the community, her co-workers and the students at her school, Castaneda said it means a lot to her that everyone came together to help.

"It pumps me up," she said.

Like Pleasant, she has known for a while that this day would be coming. But when she walked on the site Saturday morning: "I broke down," she said.

Contact staff writer Aaron Claverie at (951) 676-4315, Ext. 2624, or aclaverie@californian.com.

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