Monday, September 12, 2011

Where Are They Now?

Homeowner Update: The Fowler Family


Fowler Family

When Scott and Linda Fowler were accepted in HfHEKC's homeownership program in December 2007, they lived in a condemned rental with minimal insulation, drafty windows and faulty wiring that caused four fire scares. Scott and Linda's two children, Ashley and Joel, were 7 and 3 at the time.

The Fowler family realized their dream of homeownership In July of 2009 when they moved into their new townhouse in our Patterson Park development in Redmond. Since then, their family has felt a great amount of relief knowing they now have a place they can call home that is safe, affordable and long term.
Fowler kids

Ashley is now 11 years old, enjoys reading, singing and computers. Joel, now 7 years old, loves cars, LEGOs and Transformers. Both children started the new school year with big smiles and enthusiasm. Scott and Linda continue to be active within their church community and their neighborhood.

To see photos from our most recent Home Dedications, click here. Four homes were dedicated in the Magnolia, Issaquah Highlands development on August 27, 2011.

Friday, September 9, 2011

Together We Build Pays Tribute to 9/11

An Interfaith Coalition, Formed Shortly After the September 11th Attacks, Celebrate their 10th year Anniversary of Working Together

Together We Build, a group of Christian, Jews and Muslims work together to build homes for low-income families on the Eastside.

Habitat for Humanity of East King County will host the 10th Annual Together We Build (TWB) project on September 8-10 and September 15-17, 2011 at their Issaquah Highlands development. This is Thursday through Saturday in the two consecutive weeks surrounding the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, which were the initial motivations behind forming TWB.

TWB is an Interfaith Coalition of Christians, Jews, and Muslims seeking to find common ground and learn from one another as they work together to build houses for low-income families in East King County. They have held an annual event each year in pursuit of their mission to show the world that together, we can build a stronger community.

The group has raised $20,000 to $50,000 each year. A portion of the money is used to cover the costs of food preparation during the build and to pay for their web hosting service. The remainder is sent to Habitat for Humanity to fund their homebuilding projects. Over the last ten years, TWB has contributed a total of $438, 531 to Habitat for Humanity’s affordable home building program, providing the funding equivalent of four houses!

Habitat for Humanity of East King County’s Executive Director, Tom Granger is impressed with TWB’s impact on the community. “This group was formed to help create an understanding between people of different faiths,” he said. “The fact that it has not only survived, but thrived for ten years now is amazing. The leadership with Together We Build should really be commended,” he added.

 “The Interfaith Service is especially meaningful,” said Dave Sanford, a longtime TWB participant and parishioner at Aldersgate United Methodist church in Bellevue. He said it is planned by the various clergy and includes participation from each of the major faith traditions and by the youth in those traditions. “It is quite an experience to see a Muslim Imam offering prayers in Arabic from the pulpit of a Jewish synagogue to a congregation of all faiths,” said Sanford.

“It is our belief that the example of people of many faiths working together sends a lesson for the community. That message honors the victims of 9/11, showing that they were harmed not in the name of religion, but in the perversion of religion.”

This year, the Interfaith Service will be hosted at the IMAN Center located at 515 State Street South in Kirkland on Saturday, September 10, 2011. The program will begin at 5:30 pm, with dinner at 6:30 pm, followed by a Muslim evening prayer at 7:47 pm.

To learn more about Together We Build, visit www.togetherwebuild.org

Construction Update- August

La Fortuna, Renton




Passed pre- housewrap inspection on Tuesday and finished up with the foam in the back, but didn't get to starting the housewrap yet.


Al started plumbing rough-in on Tuesday and has 1 unit laid out, drilled and started gluing waste & vent. Al's boss stopped by on Friday and was interested in getting apprentices out to help Al. Insulation and pre- rock was completed in 2 units by Rafael and Yesenia on Saturday and the tubs were hauled up over the decks for the 2 units Al is working on.


On Saturday we trenched, installed the sleeve, installed the pipe and then backfilled the water supply for the sprinkler room. Forms for the foundation will be set next week and will be poured when LF7's garage slabs are poured.


We finished the footing drains and insulation then sanded the rest of the sewer lines and the foundation is ready for partial backfill, then we will instal the electrical conduits. After the electrical underslab is inspected we can finish backfill and schedule slabs.


Work next week will include; housewrap, windows, pick up framing punchlist, electrical conduits, garage grading, sub- sill installation at heated living areas, and slab prep.


Issaquah Highlands


Buildings 3 & 4: Continued punchlist work. Carpet was installed on Monday and Tuesday. Next week we will give the units a good cleaning and complete final touch ups.

Building 5: Continued framing exterior walls. All exterior walls, minus the stairwell, on 5A are framed. 5B is about 60%.

Next week the framing will continue and we may start setting scaffold around the building for OSB fill in work and installing hold down straps.