Years ago the secretary at our church and her husband were preparing to build themselves a home. As part of their preparations they volunteered for the local Habitat for Humanity affiliate to learn framing skills. Working on a couple of Habitat house construction projects that were supervised by people who know how to build homes gave them experience and confidence to tackle the home building process. Eventually they were successful in building their dream home.

Over the years Susan and I have talked about building a home, but our busy lives and skill sets never lined up to make that a practical reality. We have been blessed with opportunities to live in homes that others have built. Being homeowners, however, has presented us with many home repair challenges that require us to use some basic construction skills. Like the secretary and her husband, I have learned a great deal by working alongside other construction volunteers working on Habitat for Humanity projects.

One of my mentors in the process was an experienced home builder who helped supervise several Habitat for Humanity projects that our church sponsored. He had great patience with my occasional errors in measurement and lots of tips on how to correct mistakes that were made. I was always grateful for his friendship as well as his practical skills. We were both early risers. He would go to the construction site early, before the other volunteers were due to arrive, and clean up, set out tools, and prepare for the day’s work. I learned to arrive with a thermos of coffee, pour a couple of cups and help push a broom or pick up wood scraps as we talked.

I am not currently volunteering with Habitat for Humanity. I am aware of the local affiliate and I plan to do more volunteering, but the move, a new job, helping on our son’s farm, and spending time with our grandchildren have taken priority for now. Having served as a Habitat for Humanity volunteer, however, still has a positive impact on my life.

Shortly after moving into this house, we noticed that the place where we have our dining table was a bit darker than other places in the house. There is no window in that part of the room and there was no ceiling light fixture. A while ago, we hired an electrician to install a new light fixture. In order to run the wires, he had to cut three small holes in the sheetrock. He told us in advance that he was not able to do the drywall repair and that we would be responsible for doing that work or hiring another worker to complete it. My Habitat for Humanity volunteering skills gave me confidence to make the repairs myself. It took me a bit longer than I expected, and I admit I was slow to start the project in part because I didn’t have a very good plan at first. However, I am pleased with the repairs and the holes were patched, taped, textured and painted to match the wall and ceiling.

Now I have another drywall repair ahead of me. This one is a bit larger. A plumbing leak needed to be addressed and an access hole was made in the ceiling of our living room, which is below an upstairs bathroom. That hole is bigger than the ones made for the electrical work. The plan for the repair, however, is similar. And, since I recently completed the other repair, I have the tools and materials assembled. Usually, any home repair job requires multiple trips to the hardware store, but I think this one can be accomplished with materials that are on hand.

While I am at it, there is a dog door next to our patio sliding door for which we have no need. We do not have a dog, and when my sister’s dog is visiting, we do not want to encourage the dog to discover the dog door as we like to control when the dog comes and goes from the back yard. Repairing the wall through which the dog door is a bigger task, as I will have to do a bit of framing, install sheeting and siding on the outside, insulation and drywall on the inside. I happen to have sufficient siding of the type needed from a project on the farmhouse and most of the rest of the repair can be made with the purchase of a single sheet of 5/8 sheetrock. I’m getting myself psyched up to tackled that project as well.

I am not opposed to hiring workers to help with home repairs, but doing so can become quite a bit of work. In the case of the electrician and plumber, it required multiple phone calls to schedule the work. Then I had to make sure I was at home when the workers arrived and stay home while they worked. With our flexible schedule for our work, this was not a big problem, but my schedule had to be adjusted. The electrical repair required an inspection, which took more scheduling and making sure I was home to give the inspector access. Finding a handy person to make drywall repairs, especially a small project is a real challenge. The professionals whose names I obtained from a local realtor aren’t interested in small repair jobs.

Being a homeowner requires developing do-it-yourself skills. That is part of the genius of the Habitat for Humanity program. Those who will become homeowners are required to obtain sweat equity in their homes by volunteering during the construction process. The volunteering helps them gain construction skills which help them once they become home owners. The training in construction skills occurs for other volunteers as well. There are a lot of people around the world who have learned valuable skills while working to help eliminate poverty housing.

When I am measuring, I remember tips that my Habitat mentor taught me. When I am applying mud and tape, I use tools I bought to work on a Habitat project when I lived in Rapid City. I am by no means a professional, and most repair jobs take me much longer than an experienced worker would need, but I usually get the job done and am pleased with the results. It is just one of the many benefits that Habitat for Humanity has given me. I’m pleased to recommend volunteering to my friends.