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Nov 13, 2018

Qualico Teams Up To Volunteer And Build With Habitat For Humanity

Saskatoon, SK – Today, Montana Homes begins a five-day week (November 13-17) of volunteering with its homeowners, trade partners, friends and family to help with Habitat for Humanity Saskatoon's Slimmon Road townhome project.

volunteer-habitatIn the spirit of Montana Homes Build Week, let's take a look at Qualico's Habitat Team Builds from this past summer in Winnipeg and Edmonton and hear from the staff who participated in support of Habitat's great cause.

 
August 21 Team in Winnipeg - Net Zero Townhomes Build

August 22 team build

 

The August 21 team was tasked with transitioning from foundation work to preparing for the installation of the first floor joists. This included removing and setting up scaffolding and also grading the basement floor to ensure the weeping tile properly drained into the sump pit.

"It was cool to see all the insulation they are using with the Net-Zero homes," said Colin Waldner, ERP Business Systems Analyst. "I became much more familiar with the early on stages of homes for establishing a strong foundation, and proper drainage and insulation. I learned a lot about the process of building a home and I'm very excited to see what the finished product is going to look like." 

"I will remember the people I worked with the most and the site supervisors and leaders were really great to work with," Colin added. "Everyone was very friendly and always offered detailed explanations to any curiosities and questions we had."

"I learned about the Habitat process and what homeowners are expected to do to qualify," said Chantal du Bourg, Recruitment & Onboarding Services Manager. "Each Habitat Homeowner is required to put in 500 hours of sweat equity in order to qualify for a home. They work either on their own home and/or on homes that are being built for others. It was a fun day spent with good company and it was nice to get to experience a different type of work. It was great to see the homeowners enthusiasm, how hard they were working and how excited and proud they were."

 
August 22 Team in Winnipeg - Net Zero Townhomes Build

The August 22 team was tasked with cutting joists, hammering on joist hangers, and then installing the rim joists and floor joists on the first floor of the townhomes.

"I met a lot of new people and saw a large group of happy people working together," said Tony Brenda, Commercial Division Manager, The Floor Show. "I learned how to set up scaffolding and construct floor joists on a new home. I also learned a bit about the new Net Zero Home construction. I'll remember, as always, how good you feel after a hard day of work at a Habitat site."

"I learned that a construction site is no as neat and clean as a drawing of it," said Craig Heppner, Truss Designer, Star Truss. "I will remember having fun while working as a team."

Sept 12 team build

"I'll remember meeting the homeowners like Tsegay, Thomas from Habitat, and Chris from Star Truss," Luke adds. "The way that eager volunteers were for the most part kept busy and quite happy. he fact that solar panel loads need to be considered in roof design. That even with multiple layers of sealed OSB & XPS foam, our Net Zero design still incorporates an impermeable plastic (poly) vapour barrier on the inside of the wall."

 
September 12 Team in Winnipeg - Net Zero Townhomes Build
The September 12 team was tasked with framing and sheathing second floor exterior walls.

"I have a better appreciation for what my dad did all the years he built houses," said Mary Rempel, Accounting Manager, Rancho Management Group. "I'll remember meeting fellow co-workers, working as a team in a different environment."

"I learned about delegation, working with volunteers and working as a very large team on residential construction," said Luke Friesen, Warranty Service Rep, Kensington Homes. "I also learned about vapour barrier systems for Net Zero housing, truss systems for solar panels and other elements of Qualico's design work."

Qualico Team Building event with Habitat for Humanity

 
September 19 Team in Edmonton - Carter Place Build

Edmonton Jimmy Carter Place build

The team in Edmonton was assigned to a duplex and tasked to work on interior finishing.

"I volunteered for the second year in a row at the Carter Place Build," said Melanie Crann, Project Manager at StreetSide Developments Edmonton. "It was great to see the progress on-site and see that the houses we worked on were now occupied."

"I learned to appreciate the time, patience and accuracy it requires to install door casing," Melanie adds. "Our team lead and lead hand were both fantastic, teaching us how to measure and cut casing, properly use a nail gun and mitre saw as well as how to hang a bi-fold door. I really enjoyed my day and encourage everyone to step out of their comfort zone (the office chair) and get on the tools and meet new people. You really feel like you’re making a difference in someone’s life. Habitat is a unique experience every time and I would definitely volunteer again."

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