Habitat Goes ‘Modular’ For Home on Indian Trail

BURLEIGH — Sometime this summer a lucky local family could be proud owners of a new Habitat for Humanity home thanks to the Cape May County affiliate of the group, which seeks to eliminate poverty housing and homelessness.
Habitat’s current project is here on a wooded lot on Indian Trail Road, which was recently cleared and is now awaiting permits before having the foundation laid.
“Hopefully we’ll be breaking ground within two months,” Habitat representative Jeff Taylor told the Herald. “Then the home will arrive in two pieces on trucks and be placed on the foundation by crane.”
“A crane?” you ask.
That’s right, a crane.
He said the new home would be a 1,040-square-foot three-bedroom rancher, a custom modular design by New Era Building Systems Inc.
“This is our first time building a modular home,” Taylor said. “We’ve decided after researching the products and talking with our friends at the Atlantic County Habitat who have been working successfully with modulars for years.”
He said that modular homes meet local building codes, appreciate in value just as stick-built houses do, but they typically cost 15 percent less and (most importantly) are built much faster.
In the most recent county Habitat project, the Ward family moved into a home on Cochran Street in Whitesboro in April 2007, almost two and a half years after the property’s groundbreaking ceremony in November 2004.
“Relying on volunteers for much of the work, traditionally-built homes can take a long time to complete,” Taylor said. “It will be nice to get our projects done and families into the homes quicker.”
After the home is set in place, volunteers will spend a couple months dry-walling, painting, flooring and siding before the target “habitation” date in July or August.
On Feb. 20 when the Herald visited the Indian Trail site, Taylor was meeting with project general contractor Phil Pattison, and the builders Paul Rixon and Ed Bixby, of Fox & Fox Builders. The men were hammering out the project’s final details.
Taylor wanted to thank the men for their support of his organization.
“Without their help, this project wouldn’t be as far along as it is,” he said.
Taylor said the “partner family” for the new project has yet to be selected from several applications the organization received.
He explained that families must meet certain economic and housing criteria to be considered for the Habitat program.
“We try to pull people out of poor living conditions,” Taylor said.
He also noted that the partner family would be expected to donate 300 hours of sweat equity to their home project.
Habitat for Humanity, a Georgia-based ecumenical Christian organization founded in 1976, was made famous by its biggest advocate, former President Jimmy Carter. The organization was also notably at the forefront of the rebuilding efforts in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and other worthy projects around the world.
This project on Indian Trail Road would be the local affiliate’s 10th project in Cape May County, Taylor said.
He added that Middle Township has been especially generous to the organization providing property for several Habitat projects over the years. The township also benefits from the Habitat homes because they address low and moderate income housing requirements.
“The dream of our group is to someday build an entire Habitat neighborhood in the township,” Taylor said.
Contact Hart at (609) 886-8600 Ext 35 or at: jhart@cmcherald.com