Habitat for Humanity East Bay

Week 21

BREAKING NEWS:  Dedication of this Women’s Crew-sponsored Bonifacio home will be on Sat, March 20, at 10 a.m.  (Address:  2742 Bonifacio St, Concord.) Women’s Crew members, Habitat staff and volunteers, others who have worked on this house, Bonifacio neighbors, and interested others are invited to attend, meet the new family, hear their story, and celebrate the completion of their new home.  Street parking will be scarce, so carpooling is encouraged.  Baldwin Park and the Concord Senior Center are directly behind the house, so parking may be possible in lots there, requiring a brief walk back around the block to the house!

Last week’s electrical inspection went well, with only a few minor issues to be fixed at the panel in the garage!  That, then, was a high priority when Mike C greeted the Bonifacio family (Armando and Miriam) and friend (Alex), four Women’s Crew volunteers (Monica, Lian, Flor, and Kathy), and two Habitat staff (Hans and Rene) on Friday morning.

With the promise of heavy rain starting that afternoon, Mike directed some of us to outdoor projects in the morning.  Armando and Miriam put a second and final pour of concrete around the front gate posts, and Lian dug out and leveled the side yard between the gates so they would open more freely and so that Armando and Alex could place some large square stepping stones for a path.  Lian planted a few more donated plants in the side yard, and she, Armando, and Alex spread more bark after Mike bought some on a run to Home Depot. 

Others of us worked inside:  Kathy and Flor sanded a long patch in the ceiling and wall of the kitchen (where an old wall had been taken down to open the room to the dining/living area), and Kathy later textured it.  Monica replaced electrical plugs and plate covers with white ones for the walls and brown ones for the kitchen cabinet peninsula.  Alex and Miriam installed door knobs and hardware on the last two interior doors, while Flor rewired smoke detectors in the hallway and both bedrooms.  Rene installed the final piece of kitchen countertop (a corner piece), and he and Hans rerouted the drain line for the dishwasher, sink, and disposal. 

Then there were the projects in “hybrid” locations… partly inside, partly out, or in the garage or attic.  Lian and Flor pulled the telephone wire from the far end of the house to the garage through the attic, and Monica terminated it in the multi-media cabinet in the garage.  Hans took care of the adjustments to the garage electrical that the inspectors required.  Flor gathered spare Habitat tools (mostly shovels, sledge hammers, picks, and brooms) so that Mike and Alex could take them to other rehab sites in Bay Point.  At the end of the day, just as the rain began, Kathy, Lian, and Flor cut redwood braces for the gate and fence posts and got  more than a little wet screwing them in place. 

A small Saturday crew of five Women’s Crew members (Diane, Monica, Lisa G, Amy, and Donna) joined Mike to do a few tasks (Kathy worked part of the day), and got a lot accomplished!  Diane, Monica, and Amy installed insulation in the garage wall that is common to the house, then Diane, Lisa G and Donna installed drywall over most of it.  A section behind the water heater, as well as a narrow section requiring lots of cuts and puzzle-like pieces around pipes will be done next weekend.  The window wall still needs drywall, too.  Monica took photos of the insulated wall before the drywall went up, which is required for the re-inspection.

Donna and Lisa G. installed the screen door, and, timing it perfectly with the sunny afternoon, Monica and Amy built the front gate and finished the fence with Mike’s assistance.  The only thing left to do is to install the latch!  Kathy came in mid-morning to complete the texturing of the ceiling and wall patches in the kitchen, staying to put the first coat of paint over the dry texture and another coat on some kitchen window trim.  She and Monica took both days’ photos, which you can see at this link. but scroll to the bottom for the most current photos.   “Before” photos and early photos of this project are at this link. 

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