Hard work makes home ownership sweet

Seven families got the keys to their brand houses Wednesday in Orland's Blair Estates subdivision.

Making it even sweeter, each family contributed "sweat equity" to help cover the down payment, so they have a strong sense of ownership.

About a week before moving in, Erika Fuentes gave the Orland Press-Register a tour of her family's new abode.

She said she and her husband, Freddy Velasquez feel like it is "really ours." After all the work they put into it, "We appreciate it more," she said.

Like most of the new home owners, most important to the couple is "being able to have a home for our children," Fuentes said. They have three boys ranging in age from one-and-a-half years to 6 and a girl, 9.

On Wednesday, Jaqueline Velasquez said her favorite part of the house is "my room." Her brother Junior, 6, said he likes his room, but he likes his closest the best.

Fuentes grew up in a CHIP home and has siblings who also own homes through the program.

"This house is much nicer than the one I grew up in," she said. "I'm so excited."

Velasquez said, "It's been nice working on the house, because it's actually going to be a nice home. It was a lot of work, but it's been a great experience."

Building a community

Part of the that experience was building a sense of community as they helped build each other's homes.

Once a contractor pours the foundation, the group builds the frames for all the houses, construction foreman Joe Schmeltzer said.

From there, they help each other install baseboards; hang doors, including putting in all the hinges and door knobs; paint the stucco exterior and inside walls; install shelves; build fences; and add the finishes touches.

They also cleaned up after the contractors, which saves money. Contractors install the sheet rock, plumbing and wiring and roofing, Schmeltzer said.

The last houses in the 44-house subdivision went up in about six months, according to construction workers and owners. That's two to four months faster than average, Schmeltzer said.

As a result of working together, "we get to become a little community" before moving in, Fuentes said.

Another advantage of participating in the CHIP program is that the owners get to pick the colors for the stucco outside, and floors, counters and carpets inside, Fuentes said. The interior walls are all painted a cream color.

Also, while the front yard is planted with grass and a tree, the backyard is left for each owner to design. Some families, like Erika and Juan Ordaz will build a patio and a garden, plus have some grass.

Only a year apart in age, the sister and brother decided to buy a home together to "help each other," Erika said.

"We're so excited," she said beaming, just before being handed the keys.

"It's a huge opportunity, especially for people looking for a home," Juan said with a big smile.

Like many others, Heather and Julian Murillo, who have a 5-month-old baby, started moving in as soon as they got their keys.

"We've done all this hard work. Now we're able to give our family a place to live," Julian said.

"It's the first time we get to own a home," Heather said.

"We're going to put grass and a patio in back and paint the rooms different colors," Heather added. "Then we're going to take a long break."

The opportunity to own these homes came through CHIP Self-help Housing Program in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Develop mortgage program and others.

More than construction

CHIP helps low-income households become homeowners through affordable financing packages for high quality, energy-efficient homes. It also provides excellent construction supervision, according to the Web site.

Assistant construction supervisor Rich Brown, who has helped several hundred families build their homes, said he enjoys working for CHIP.

"It's really rewarding for the construction staff to assist families to build these houses. The fulfillment with homeowners is where we get gratification."

Part of the construction team's job is to teach people how to do perform different tasks.

CHIP foreman Jason Marr said, "It's most rewarding to see them learn to build their own homes," adding that they learn enough to make and repair things themselves."

For information about CHIP, call 891-6931 or visit www.chiphousing.org.