North Bennington Home

We had volunteers to the site for the first time on May 16, and we finished the home on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. We posted photos of the build on this web page from start to finish.

We also put some of the photos on Shutterfly. These photos are full size - contain all the pixels and can produce good quality prints. To view those photos individually or in a slide show go to Shutterfly. You can also order prints directly from Shutterfly.

Final Photos

Photo above left - Livingroom facing west. And Livingroom facing east.

Photo - left - master bedroom.

Rebecca is in Mariah's room - and with her mom in the room she will share with Taylor.

Fred gave Patrick a birdhouse that he had designed and built - complete with the Habitat logo. Hope springs eternal - David (right) still hopes that he was able to convert Patrick into a Red Sox fan!

Patrick and Jen with Jon Cohen who represented them at the closing. This photo was taken right after they had signed all the documents and finally owned their own home!

November 15, 2009 - The Siegrist family at the dedication.
Top - Jen and Rebecca - Patrick and Rebecca
Bottom - Mariah and Taylor

Days 51, 52, 53 and 54- November 4, 7, 11 and 14

We are in the final push to complete the house. Many things, some large (laying the floor in all the rooms) and some small (applying touch up paint), and lots in between (installing the cabinets) have kept our volunteers busy. On Saturday, we installed the appliances and countertops. John and Nancy applied a lot of touch up paint. Jim and Brant installed door knobs and locks. And then, we cleaned the house in preparation for the dedication.

Days 47, 48, 49 and 50 - October 21, 24, 28 and 31


The Bennington College Student Life Office came in force and did a great job. They filled nail holes, applied varnish to the window and door trim, and taped around the trim.

Sometimes they got carried away with the tape!

We made grst progress with the living room floor and sarted Mariah's room.

Days 45 and 46 - Wednesday and Saturday, October 14 and 16

Great progress was made with the painting. We installed many door jambs and trim around the windows. On Satuday, Thomas Hand and Jim Hand from Hand Energy Services put in 15 inches of cellulose - bringing the attic to an R50 value. More work was done on the door jams and landscaping for planting grass seed.

Satuday

Thomas and Andrew put 15 inches of cellulose in the attic.

Subsequently, Thomas Hand completed a Blower Door Test to test the air flow. If there is too much air leakage, a house is harder to heat or cool. If there is not enough, the home is too tight and it requires a whole house fan. This house is well sealed and needed a fan. The blower test revealed that this house had a 730 cfm @50. Jamie Hand indicated that this is a very good result. He wrote, "A normal (i.e. fiberglass insulated, standard air sealing) house that size would probably measure 1200-3000 CFM50. We often measure older farm houses at up to 10,000 CFM50. So this is very good, probably due to both the type of insulation, the careful air sealing, but also that fact that it is a fairly small, simple design." To read more about a Blower Door test, what they mean, and how they might help you to assess your home, go to Blower Door Test.

Above right - Brant and Jim fed the 70 bags of cellulose.

Above left - Patrick spread hay over the grass seed - students from Bennington College helped with the insulation and painted the bathroom.

Wednesday

Dean has done a great job of organizing the painting. Carl cut trim boards.

Above - left - Sid Staunton - has done a great job with the joint compound. It is hard to see the joints.

Above right - Hazel has spoiled us rotten! She has been bringing great treats for our morning snack throughout the build!


It is great to have color on the walls.

Days 43 and 44 - Wednesday and Saturday, October 7 and 9
Wednesday we put primer on the interior walls, and we installed more door jambs. Saturday, we finished putting the primer on the walls, and the Siegrist family put the first coat of finish paint on the master bedroom.

Dean has done a great job organizing the painting.

John and Nancy at work.

Jen and Jim (from Montana)

Taylor and Mariah - followed the Habitat tradition of writing something on a stud that would be forever preserved in their home. The wrote - "Thank you for working on this house!" and "Girl's bathroom." "This is my cool, fun, awesome house." They are just a little excited!

Days 41 and 42 - Wednesday and Saturday, September 30 and October 2

Led by Dean Hansen and David Quesnel, we primed the ceilings and around the doors and windows. Sid did a great job with the joint compound. and you can't see the joints. He plans to have the third coat on the walls and sanded by Wednesday. We will finish the door jambs and will start painting the rooms on Wednesday.

On Wednesday, September 30, a group from the Equinox Village of Manchester came to tour the home. They met Patrick Siegrist and were shown around the home by Patrick and Nancy Cilo. They are standing in the living room.

Days 39 and 40 - Wednesday and Saturday - September 23 and 26

On Wednesday, we finished the sheetrock. John fixed the soffit on the south side of the house. Sid has finishedt the second coat of joint compound on the sheetrock, and he anticipates being done in time for us to start painting on Wednesday, September 30. On Saturday, we focused mostly on moving the shed. It was quite a feat - using levers, planks, pipes, and some muscle, five of us moved the shed about 25 feet.

Karen and Jim Lee of Solar Pro, worked more on the system. They are shown with Patrick Siegrist. They explained how it will work - saving Patrick and his family a lot of money.

The blue tank stores the hot water - it connects to an overflow tank. In the winter months (November - March, they need to employ a back-up system to supplement the heat from the sun. The estimate is that after four years the cost of the system will be saved.

Days 37 and 38 - Wednesday and Saturday - September 16 and 19

Finishing the sheetrock up and downstairs was the only game in town! Solar Pro installed the solar system and panels. This is a first for us, but we calculate that it will pay for itself in four years - and then the annual savings for the Siegrist family will be significant. On Saturday, our regulars were joined by a group from the Bromley Brook School.





Not exciting - but critical to the long term affordability of this home for the Sigrist family - a great furnace - vented in two places - and a solar hot water heater.

Team work makes the dream work!

Day 36 - Saturday - September 12

A group from the Second Congregational Church of Bennington helped. They worked on the sheet rock - dug along the side of the house to make it easier for the stucco, and applied varnish to the trim boards. It was a very productive day.

Day 35 - Wednesday - September 9

We worked on sheet rock and the deck. John finished the siding on the north side of the home.

Noble, Fred and David worked on the deck.

John - putting in the last nail!

More work was accomplished on the plumbing.

Day 34 - Saturday - September 5

Led by Cliff, Amelia, Preston, Brant, Kathy, Dick, Joe, and Josh worked on the sheet rock.

We still have a lot to do next Wednesday.

Photo - Left - Cliff and Amelia.

Day 33 - Wednesday - September 2

Noble, Fred, Carl and Charlie worked on the front entrance.

John, Ben, and Preston focused on the north side. Patrick and David poured the cement for the footings for the deck.

Day 32 - Saturday - August 29
The siding on the south side and back side was completed. We almost completed all the siding on the front and north side. Considerable progress was made on putting up the sheet rock on the interior walls.

Day 31 - Wednesday - August 26
We completed more work on the siding, unloaded sheet rock for the walls, built the front entrance roof, and Spencer dug the holes for the back deck concrete forms. A group of freshmen from Bennington College joined our regular group.

Bennington College Freshmen.

Bette Smith from Merchants Bank presented Habitat with a $750 contribution to be used on the North Bennington home. Earlier in the spring a group from the North Bennington Branch of the Merchants Bank, led by Bette, worked on the home. Fred and Carl built the porch roof.

Day 30 - Saturday - August 22
It tried to rain - but didn't prevent us from getting a lot accomplished. Steve Newton of SLN Construction, served as Site Supervisor. Steve, Jamie, Preston, and Ben finished the siding on the south side. Amelia, Cindy, Anna, Joe, Grace, Spencer, and Dick trimmed the foam insulation and sealed around the doors, windows, and floor in preparation for installing the sheet rock on the walls. Jim and Karen Lee of Solar Pro, installed the pipes for the solar hot water heat. and Gary, Gary's Water, tested the water again for the water softner. On Tuesday and Thursday, Jamie and Thomas Hand of Hand Energy Services, intalled foam insulation in the walls - and did a teriffic job insuring that this house will be very energy efficient.

Ben, Steve, and Preston - Jamie puting in the last piece.

Anna and Cindy

Amelia and Ben

Day 29 - Wednesday - August 19

A group from Hoisington Realty joined our regulars for a very productive day. The roof for the front entrance was started - the siding was almost completed on the two sides and front.

Day 28 - Saturday - August 15
A group from the Christian Missionary Alliance Church joined with regulars, Ben, Preston, Brandt, Kathy,Noble, Cliff, John, Nancy, Dick and home owners, Patrick and Jen. We got a lot done.

Ben, Brandt, Preston, Steve, Rachel, and John worked on the siding.

Noble installed the front door.

Donna and Sherman worked on the ceiling sheet rock.

Day 27 - Wednesday - August 12

Nikki Gates took the longest distance prize - making her annual trek from Seattle to Vermont and spent a day helping us! Our volunteers were delighted to have Becca, Taylor and Mariah Siegrist vist. Hannah and Brandt finished the siding on the back, others worked on the siding on the other three sides, and we started with the sheetrock on the living room ceiling.

Day 26 - Saturday - August 8
Preston and David took down the scaffolding - and patched the insulation.

Dave Low worked on the outside to fix the insulation for the vents.

Spring Lake Ranch - staff (above right) and photos below, did a great job helping with the siding and insulation. They also helped to clean the site.

Day 25 - Wednesday - August 5

We worked mostly on the siding.

Photo right - the shed made by Burr and Burton students was delivered by Casella.

Day 24 - Saturday - August 1

A group from Bromley Brook came to help. We worked mostly on siding.

Day 23 - Wednesday - July 29

We finished the roof, continued work on the siding, prepared for the soffit on the back of the home, poured concrete for the deck posts, and made the forms for the concrete slab for the front door. It managed to get all this done before the rain came.

Larry and David finished the roof.

Charlie, Ashley, and David

Joe and Fred

Preston - Work around the windows requires lots of patience.

Day 22 - Saturday - July 25 -

We worked on the siding, patched the insulation where we had removed the scaffolding, dug the holes for the deck, blocked the interior walls. and Andy and Paul of Stevens Roofing and Jamie Hand worked on the roofing. A lot was accomplished!

Digging the holes for the deck posts took a lot of time.

Day 21 - Wednesday - July 22 - The shingles were put up on the east side. We did more work on the siding and the stairs.

Day 20 - Wednesday - July 15 - A class from the Career Development Center, led by their teacher, Jim Gilbert, helped with the starter strip for the siding. Getting it started correctly, will mean that everything will look just right when done. An 1/8th of an inch off will result in a sloppy job. Jim did a great job showing everyone how to do it correctly. Noble, Carl, and Fred focused on getting the shingles started for the roof. Hannah and Zack helped remove the scaffolding. Hazel did a great job cleaning the basement and brought very tasty muffins for our break. Home Depot brought a great lunch.


CDC Class - Fred setting the starter strip for the siding.

The siding was started on the front. Photo- right - CDC class with Jim Gilbert.

Left - Hannah and Zack -- Right - Hazel

Day 19 - Saturday - July 12

The siding was started. Photos will be posted later next week.

Day 18 - Wednesday - July 8

We focused on two primary areas; finishing the trip so the shingles could be put on the roof and the basement interior walls.



John, Carl, and Noble spent the day on the trim and did a great job.

Day 17 - Saturday - July 4

A group came from the Bromley Brook School. They worked with John and Nancy, Kathy and Dick, and Cliff on prepping for the siding. They finished taping around the windows and got the bottom course started on the south side of the home. Preston and David worked on the roof and fixed it where the felt had been torn off by the high winds and rain.

Day 16 - Wednesday - July 1
We spent the day putting in the French door on the back, the front window, and working on the interior walls. Barth and David focused on the trim. This work took lots of time and care and could not be rushed. The rain and high winds had loosened some of the felt from the roof. A group from the GAP helped unload a deliver of block for the chimney and got it ready for Jim Johnson. Jim worked with Patrick on Thursday to build the chimney. Frost came and hooked up the water.


All the windows are in place and look great. All we lack is the front door.


Barth and David worked on the trim.

Day 15 - Saturday, June 27

A group from the Bromley Brook School came to help. They focused on nailing around the windows to make them more secure. They also fixed some the grading around the home where the rain had created lots of mud. They cleaned and organized the first floor.

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Day 14 - Wednesday, June 24

Project Manager, Cliff Beebe and Site Supervisor, David Quesnel worked together the entire day to take stock of our progress and to make plans for the next several weeks. We checked all the windows to make sure they were level. We cut the extensions for the upstairs windows and got all but two in place. We inserted strapping on the celing - organized the building materials, reorganized the trailer, and built most of the interior walls for the basement. It was a good day of work.

Fred and Carl cut the window extensions so the windows fit and Robert worked on the strapping.

The interior walls are all set.


Fred working on the strapping - Ben Hulet, our electrician, and Cliff working on the plan for the wiring.

Days 12 and 13 - June 19 and 20

The downpour made work on the home difficult for Thursday, so the Global Village Team took a well-deserved day off and visited area points of interest. They worked hard on Friday, the 19th and accomplished a lot. All the interior walls are in place and some of the windows were put in place. Saturday Kathy and Cliff took stock of what had been accomplished and made plans for the following week.

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Day 11 - June 17 - Global Village Team - Day 3

The team was joined by many Vermonters - as Wednesday is our normal build day. We almost had too much help - but everyone found something to do and by the end of the day, a lot had been accomplished. The interior walls were laid out and put up. The blue board was finished - and we filled most of the cracks and taped the seams until we ran out of tape. The wood trim was cut and installed on the roof. Larry and David worked on the front entrance. We finished the strapping for the ceiling and filled the hole next to the entrance for the electric.

Cars lined Asa's Way for as far as you could see! Thirty people came to help build - a record turnout for our affiliate!

On long interior wall was built and put into place.

The strapping was finished - a group from The Gap helped.

Gaby's parents joined Gaby and Peter for the day.

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Day 10 - June 16 - Global Village Team - day 2

The team was joined by Lou Midura Builders. They put the sheathing and the felt on the roof. The Global Village Team finished the strapping around the windows, put up more blue board up to the scaffolding, installed most of the strapping on the ceiling, and enjoyed a very productive day. The Second Congregational Church provided a great lunch!

Lou Midura of Midura Builders, and his crew of Justin and Rick Keyes and Rick Dailey did a tremendous job on a steep roof. They contributed their time and talent - a much appreciated gift! This is the fourth year in a row they have helped us in this way!

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Day 9 - June 15 - Global Village Team - their first day!

We are fond of saying that "teamwork makes the dream work!" and our Global Village Team brought this statement to life throughout the day! The day ended early with an aggressive thunderstorm, giving proof to the statement - if you don't like Vermont weather, just wait five mintues! It went from absolutely beautiful to very nasty in a very short time!


Andrea and Dennis - Andrea working on the trusses.

Gaby organized the trailer - a career move! Linda and Liz

Dennis - left - Larry and Patrick -right building steps from the basement.



We had lots of great food courtesy of St. John's Church!

Team leader, Vicki - Barth - right




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Day 8 - June 13

A group from Citizens Bank joined us. A small crew finished putting up all the trusses. We also cut the blueboard away from the window edges. It was a beautiful spring day and a lot was accomplished. At the end of the day Harry Haldt, manager of the West Pawlet Branch of the Citizens Bank, surprised us all by presenting us with a check for $2,500 to help pay for supplies for the Siegrist home.

Left - Harry and Dick Tom, not in the photo worked the east side of the trusses. Believe it or not, we had Tom, Dick and Harry working on the trusses - a Habitat first!


Left - end of day 8 - Right - Harry Haldt presented the gift from Citizens Bank to Patrick and Jen Siegrist and Dick Malley.

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Day 7 - June 10

We spent the morning getting ready to put up the first trusses. We build the end trusses, put up the scaffolding inside the house, and then began to put up the trusses. Fred operated the Lull.

The staging in the center of the house made it easier to work with the trusses.



Fred operated the Lull - Carl (right) and Dave (bottom left) guided the trusses into place.



Kaitlyn had a great time

We had about a 1/3rd of the trusses up by the end of the day.

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Day 6 - June 6

We welcomed volunteers from the North Bennington branch of the Merchants Bank and the store manager of the Bennington Home Depot. We prepared for the the next big push - putting up the roof trusses. To get ready, we finished the exterior sheathing, set up the scaffolding on both sides, and organized our supplies. It was a picture perfect spring day!

Ben Russo from Home Depot - Bette from Merchants Bank

Jen and Cliff - taking stock of the progress, Mary and Bette from Merchants Bank

Dave - prepping the walls. Cliff, Ben and David prepared the staging.

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Day 5 - June 3

We completed the north and south walls. We started to insulate the exterior walls. In the basement we installed the lolly columns and cut the insulation. A group from the Gap joined with many of our regular crew


Rus and Bert cutting the lolly column - making the exterior wall.

Volunteers frm the GAP - Rachael and Michelle.

Patrick with the Sawsall -Caitling cutting the insulation for the basement floor.

Day 4 - May 30 - A group came from the St. Frances Sacred Heart congregation along with many others. We accomplished a lot, including building and putting up the first two walls!


Jim Goodine of Blue Heron Construction, led us in building the interior and exterior walls.

Preparing the basement was not glamourous work, but very important to our success.

As a part of their service learning program, a group of Burr and Burton Academy students built a shed this fall that will soon be moved to the site. It will store building materials during the build and then will be used by the Siegrist family. The students who visited, built several picnic tables and Adirondack chairs. We use the picnic tables during our lunch breaks and will auction the chairs to raise funds for building supplies.

We spread wood chips around the house to absorb the mud from the recent rain.

Putting up the first wall is always a very exciting time.

Jen and Patrick Siegrist were very excited - as they began to envision how things would look inside their new home.

Top Left - Katie --- right - getting the wall level.

Left - building the walls - and right - the group from the St. Frances Sacred Heart congregation.

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Day 3 - May 23 - We had a great group of volunteers, including a group of students and faculty from Bennington College, volunteers taking a busman's holiday from Blue Heron construction, and regulars, Barth, Noble, Kathy, David, family partner - Patrick, Dick and Project Manager, Cliff.

We worked on the deck for the first floor, and inserted the perimeter drains for radon in the basement.

We got most of the deck done. Right - students and faculty from Bennington College.

Blue Heron Construction - led by Rick. Photo right - David

Project manager, Cliff. Nailing the decking.

Jen - measure twice - nail once! Greg took charge of the radon pipe.

Jen - left and Elissa right.

Digging and burying the pipe for the radon was definitely a "career move!"

May 20 - We got a lot accomplished today. Many people came to help, including a group from Hoisington Real Estate.

We finished building the basement wall. Tracy and Kelley.

Left - photo of volunteers from Hoisington Real Estate - "We don't just sell homes, we build them." Right - the end of the day - we were ready to put on the first floor.

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Day 1 - May 16

Habitat family partners - Jen and Patrick at work building their home!

A group of Yale graduates came to help. Patrick and Jen in front of our trailer - with the Habitat logo - painted by Flying Cow Signs.

Glen Sherman poured built the foundation - using concrete from Daileys. The wet weather has slowed things down - but we should be all set to start on the 16th. We are underway.

Peter Haggarty of Arlington cleared the site and dug the hole for the foundation. He did a great job!

This Google Map shows the location of the land - North Bennington to the west - Bennington College to the east. The site is located about 3 miles from Bennington.

We are searching for a family partner and expect to begin building in late April or early May 2009.

The home will be built on the wooded part of the land.

Burr and Burton Academy students built a shed that will be used to store building supplies during construction and will then be used by the family for storage. The shed was built as part of the BBA service learning program.

From right to left - Pete Nicholson, Samantha Ayotte, Emily Waite, Nancy Seem, Dylan Aakjar, Tyler Bovey (standing in back), Marissa Yakaitis, Justin Cobb, Mike McNally, and Cliff Hay

"Helping out for such a great organization makes me feel like I am doing something meaningful to help people"   -Marissa Yakaitis

"Building this shed made me feel useful and helpful.  I learned a lot about building and had a wonderful time each morning I got to come.  Overall, I am glad for every minute that I was down here helping Mr. Hay.  It was for something I am proud of doing and would definitely do it again without a doubt."  --Dylan Aakjar

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