Onto every construction site, a little rain must fall, and November did not disappoint! But Habitat volunteers and homebuyers kept the progress moving forward on multiple sites across the Portland metro region. Here’s a look at the work underway:
Century Commons
Homebuyers came out in force to lend a hand at Century Commons in Hillsboro, where volunteers are finishing the framing on the last of 8 buildings on site.
“It’s really cool to be here and with all the other neighbors – to be here at the beginning of a community,” said Jenn, who is buying one of the 18 homes at Century for herself and her family. “I’ve already met everybody who is next to my unit and we’ve already been talking about having dinner one day when we all get into our homes.”
Building 8 is the only building still exposed to the elements at Century. The other seven buildings onsite already have their Hardie plank siding installed, and crews are hanging drywall. To remove the damp, the buildings go through a series of “dry downs” with heaters to dry out the framing lumber and the drywall mud. It takes about four to six days to hang and finish drywall in each home, with flooring, cabinets, and countertops moving in when the work is finished, followed by doors, appliances, and trim.
“This is the point at which things start to really look like houses,” said Site Superintendent Leigh Armstrong with Habitat.
King City Commons
At the risk of jinxing progress, King City Common’s 16 homes are coming together ahead of schedule, with drywall underway in the final units and finishing work already begun on all 3 buildings.
Crews have started work on interior finishes, with volunteers focusing on painting and installing flooring on two homes, soon to expand to four. Cabinets and countertops have been installed in other units, with trim and door work underway. Site Superintendent Ian Alger said they hope to start receiving certificates of occupancy by February.
Coming up will be tests conducted by Earth Advantage to ensure the units meet high standards of efficiency levels for heating, cooling, and ventilation.
In the pipeline
Site development at West Lake Grove is completed, and crews are ready to go once the building permits arrive expected — any day as of this writing. The Lake Oswego site received 15,000 cubic yards of new soil to level the land and stabilize slopes for construction. As soon as permits are received from the city, foundation work will begin.
Gooseberry Trails, our largest community to date with 52 homes, is being primed for a busy winter, starting by getting a little trim off the top. Crews took 26,000 cubic yards of dirt off the Hillsdale Neighborhood site, grading the property to make the land level for construction. Coming up in December will be utility work, including sewer, storm water, water, electricity, and broadband infrastructure.
Site development continues at Twenty Fifth Terrace, located in the Markham neighborhood in Southwest Portland. The rainy season is a good reminder of how important storm water management is early in the development process. Crews installed sanitary and storm systems at Twenty Fifth Terrace in November, which will be followed by construction on a giant retaining wall along the east side of the property.
Storm water management techniques are designed to meet the soil conditions and topography on each construction site. At Myrtlewood Way, workers are busy installing a storm water piping system that will direct water a 20-foot deep dry well, where it then can percolate into the ground. With utility and curb work on deck, Site Superintendent Ian Alger expects crews to start digging foundations in February.
