UPDATED: Habitat for Humanity turning vacant land into site of new Alpena home
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ALPENA -- The vacant land where a house burned down three years ago on the corner of Washington Avenue now has a house built for a family by Habitat for Humanity.
The property was originally owned by a couple who rented areas of a house as apartments. On May 24, 2020, a large fire broke out, burning the house, and the land was donated to the nonprofit organization to be used for affordable housing.
After laying down the basement and foundation for a new home, Habitat for Humanity waited for Bay City-based General Housing Corp. to complete the modular housing.
Brian Shumaker, construction superintendent for Habitat for Humanity Northeast Michigan, said two separate halves of the house were built and driven from Bay City to Alpena. Contract workers then slid the pieces onto the foundation and connected the two to make them a single unit.
Shumaker said the house will be two stories tall and, once the first floor is secured onto the concrete, construction workers will "raise the roof.
"You see those hinges up there?," Shumaker asked as he pointed towards two large hinges at the top of the unit. "When we're ready, the wood that's laying down on the second floor will be raised to make the roof. It's already got tiles and these guys will start to build the upstairs into what it needs to be."
Habitat for Humanity contracted Northland Construction to work on the house and they hope to have the main exterior completed by Thursday to protect the unit from any weather. The house, with electric, plumbing, and extra details, will be ready within the next 60 to 90 days.
After the main exterior is finished, Habitat for Humanity is asking for volunteers to help build the front and back porches.
Ted Fines, Habitat for Humanity Northeast Michigan executive director, said the home will be occupied by a single mother with her children, who are all very excited about their new living situation.
"It's all fantastic," Fines said. "Just the other day, the kids' grandma drove them over here and they were able to view the entire property with a drone. They were so excited."
Fines said they are not giving the home away for free, but are instead making sure the family is mortgage-qualified and will sell the house to them at a lower rate than a typical bank rate.
He said the purpose of the homes Habit builds are to give average-income people and families the chance to afford their own property at a reasonable rate.
"We put people in houses they can afford to live in," Fines said. "The housing market is terrible. Prices are through the roof and so many rentals are short-term. We're doing something about it."
Fines said his branch is preparing to build and sell homes to six families across five counties in Northeast Michigan.