Volunteers, sweat equity, $4.5 million rebuild Lafitte a year after Hurricane Ida
"This will be my room," the 58-year-old resident said, laughingly admitting that she'll let her husband, Darrell, share it with her.
Their master bedroom was the first stop on a tour of the 1,000-square-foot house, one of 60 that the
As the diminutive Percle weaved her way through workers, she showed a visitor where the laundry closet, pantry and a second bedroom, for her seven-year-old granddaughter, will be. In the living area, she cast her eyes upward at the house's nine-foot ceilings.
"I guess I won't be changing the light bulbs," she joked.
Ida was the one of the strongest hurricanes ever to strike
The couple had evacuated before the storm, first to their daughter's house in
Their new house provides a ray of excitement at the end of difficult stretch.
"I'm so excited,"
The Percles' story is one that is set to be repeated over the next three years, as
"It doesn't get better than this,"
Construction on the house began around the first of August, said
In a departure from its normal practice, Habitat is not buying the land where it is building houses. Instead, the residents own the land and the nonprofit plans to sell the houses to them via a no-interest loan. It aims to keep most mortgage notes at about
More than 100 residents have inquired about the program. They must first complete an application. Then, it's normally a couple of months of paperwork and other tasks, such as saving for insurance and taxes, before construction begins.
Once the homeowner is approved, Habitat will build a house that, like the Percles', is designed to be more resistant to hurricanes. Each will be at least 12 feet off the ground, with framing and roofs reinforced to hold in high winds.
On Saturday morning, Holland pointed to the 2x14 boards that support the floor of the house; normally, those would be 2x10 or 2x12, he said. Too, the house is banded together, to make it stronger, he said, and the windows are designed to withstand impacts.
"All elements of the house are interconnected, strapped and reinforced," Holland said.
Hurricane resistance is important to Percle. But she's also looking forward to how the house will look when finished. She picked out the colors: a light gray roof and darker gray exterior. Inside: gray floors and white cabinets.
"I love gray," she said. "It's my favorite color."
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