It took three long years, but the wait is finally paying off for the McMahon family as they move from a Sweet Home rental into their first, brand new house in Sodaville.
As Habitat for Humanity Executive Director Tina Breshears put it, “What begins as a vision soon becomes a place of safety and hope.”
The McMahons are the most recent family to move into their own home through Lebanon Area Habitat for Humanity. It’s the organization’s 31st homing project since the nonprofit incorporated in 1993.
Ted and Veronica McMahon had been sharing a two-bedroom house in Sweet Home for seven years with their sons, Jordan, 17, and Sam, 8. While Jordan mainly lives with his grandmother, he had to share Sam’s room when he stayed with his parents.
“It was hard ’cause I got a teenager and then one that’s in elementary school; it’s not easy,” Veronica said.
Sam, who looks up to his brother, didn’t mind sharing the room with Jordan, Veronica said, but Jordan admitted sometimes it could be annoying to not have his own space.
Today, the boys find themselves moving into their own, private rooms in the three-bedroom, two-bath house.
What the family is leaving behind is a house which, according to the parents, had issues their landlord wouldn’t fix: siding falling off, lead paint, broken gutters, windows that wouldn’t open, a broken porch, and rats.
It’s the sort of conditions Habitat for Humanity takes seriously when finding their next family to accept into the program. Candidates must be able to demonstrate a need for housing, including the need for a safe and healthy environment, Breshears told potential sponsors in 2019. Other considerations include people faced with “astronomical” rent or homelessness.
Candidates must also qualify as “low income,” or be between 30 and 59% percent of the area median income. Habitat homes are sold with no interest and at no profit, but buyers must complete classes and invest a number of “sweat equity” volunteer hours before they get the keys to their home.
Buyers also, despite a low income, must be able to pay a small mortgage, including taxes and insurance. Ideally that would be no more than 43 percent of their income, Breshears said.
One important caveat to Habitat’s ability to provide these homes, however, is the organization’s reliance on donations of land and/or houses.
“I love it. I’m excited,” Veronica said about her first impression in the front yard of her new home. “I can’t wait to see the rest of it.”
On Sept. 13, Jordan and Sam were given the honor to cut the red ribbon during a special home dedication ceremony. Then Kelsey Breshears, Habitat construction team member, handed the keys over to Veronica and Ted.
“This house is really nice looking,” Jordan said. “I thought it was really cool when they started building it. I’ve been wanting to see it finished. It looks beautiful, actually.”
The 1,540-square-foot house sits on the top of a hillside. Its facade boasts a deep blue color with white trim. Inside, vaulted ceilings rise over a wood floor. The kitchen features black marble countertops and black tile backsplash. The paint, flooring, cabinets and countertops are among the decisions the McMahons were allowed to make regarding their new home.
The family’s faces gleamed as they saw their completed home for the first time. Veronica looked at the spacious pantry, noting they would now have room for all their food. Ted commented on having a separate laundry room, and then the two headed toward the bedrooms.
Sam darted ahead, taking in the new rooms much quicker than his older counterparts. As the parents spent time admiring the hall bathroom features, Sam looked at his room and then darted into the master bedroom.
His parents’ room overlooks the backyard with a sloping lawn and, beyond the property line, nothing but a prairie-like easement and wall of trees as their view.
In the master bedroom, Veronica entered her walk-in closet and spun around several times with her arms outstretched.
While the McMahons had seen the property multiple times during the beginning of the build, they were barred from visiting since December, allowing room for something of a “final reveal.”
The road to get to this day, however, has been a long and bumpy one.
According to Tina Breshears, the organization received a land donation in Sodaville that included an old store building near City Hall. The city, not wanting to lose the historic value of the store, offered to trade the property for two vacant lots.
One of the lots, located next to the water tower on Ridge Street, became the site for what would be the McMahon home. They broke ground in October 2022 with “lofty goals” to have the home completed by June 2023, Breshears said.
But she didn’t anticipate all the snags and additional costs they would hit along the way, propelling the move-in date some three years into the future. Some of those snags included upgrading electric access, supply acquisition, and schedule availability of those donating time and labor.
“When you have people donating their time, you go by their schedule,” Breshears said.
Indeed, Habitat for Humanity and the families rely largely on donations of labor, equipment, money and supplies. Breshears – under the telltale signs of a choked-up, grateful recipient – made sure to recognize their benefactors for a house “built from the ground up by the hearts and hands of many.”
“We absolutely appreciate everybody that donates their time and materials,” she said.
The McMahons invested their own labor into the build, as well. According to Ted, they put in 600 hours of sweat equity to make their home a reality.
“It’s been pretty exciting going through most of it,” he said about the three-year project. “I knew the process of building homes, but I’ve never been on this side where I’m actually getting the house, so it’s been a journey; pretty stressful.”
Ted helped paint, build the roof and walls, and install the concrete driveway, trim and flooring. Veronica also helped and, according to Kelsey Breshears, learned new things and conquered fears in the process.
“She was nervous to do anything,” Kelsey said. “Like, she wouldn’t pick up a hammer, and now she uses power tools. And she did conquer her fear of getting on a ladder.”
Working closely with families, teaching them new skills and being a part of getting them into a place they deserve is what fulfills Kelsey in her job, she said.
Pastor Richard Pruitt of New Beginnings Fellowship church opened and closed the ceremony with a benediction and prayer, while friends and family gathered in a circle to be part of the blessing.
“We are thrilled to help open this new chapter in the McMahon’s lives and look forward to more new beginnings with future builds,” Breshears said.
