Image default

Seeking volunteers to help at Pillars at Oakmont

8 comments

John Sydnor 06/01/2011 at 2:57 PM

This organization deserves our help! Come on Church Hill neighbors- get involved and offer some of your time.

Reply
kaykay 06/02/2011 at 9:40 AM

“Deserves” our help? Why? They already have grants.(tax). This project is two years over due. Can anyone say “mismanagement”?
http://www.styleweekly.com/richmond/harried-habitat-director-leaves-nonprofit-in-limbo/Content?oid=1455136

Reply
tiny 06/02/2011 at 3:47 PM

I think the help they want is in the form of volunteer labor, not money. If you read the article, it sounds like the project over-reached not because of money problems but instead because highly skilled home construction workers were needed to complete the houses, which is hard to find within a volunteer workforce.

Reply
kaykay 06/03/2011 at 12:02 AM

Actually, Leisha LaRiviere said at an affordable housing conference that one of the major misconceptions about Habitat homes were that they were not well constructed due to volunteer labor. She explained that skilled laborers were paid to do their jobs (hence one reason for the $4 million dollar price tag), so the housing was of “excellent” craftmanship.
Fifteen houses for $8 million dollars? Sorry. Including lot costs, clearing, and infrastructure, that is some serious money for homes of this type.

Reply
kaykay 06/03/2011 at 12:14 AM

*Sorry, EIGHT million, not four

Reply
kaykay 06/03/2011 at 12:15 AM

*crap…FOUR…not EIGHT
Must…get…sleep

Reply
chpnfan 06/03/2011 at 7:22 AM

That’s $266,666 if it’s $4 million/home to build. Double what it would usually take.

Regardless of their overruns, the goal is to improve the neighborhood. I hope the turnout is good.

Reply
kaykay 06/03/2011 at 9:53 AM

“We’re going to complete the nine units, and then we have to pursue funding for additional house sponsors.”

They are going to complete only NINE homes. Now try a half a million dollars cost per house. And they are out of money. That’s a helluva an overrun. Didn’t I mention mismanagement?

Also, attached homes are not more expensive to build. No “special labor skills” are needed. Only fire rated sheet rock. In fact, in this example, were all fifteen homes built, you would have thirteen shared inside walls. That cuts cost, not increases them.

$133,000 should be the sell price of an affordable home, not the cost. And yes, it can be done. Without government grants.

Reply

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.