Down a gravel road near Sandy Ridge, the sun peeks through the skeleton of a 1,232 square foot house. Workers busily move around hammering boards together and mounting shingles on the roof.
The house sits vacant -- but not for too long.
Thanks to the efforts of local and out-of-state volunteers, a woman and her two grandchildren may be able to move in by December.
Founded in 1976 by Millard Fuller, Habitat for Humanity International is the project's inspiration. Operating under the basic premise that everyone deserves adequate housing, the organization sells homes for no profit or interest to families that might not be able to afford them otherwise.
Habitat boasts about 560 affiliates in the United States and 100 projects in 30 countries, said Arlene Hicks, coordinator of the local affiliate, Tri-County Habitat.
Applications based on financial need and background are reviewed and, if approved, vying families are put on a waiting list, said Ted Koch, a board member and chairman of Tri-County's construction committee.
Once chosen, families have obligations or what Habitat calls "sweat equity."
"They're required to put in 500 hours," Koch said. "It doesn't have to be with their house. It can be with any of the houses that we work on."
Hicks said, "It is a partnership; it's not a charity."
Currently, Tri-County along with a Habitat for Humanity touring group, Collegians Helping Aid Rescue Missions, and Aid Association for Lutherans are working on the Sandy Ridge home, and another home in Morrisdale.
Wearing a T-shirt reading "Building Hope . . . Building Homes," Jack Harding, an AAL member and State College resident, scanned the work in progress.
"I've been a part of this from the beginning," Harding said.
A little over a month ago, volunteers began digging the basement and leveling stone, said Harding, one of 900 members of the State College AAL agency.
The national chapter of AAL contributed most of the total $25,000 to build the house, but the local chapter also donated money and time to both sites, Harding said.
"Part of the local responsibility was they had to be physically involved with the house construction," said Koch, site supervisor.
Dawn Vay, executive director of CHARM, the campus associate to Tri-County, said about eight CHARM members worked at the site.
To commemorate the 15th year of Habitat for Humanity, a traveling group started a trek 13 weeks ago. They volunteer at one site per week, Koch said.
"They started out in spokes from 15 different points in the country and they're all working towards Columbus, Ohio," Koch said.
"We're two weeks from Columbus, Ohio," he said. "The group goes from here to Wheeling, West Virginia and then to Columbus."
Although weather is an important factor in what can be accomplished each day, Koch said he does "set some primary objectives."
Pointing to criss-crossed beams, or trusses, supporting the newly laid roof, Koch explained the next day's work was to finish shingling the roof and complete the outside siding. The finished house will have a living room, dining room, kitchen, one full bathroom, three bedrooms and a basement.
Most of the building materials and some household appliances are donated by local businesses, Koch said.
Koch, who has supervised much of the project, learned how to build houses after 12 years of hands-on experience, he said. He graduated from the University in the fall of 1989 with a bachelor's degree in civil engineering and took two courses in residential design.
But he said his real work experience came from helping his father during summer breaks and working for a regular home contractor in Bellefonte during college.
Last week, under Koch's watchful eye, workers hammered and wiped their brows in the stinging heat, resting only briefly during their 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. day.
Students involved in the project commuted to the site in their spare time.
Chris Jage (senior-environmental resource management), director of the campus associate of Tri-County, said he was weary from such a busy schedule. But he said he always wanted to work with Habitat, and is thankful that CHARM gave him the opportunity to help.
CHARM member Sylvia Feldman (graduate-wildlife and fishery science) said she also has been interested in Habitat and wanted to help.
"I've never really done carpentry work before," she said, and added laughing, "I'm learning how to actually hammer a nail today."
Wrestling with a stubborn nail, Kathy Collins, a group leader from Orlando, Fla., paused momentarily and leaned over what would soon be a finished window.
"(Habitat) was a natural thing to jump into," she said.
Collins and her husband are on the 15-week journey and, as group leaders, periodically call the headquarters in Americus, Ga., to provide updates on the house building projects.
"We try to keep the team together," she said.
