Springs home part of a ‘builders blitz'

John Mays was two hours away from the electrical inspection that could have halted the project for about 30 construction workers.

Despite having started the wiring on the 1,250-square-foot house only three hours before on Sunday, Mays, owner of local Positive Electric, and his six electricians didn't seem worried about it.

"We'll be done in a half an hour," Mays said confidently at 4 p.m.

As part of Habitat for Humanity's Home Builders Blitz 2008 program to construct 263 houses across the nation in a week, Mays' crew was weaving the life into the house's framing, which had been started 36 hours earlier.

Pikes Peak Habitat for Humanity expects to hand the keys to the home on Sorpresa Lane, near Woodmen Road and Powers Boulevard, to Robert and Krystina Laabs on Friday afternoon.

"Everything is going pretty good," said Memo Smith, construction superintendent for Pikes Peak Habitat, who on Sunday was cutting wood for the 59th home he's built with the organization. "Just the normal glitches you have in any construction project whether it is a $1 million home or a Habitat for Humanity home."

Smith said it typically takes between 90 and 120 days for a Habitat for Humanity home to be ready for its new owners, though he has seen it take as little as a week and a half.

He credited the professional contractors brought together by Denver-based Capital Pacific Homes, builder for co-sponsor Banning Lewis Ranch, for the project's ease thus far.

The house, a three-bedroom, 1.5-bath valued at $175,000, will be complete with major appliances, landscaping and a sprinkler system.

It is the first home in the Woodmen Vista subdivision, which will ultimately have 36 Habitat for Humanity houses, 35 of which will be built at a slower pace.

Don Ferron, superintendent with Capital Pacific Homes, said planning for the Laabs' house started in February.

As on television home makeover shows, a lot of planning, measuring and prefabrication went into the project, Ferron said.