craigdailypress.com

There's another bump in the road for Habitat for Humanity. Inspections have shown problems with the foundation on the front of the first Craig project home, 745 Yampa Ave., and the upstairs has been determined to be uninhabitable.

On Friday, demolition will begin on the front portion, or west side, of the house. The plan is to remove the older section of the house, which is about 100 years old, and save the newer section on the east side. The east section was built in 1954 to be used as a nursing home, and it is structurally sound.

The group's original design called for tearing down the rear portion of the home and keeping the front. But inspections reversed that plan.

Local Habitat for Humanity President and project manager Gregg Smith said this latest setback is just another hurdle to overcome.

"We keep running into major stumbling blocks, like the asbestos problem," Smith said, referring to an earlier discovery of asbestos that has been removed.

A portion of the foundation on the west side of the house was found to be crumbling in May, Smith said.

The upstairs of the house also was found to be structurally unsafe, and it didn't meet requirements for ceiling heights and minimum room sizes.

The combination of those issues made demolition of the house's front portion a better option than repairing the problems.

The rear of the house is still big enough to make a four-bedroom, two-bathroom home, Smith said.

The family who was awarded the home, Mike and Sara Burkett and their three children, are optimistic about the project even though the front half will be demolished.

"It's a bummer because the house had so much character," Sara said. "It's still nice to get the house, because it would have been a long time before we could buy one."

Demolition will move forward with the volunteer help, including an excavator and dump truck with operators supplied by Mike Anson of Anson Excavating and Pipe, and dump trucks supplied by Jay Wagner, Tom Mitzel and Justin Jenison.

Smith said more dump trucks would be welcomed during Friday's demolition.

Smith and Paul Irwin spent most of Tuesday cutting the front section of the house away from the rear section.

After the front portion of the house is removed, work can begin on the rebuilding of the remaining section, Smith said.

"We have most of the roof stripped of the section that is staying," Smith said. "We have some reinforcing to do on some piers and some foundation repairs, but we can still finish by the end of the year."

Smith said volunteer help and material and monetary donations will become critical during construction.

He hopes to travel to Gypsum to try to get sheetrock donated and will visit building supply centers in Grand Junction to talk with business owners.

The search now begins for electrical and plumbing volunteers to tackle projects in the house.

"It's a good thing I'm a people person," Smith said. "If I knock on enough doors, it will come together."