A busy week 7!

Week 7 saw three full build days, thanks to the wonderful volunteer crew from 3M on Wednesday and the second build day for the DELL group on Friday. By the time Saturday rolled around, enough work had been done to enable the sheet rock process to begin ~ one which, to my surprise, drew much anticipation and excitement (a direct quote from one volunteer: "Tell me when the drywall goes up, and I'm there.") I'm told this will continue through this next Saturday, so for you junkies out there, this may be your last chance (this year.)

A gracious thanks go out to the folks at Las Manitas for providing lunch!

I wasn't able to join the build on Saturday, so thank you to Jillian from Americorps and project lead Lauren for providing updates and photos. Here's the report on progress:

- We continued caulking and painting on both the house and shed
- Started sheet rocking of ceilings and walls (we didn’t finish but this was the majority of the days work)
- We worked on some of the house trim
- Finished soffit over the porch
- Replaced some kitchen and bath blocking
- During the week they finished battens, installed porch soffit (the roof of the porch which includes battens), soffit on the back of the house, anchor bolts on base plates, installed 2 more porch posts.

We are making great progress on the 100 Club ~ but as we push to our $60,000 goal we encourage you to continue to spread the word to your circles. 100 donors and we're finished!

And on the sixth day...

Day 6 was a fantastic build day - crisp, clear and the first that felt like Autumn. More than any yet, this Saturday had me thinking about the true meaning of home. Of the multitudes of cliches - where you hang your head, where the heart is - one thread weaves its way through them all. Home is about people, community, and above all, belonging. It is about place, both literal and figurative.

Special thanks to the folks at the Transgender Association of Central Texas (TACT) for bringing out 7 volunteers to join in the build process, and to Rifka Reichler for organizing the crew. Our thoughts and energies are with our elected leaders this week as they prepare their vote on ENDA and the Baldwin Amendment ~ may they have the strength to recognize the values and protections of all citizens under just law.

Off the soapbox and back to the build, here's a list of the day's accomplishments:
- Marta's shed. A committed group, led in part by Pride Build co-chair David Smith, put up the shed in record time.
- Blocking for insulation
- Nail Plates
- Finished Battens
- Siding on the front porch
- More soffit
- J channels
- Insulated pipes in the ceilings and exterior walls
- Sheet rock in the hot water heater room

The volunteers we also treated to an amazing lunch, cooked by 5-day build regular Brian Sharp. Brian started cooking mid-week, and brought a full spread of Indian food to feed all 30 on site. The food was fantastic - the effort, though, even more impressive. Thank you Brian for making 6906 Villita Cove your home for all these weeks!

And finally, a quick tribute to our project leads. Every week, 4 volunteer leaders guide us through the process of building a home for Marta. More than just their skills, these leads have truly set the tone for the Pride Build, and it has been inspiring to work alongside them through this experience. Thank you Deanna, Lauren, Leslee and Robin - we'll get a group photo one of these days.

As always, Don't forget to spread the word about the 100 club.

Hitting the halfway mark...ahead of schedule!

The sign went up at the Pride Build on Day 5 - driving along Villita Cove one can officially call our build the 2007 Pride Build! Thank you to MCC-Austin for their sponsorship of the day, to the generous folks at Magnolia Cafe on Lake Austin Boulevard for donating lunch, and to the 18 volunteers who came at 8 am to tackle a wide spectrum of tasks.

Thanks to the vast experience of project lead Lauren Nichols (one of our 4 extraordinary leads), you no longer have to suffer through my attempts at home building speak. I can now offer accurate terminology for Day 5's accomplishments.

Among the day's feats:

- Finishing panel siding and lap siding
- Putting up the J-channel
- Installing the Soffit
- FInalizing the window and door trim

It was especially exciting to have Marta on the site working with us all day! Marta was able to arrange for her Saturdays to be free for the remainder of the build, and we're honored to have her join us.

Best Hammers of Justice: Austin Pride Build 2007

Congratulations to everyone on being named to the Austin Chronicle's Best of Austin 2007 list! Click Here to read the details.

In the meantime, the wonderful folks from Austin Roofing & Siding, led by David Rehberg, came out this week to install the standing seam metal roof for Marta's home. Below are a few pictures of the process.

We still have space for volunteers tomorrow, so feel free to email me at austinpridebuild@gmail.com if you can join us!

Day Four Trinity: Facia, Siding and Paint

Day four of the Pride Build took us away from the fundamentals of house-raising (frame ~ roof ~ crazy acrobatic positions) and into the more delicate, steady work of raising the roof facia, putting up the siding, and painting the exterior of Marta's House.

We had our biggest volunteer turnout yet - 23 people came throughout the day to join the build leaders and a few of us regulars to get their hands dirty. I've been told that we're not only on track, we're ahead of schedule.

Special thanks to our spirited volunteers from Trinity United Methodist Church, and to Brandon Wollerson for organizing the group! This next Saturday, Oct. 13, will be our comprehensive Faith Build day. Don't hesitate to email us at austinpridebuild@gmail.com if you are interested in participating!

On the fundraising front, look for news soon of our new giving group, the 100 club. We have just over $10,000 left to raise to complete the Pride Build's $60,000 goal, and on behalf of Bettie Naylor and our Pride Build leaders we want to challenge our community and friends to raise $100 from at least 100 people. We're working on some fun ways to get out the word ~ stay tuned.