Like spring, one question always comes around at Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga Area, say organizers of the Spring Tour of Habitat Homes planned for May 12.
“Habitat homes being built in Chattanooga in Chattanooga sport attractive architectural detailing and cabinets, advanced techniques to meet EarthCraft energy efficiency standards, and landscaping with native plants,” says Pete Palmer, Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga Area. “Yet, the assumption is often that they are unattractive, not compatible with surrounding architecture, or a drain of surrounding property values!”
“Our construction team, under the leadership of Dennis Neal, LEED AP, other staff as well as hundreds of volunteers, have been working hard for the last several years to build more attractive, aesthetically pleasing and energy efficient homes,” says Palmer. “In celebration of their efforts, and of our recent partner families, we are hosting our first Spring Tour of Homes on May 12. If you have ever wondered what a Habitat home looks like, we hope you will join us to meet our partner families, tour some of our recently completed projects, and learn about our plans to increase Habitat’s impact in the near future.”
Tour attendees will gather at the Mill on Main Street for light hors’doeurves, and then board buses which will fan out to recently completed homes or homes under construction. “Our guests will have the opportunity to visit our first multi-unit building in Brainerd, a home in the St. Elmo Historic District, as well as Neighborhood Stabilization Program homes built to Earth Craft certification standards,” says Palmer. “While the homes are on the tour, they are really not the center piece from Habitat’s perspective. Our goal is to build stronger families. This tour will allow our guests to meet the precious people whose lives have been transformed thanks to the opportunity to have a decent home. It is one thing to build a house, it is another thing to play a part in helping a family and children have a brighter future. We hope to give our guests a glimpse of Habitat is about more than building houses, it is about making an investment in the lives of people that ripples down to future generations.”
The Spring Tour of Homes is free and open to the people, but advanced registration is required, due to limited seats on the tour busses.
“Please send in your reservations by May 8 via email to dstoike@habichatt.org or by phone to 756-0507, Ext. 16.,” says Palmer. “We hope you will join us for this opportunity to interact with Habitat families, see their homes, and learn more about Habitat’s vision for the future.”
