Newest Habitat for Humanity house nearing completion
August 28, 2019
Vinnie Roberts
In November 2018, the South Barry County chapter of Habitat for Humanity broke ground on its seventh house. Construction on the property, located on the corner of 8th Street and Oak Hill Drive in Cassville, moved along steadily with completion expected in October.
“We have the interior walls up, the roof is up, electrical is in and the bottom end of the plumbing is going in as we speak,” said David Hermann, president of the South Barry County chapter of Habitat. “We have the tub and the enclosure in, but we don’t have sinks in or anything in the kitchen yet. We don’t have any plumbing in through the house yet.”
Hermann said the construction is scheduled to resume once the builders acquire spray insulation, which will be used throughout the house to make it more energy efficient. The construction team will also soon begin the installation of a heating and air system.
“The walls are up. You can see where the rooms are going to be located and everything like that,” said Hermann. “Once we start to get the drywall in and start painting, that’s when I will go to Lowe’s and start looking at cabinets for the kitchen.”
According to Hermann, construction is tentatively set to be completed sometime in October.
“We’re getting really close,” explained Hermann. “We’re really excited about where we’re at and how things look.”
Once the drywall has been added to the interior walls of the house, Hermann plans on taking the home’s owner, Amanda Karaklajic, on a tour of the home to lay out her color preferences room by room.
At this point, Hermann plans on making a volunteer event out of the interior painting of the home. According to him, he has sought female volunteers from local businesses Freedom Bank, 1st State Bank and Barry Electric for what he calls a “Women’s Construction Day.”
On Women's Construction Day, Hermann plans to have these female volunteers take on all of the interior painting in the home. For their efforts, participants will receive a commemorative t-shirt. No official date has been set for this event but will be made public once the drywall has been installed in the home.
Karaklajic, currently a resident of Boulder City, expressed immense joy at the prospect of the house nearing completion.
“The construction has been awesome. Those men have done so much. I never in my lifetime thought it would be happening to me,” said Karaklajic. “Every time I walk into that house, they’ve done more. Something is different and new.”
Hermann has also noticed Karaklajic’s joy while giving her tours of their construction.
“Every time she shows up, she bursts into tears,” said Hermann. “It’s like a dream come true for her I think. I’m really glad that we could do this for them because they really are so deserving. Having her see the progress and be part of it was instrumental.”
Karaklajic and her fiance, Justin Weston, are both in dire need of housing of their own. Both currently live with Weston’s mother in Boulder City after no longer being able to stay in their previous home.
“It’s me and my fiance, we’re both disabled. We heard about getting a home through Habitat, and we filled out an application,” said Karaklajic. “My family lives in Arkansas. We live with his mom right now. The house we were living in was literally falling apart in front of us.”
Karaklajic toured the home several times at various points of construction.
“The house is becoming so beautiful. They have done so much for us. I love it, it’s so beautiful,” said Karaklajic. “It’s amazing. I’m feeling a little overwhelmed by it all.”
Recently, the family was hit with yet another tragedy that made moving into their new home even more crucial than before.
“We’re ready to just move in and relax for a little bit,” said Karaklajic. “We had a flood out here a couple of weeks ago, and we lost a bunch of stuff. Everyone from Cassville, the churches, David [Hermann] and Denny [Ball, head builder on the home] have all been amazing.”
Karaklajic continued,"I want to thank everyone who’s been working on it. My heart, my soul and my prayers all go out to them.”
The house is expected to be complete before the end of October of this year. To volunteer to help with the ReStore, Habitat for Humanity’s home goods store in Cassville, contact the facility at (417) 846-0110 or contact David Hermann directly at (417) 847-2203.
To get involved with the construction of the Oak Hill Drive property or any other Habitat property, contact Herman or lead builder Denny Ball at (417) 847-6810.
Vinnie Roberts
In November 2018, the South Barry County chapter of Habitat for Humanity broke ground on its seventh house. Construction on the property, located on the corner of 8th Street and Oak Hill Drive in Cassville, moved along steadily with completion expected in October.
“We have the interior walls up, the roof is up, electrical is in and the bottom end of the plumbing is going in as we speak,” said David Hermann, president of the South Barry County chapter of Habitat. “We have the tub and the enclosure in, but we don’t have sinks in or anything in the kitchen yet. We don’t have any plumbing in through the house yet.”
Hermann said the construction is scheduled to resume once the builders acquire spray insulation, which will be used throughout the house to make it more energy efficient. The construction team will also soon begin the installation of a heating and air system.
“The walls are up. You can see where the rooms are going to be located and everything like that,” said Hermann. “Once we start to get the drywall in and start painting, that’s when I will go to Lowe’s and start looking at cabinets for the kitchen.”
According to Hermann, construction is tentatively set to be completed sometime in October.
“We’re getting really close,” explained Hermann. “We’re really excited about where we’re at and how things look.”
Once the drywall has been added to the interior walls of the house, Hermann plans on taking the home’s owner, Amanda Karaklajic, on a tour of the home to lay out her color preferences room by room.
At this point, Hermann plans on making a volunteer event out of the interior painting of the home. According to him, he has sought female volunteers from local businesses Freedom Bank, 1st State Bank and Barry Electric for what he calls a “Women’s Construction Day.”
On Women's Construction Day, Hermann plans to have these female volunteers take on all of the interior painting in the home. For their efforts, participants will receive a commemorative t-shirt. No official date has been set for this event but will be made public once the drywall has been installed in the home.
Karaklajic, currently a resident of Boulder City, expressed immense joy at the prospect of the house nearing completion.
“The construction has been awesome. Those men have done so much. I never in my lifetime thought it would be happening to me,” said Karaklajic. “Every time I walk into that house, they’ve done more. Something is different and new.”
Hermann has also noticed Karaklajic’s joy while giving her tours of their construction.
“Every time she shows up, she bursts into tears,” said Hermann. “It’s like a dream come true for her I think. I’m really glad that we could do this for them because they really are so deserving. Having her see the progress and be part of it was instrumental.”
Karaklajic and her fiance, Justin Weston, are both in dire need of housing of their own. Both currently live with Weston’s mother in Boulder City after no longer being able to stay in their previous home.
“It’s me and my fiance, we’re both disabled. We heard about getting a home through Habitat, and we filled out an application,” said Karaklajic. “My family lives in Arkansas. We live with his mom right now. The house we were living in was literally falling apart in front of us.”
Karaklajic toured the home several times at various points of construction.
“The house is becoming so beautiful. They have done so much for us. I love it, it’s so beautiful,” said Karaklajic. “It’s amazing. I’m feeling a little overwhelmed by it all.”
Recently, the family was hit with yet another tragedy that made moving into their new home even more crucial than before.
“We’re ready to just move in and relax for a little bit,” said Karaklajic. “We had a flood out here a couple of weeks ago, and we lost a bunch of stuff. Everyone from Cassville, the churches, David [Hermann] and Denny [Ball, head builder on the home] have all been amazing.”
Karaklajic continued,"I want to thank everyone who’s been working on it. My heart, my soul and my prayers all go out to them.”
The house is expected to be complete before the end of October of this year. To volunteer to help with the ReStore, Habitat for Humanity’s home goods store in Cassville, contact the facility at (417) 846-0110 or contact David Hermann directly at (417) 847-2203.
To get involved with the construction of the Oak Hill Drive property or any other Habitat property, contact Herman or lead builder Denny Ball at (417) 847-6810.