Demolition in Dade City

My experience during our first Habitat for Humanity build of 2018 held in Dade City, FL was more about demolition than construction.

I, along with the rest of the demo crew, spent six days removing two mobile homes from a lot where the local affiliate plans to build a future home.

John, a fellow Care-A-Vanner from Michigan, drove the bucket of the tractor into the sides of the homes to collapse the walls.

Then the women on our  team moved in to carry the debris into the dumpster.  I can't say that this was my favorite job of all the builds I've worked, but it was satisfying to see the lot finally cleared.

Tim, on the other hand, joined the construction crew.

The guys raised the trusses on the roof and then nailed the plywood to cover them.

For the final four days of this two-week build, my demo crew moved to a former migrant workers camp, a subdivision built in the sixties by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to house workers who picked and processed citrus from the orange groves that once were plentiful in the region.  The land where the now-vacant subdivision sits has been sold to Pasco County.  The county's Commissioners propose to bulldoze the buildings and turn the land into an industrial area.

But first, my crew moved in to salvage the aluminum siding used on the gables and soffits.

As the smile on Nanci's face attests, this was a much easier job than our first demo assignment.

Even though our two crews worked separately for the most part, we still developed close friendships with our teammates, forged by playing cards and games late into the night.

Sue & Kent, our team leaders

Jerry & Julie

Joe & Ron

Leon & Nanci

John & Janie

On our last day, local volunteers joined our Care-A-Vanner team for a group photo.

This was not a typical build, but sometimes you have to tear down in order to rebuild.  In a couple weeks, we're signed up for a Habitat build in Sebring, FL, an area hard hit by Hurricane Irma.  Undoubtedly, my demolition experience will come in handy there.