4th of July in the Lowcountry

Nothing quite compares to the privilege of living in Charleston during the Summer months, and certainly this is one of the best cities to celebrate 4th of July!  Whether you want to take the boat out on the harbor, relax at the beach on Sullivan's Island, picnic with the family at the Battery, or simply grill hamburgers at home - the Lowcountry is the ideal place to be.  And there are definitely great options for seeing spectacular fireworks!  Our favorite spot for festivities is Patriot's Point in Mt. Pleasant, where the family-friendly celebration begins at 6 PM with music and food, and fireworks are blasted from the USS Yorktown.  In another part of town?  Check out these other options for 4th of July fun:

City of North Charleston at Riverfront Park

Red, White, & Blue on the Green in Summerville

Fireworks on Folly Beach

Have a safe & happy holiday!!

Celebrating a New Home!

After a FULL week of construction, it was time for the entire Structures Team to CELEBRATE with East Cooper Habitat for Humanity and all of our trades, suppliers, client volunteers who made this week possible.  We gathered everyone who had a hand in the Builders Blitz out to have dinner and tour the completed home.  We were joined by ECHH board members, staff, and volunteers, Structures clients, all of the crews who worked this week, suppliers who donated material, and even neighbors on Kent Street!

 

This celebration was also very special to us as East Cooper Habitat for Humanity honored Structures owner, Steven Kendrick, with the Golden Hammer award for his many years of service as a board member and for his leadership in the Builders Blitz in 2008 and 2012.  The award has only been given 6 times in ECHH's 21 year history!

And to top off the celebration - East Cooper Habitat for Humanity's Construction Manager, Kate Whitlock, announced that evening that a local mother and son had been approved to receive the house we built this week!  We were so thankful and honored to watch them receive their new home!

Builders Blitz - Day 7

The last day of our Builders Blitz was another whirlwind day of activity and completing final details of our Habitat home: paint touch-ups, install louvers, deliver and install appliances, door and cabinet hardware, final HVAC & electrical trim out, shower glass and mirror installation, install bath accessories...and MUCH more!  Check back with us on Monday to see more photos of the finished home and to hear about our finale celebration, which included a huge surprise for some very special people!

 

  

Builders Blitz - Day 6

Day 6 of our Habitat Builders Blitz was full of activity!  We had crews from several trades working all day to install hardwood floors, build and install louvers, build the deck and porch steps, finish the electrical trim out, install light fixtures, continue interior wood trim, and grade the yard in preparation for sidewalks and the driveway.  We even had some of our past and current custom home clients stop by to deliver lunch and install door hardware.  Whew!!  And just when we thought the day was wrapping up around 5:30...our painters arrived to paint siding and roll the interior walls into the evening!  We cannot express enough THANKS to all of our trades and volunteers for making Day 6 so productive!

 

 

  

 

Builders Blitz - Day 5

Building an entire home in ONE week requires a tight schedule, so this is not exactly what you want to wake up to on Day 5:

 Fortunately, a rainy forecast is no match for our building team!  By 8 AM, a plan was in place to use fans and dehumidifiers to dry out the sheetrock in preparation for sanding, and there was a team on site already working on exterior trim details on the deck and porch and building the HVAC stand!  This is one dedicated crew, and by after lunch, things were in full swing again.  Take a look at how the day is going:

 

 

Builders Blitz - Day 4

Its hard to believe we are almost finished with Day 4 of our Habitat Builders Blitz!  So much of the home has come together, and we are continually amazed and thankful for the hard work (and long hours) given by our team of volunteers!  So many people participated today to install flooring, hang siding, finish the deck and porch, install cabinets, and begin the interior trim work.  We even managed to squeeze in some time for cupcakes!  It was busy and loud today on Kent Street - and we are loving every minute of it! 

Builders Blitz - Day 3

Day 3 of our Habitat Builders Blitz began with a little bit of thunder and lightning and A LOT of rain!  But that didn't stop us from having a great day on the job site.  Once the rain subsided, the Structures Team, our wonderful trades, and volunteers were able to install insulation, hang sheetrock, and begin building the porches and decks for the home!