Bright and early on a Monday morning in February, Catherine McManus proudly blew the airhorn to signify the start of Builders Blitz 2019 – and four builders immediately went to work on homes in Arbor Bend.

Within seconds, the Pulte Homes construction crew was raising walls and within minutes they were putting up trusses on Rodreca’s home.

This was just the start of a whirlwind week. Throughout the morning of Day 1, four dedicated and hard-working homeowners had the chance to see their homes built before their very eyes.

While watching PCL Construction build her home Monday morning, Patricia shared, “I have butterflies in my belly. It is just wow. And having the kids here this morning is even better because they saw the start of their home. It’s very exciting.”

Four generous builders, along with many subcontractors and sponsors, donated the material, time and labor to complete four homes in just five days. Countless details came together throughout the week to make the event successful, and the progress made on each home day by day was astounding.  “It’s an honor to be here. This is a wonderful thing that we’re doing,” said Kyle Upper, Division President/Florida with K. Hovnanian Homes.  “I think everybody steps back at the end of the day and looks at what we’re doing and is amazed at how far we’ve come in just a few days. Teamwork makes the dream work.”

Orange County played a vital role in not only Builders Blitz, but also throughout the development of Arbor Bend. The County committed a total of $1.6 million to develop Arbor Bend and Orange County’s Division of Building Safety helped fast-track the permitting process during Builders Blitz. The houses were expected to be constructed over the course of just five days, but each builder had completed construction by the end of the day Thursday.

One of the highlights of the week? Saturday’s home dedication ceremony, where attendees heard from all four builders and each of our homeowners about their experience being part of Builders Blitz.

“I’m so happy that I got to see my house right now,” Lizbeth shared during the ceremony, with immense gratitude to her builder. “I want to thank [Park Square Homes]—I came every day and I saw a big difference. I can’t thank them enough.”

Through their generosity, K. Hovnanian Homes, Park Square Homes, PCL Construction, and Pulte Homes have indelibly changed the lives of four Central Florida families. Thank you for your hard work and commitment to affordable housing in our community!

Every donation, every dollar makes a difference by helping Habitat Orlando & Osceola provide affordable housing to hardworking homeowners. Thank you for supporting our work in Central Florida to build homes, revitalize neighborhoods and strengthen communities.

https://www.habitatorlando.org/latisias-journey-to-homeownership/