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Building a community 
Schematics for the Spruill house were drawn up pro bono by Moman Architects, a design firm in Round Rock. The firm designs both new plans and reconfigures old plans to custom fit the needs of Habitat families. The floor plans vary in size from 1,100 to 1,300 square feet and from two to four bedrooms.
Photo by Jason Schaefer
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By JASON SCHAEFER An inside look at Habitat for Humanity It was hot, sweaty work, but volunteers were all smiles Wednesday morning as they assembled the first parts of the wooden frame for the Spruill family home, one of many homes Habitat for Humanity plans to build in Taylor. The group of about 15 was made up mostly of employees of Dell International, some of whom flew in from other parts of the U.S. and the world to work a single day with Habitat. Sign-up was at 7:45 a.m., but those who showed up late had no trouble getting their information together and jumping right into work, which was a low-stress, low-pressure operation. Martin Cross of the United Kingdom has been volunteering for about 10 years with community challenge across the UK, and has helped to re-paint schools and refurbish playgrounds, along with other projects. Wednesday was his first effort with Habitat. “I’ve done lots of projects for communities across the UK, but I’ve never done anything like this before,” he said. “I flew in Sunday, so I’m still a bit jet lagged.” Colin Gillies, a Dell employee who also claims England as his home, is now living in Austin and is married to a Taylorite. Wednesday was his first time volunteering with Habitat. He said he enjoyed it. Some volunteers had experience in construction and others were completely new. Habitat veteran Chuck Dawson enlightened the newbies to safety concerns when using a nail gun. Dawson has volunteered with Habitat for eight years. “Let me tell you a story about a friend of mine,” he said. “He was standing on a ladder with a nail gun and lost control of it, and it shot across the room and caught his wife in the belly.” With that anecdote in mind, the air-powered gun was respected, and it made the work easy and fun, driving three-inch long nails into wood in a snap. “I can see why they use the gun,” Deborah McComas, a volunteer from Liberty Hill, said while holding a hammer after driving in a few nails. The volunteers were split into two groups, one to work with the foreman on site, Rick MacIver, who was hired as the Williamson County construction coordinator for Habitat a month ago, and the others with Dawson. MacIver, 59, worked as an independent contractor for 36 years and studied theology in college. Habitat, a Christian-based organization, was right up his alley, he said. MacIver sees his new job as more of a ministry position than construction. “I see Habitat as reaching the souls of people,” he said. “It deals with the community pulling together in unity in a demonstration of good will toward man. It’s very exciting.” The plans for the Spruill home, and other homes to come in Taylor, were designed for free by Round Rock-based Moman Architects, MacIver said. Some are fresh designs while others are based on previously drawn plans. The houses range from 1,100 to 1,300 square feet and between two and four bedrooms. The smaller sizes keep the prices down, MacIver said. Thrivent Financial, a Fortune 500 financial membership organization for Lutherans, sponsored the Spruill home. Under Thrivent’s agreement with Habitat, Thrivent is donating 80 percent of the cost of materials. Habitat and local Lutheran organizations have each contributed an additional 10 percent, according to Habitat Community Involvement Director Linda Sloan.
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