Habitat for Humanity building more homes in Columbia Falls

Habitat for Humanity has bumped up the number of homes it will be building in Columbia Falls. Executive Director Mary Beth Morand said the organization recently bought a lot at Eighth Avenue West and Sixth Street West where they plan on building a three bedroom, a four bedroom and two two-bedroom townhomes.

That’s in addition to the six homes it has planned on Railroad Street and another on a lot near Columbus Park.

The agency is currently taking applications. Habitat for Humanity is designed to serve the working class and people who apply typically have to provide “sweat equity” in their projects. In other words, they have to work on their own homes, under the tutelage of skilled workers.

They also have to meet certain income requirements. For more information visit its website at habitatflathead.org. It’s taking applications until April 15.

The nonprofit has also retooled its facilities so it can prefabricate portions of its homes.

It has repurposed part of its ReStore building in Kalispell for the production of prefabricated homes, boosting productivity and cutting costs.

The big warehouse-like room that sits in the rear of the ReStore previously housed donated appliances. Morand decided the sheltered space, removed from cold Montana winters, would be better used by volunteers working on future homes. 

Fitted with a donated industrial saw and large table, Morand says the room is purposed to construct walls in a comfortable, heated and controlled environment.

Volunteers have already used the room to frame the walls of a three-bedroom, single-family home in Columbia Falls – the one near Columbus Park.

She estimates the house will cost between $335,000 and $375,000, although it’s still too early to say. The Northwest Community Land Trust owns the land underneath, further cutting the home cost.  

The prefabricated walls will be trailered out to the site, but Morand said she will have to look for the help of a crane company to get them off the truck. She hopes to eventually invest in a tilt trailer that would slide them onto the ground.  

The named “pre-production facility” will also be used to store timber, which has not dropped in price since surging during the Covid-19 pandemic, Morand said.  

Because of the added efficiency of building in an indoor space and stockpiling supplies, Morand estimates that $4,000 will be shaved off each home. Since Flathead Habitat’s inception in 1989, Morand said the nonprofit was building one to two houses a year, but she is hoping to get it into the double digits. 

“Now we can build a house every four months,” she said.  

As an influx of volunteers, including those in the national organization’s Care-A-Vanner program, join the ranks in the summer months, she hopes to keep the facility running while also building at the construction sites.  

Habitat Flathead runs volunteer builds on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday every week. 

Morand said the nonprofit is also looking for more land to purchase.

A recent housing study commissioned by Columbia Falls suggested that it will take nonprofits like Habitat for Humanity to make affordable housing in the city.

The program also controls the amount of equity a homeowner can accumulate in a home, so people don’t just “flip” them into the open market. It also places deed restrictions on them so they can’t be used for short-term or even long-term rentals.

The idea, Morand said, is to put working class people into housing they can afford.

The Railroad Street project is expected to start later this summer after going through review by the city planning commission and city council.