Habitat Wake is Building a House at the 2016 State Fair

October 10, 2016

Habitat for Humanity of Wake County, Lowe's, and the North Carolina State Fair are partnering to build the "North Carolina House" during the 2016 State Fair, which opens Thursday, October 13.

The "North Carolina House" will be constructed of materials manufactured in North Carolina or sold by North Carolina-based companies, and the majority of volunteers building the house are state employees and event sponsors.

This is the first time that a Habitat Wake home will be constructed at the North Carolina State Fair. The house will be built in 10 days in the parking lot of the Governor James B Hunt Jr. Horse Complex and will be moved on a trailer to the Neuse Ridge community in east Raleigh on October 23. The Hunt Horse Complex is at the corner of Trinity Road and Youth Center Drive.

Volunteers will work morning and afternoon shifts, serving in construction and hospitality roles, through October 22. Employees from Lowe's, the NC Department of Commerce and NC Department of Health and Human Services, NC Department of Insurance, and NC Department of Revenue are all helping to build the North Carolina House. A few spots are available to community volunteers. Volunteers may sign up at www.habitatwake.org.

Fair guests are invited to visit the home, learn about the build, and be part of the fun! Daily activities will include hammering contests and other games and fun photo opportunities.

The excited homeowners-to-be, Anayo and Chinyere and their two young sons, will visit the construction site during the fair, and Anayo will take time away from his job as a surgical assistant at Duke Hospital to help build the home.

"We are grateful to the State Fair and Lowe's for leading the way in building the North Carolina House. Local support is critical to our housing mission," said Kevin Campbell, president and CEO of Habitat Wake. "We are blessed with donors, volunteers, businesses and congregations in our community who build with families who otherwise could not afford to buy their own homes. The North Carolina House is a celebration of local support and will be a safe, affordable home and dream come true for this family."

"The spirit of hospitality in North Carolina inspires people to do wonderful things," said NC Commerce Secretary John E. Skvarla, III. "North Carolina's state employees are excited to roll up their sleeves and will demonstrate once again that nothing compares to the great things we can accomplish when working together for a worthy cause."

"Lowe's is excited to partner with Habitat Wake to bring lasting change to families in our community," added Rex Rhyne, Lowe's Market Director of Stores. "We're also proud to be a North Carolina-based company leading the effort to build the North Carolina house during a great North Carolina event -- the State Fair."

In addition to Lowe's, local companies helping to build the North Carolina house include CertainTeed located in Oxford, which is donating shingles for the house; Electrolux, of Kinston, providing all appliances; Durham-based Cree, donating LED lighting; Delta Gypsum, headquarted in Wake Forest, and National Gypsum in Charlotte, donating materials for the walls; Pergo, of Garner, flooring producer; and Cary-based Ply Gem, which is donating siding and windows. Other donors and supporters include Alliance Plumbing, Bowman Electric, BMC, Builders Wholesale Flooring, Butler Drywall, CanFor, the City of Raleigh, CommTech, Dow, ECMD, Fas-n-Tite, Hillman, the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency, Norbord, Rust-Oleum, Schneider Electric, TarHell Wood Treating, Thomas & Betts, Yale, and 4-M Electric. Holden House Movers is helping to transport the home to its permanent location in Neuse Ridge.

There are several local products with an additional reuse theme. The insulation for the home is donated by Cotton, Inc. and is manufactured out of recycled denim, an the interior paint is "ReMix" paint, which is donated paint which has been purified, remixed, and resold at affordable prices at Habitat Wake ReStores.

The future homeowners of the North Carolina house look forward to fulfilling their American Dream of homeownership. Anayo and Chinyere are originally from Nigeria, and moved to the United States in 2012 after winning a visa lottery.