Innovative techniques help Sanford Habit for Humanity earn award

May 17—As the sounds of hammers and saw echoed around Cobb Court in East Sanford, partners working on Habitat for Humanity's latest project were beaming with pride.

Habitat for Humanity of the Sanford Area was recently named a winner of Weyerhaeuser's 2024 Innovation Challenge, which invited Habitat affiliates from across the country to submit their best ideas for using wood products to increase equitable access to affordable housing that promotes sustainability and/or resiliency.

The Sanford Area affiliate's proposal was a "lean lumber" initiative to reuse and repurpose scrap lumber from construction sites for smaller building projects such as planters, mailboxes or doghouses, or for chipped products like mulch, animal bedding or land cover — eliminating waste that ends up in landfills.

"We got a grant from Weyerhaeuser to help keep wood out of the landfills and upcycle or recycle the wood that is left over during construction," Habitat Community Outreach Director Kandice Pedley said. "A lot of wood piles up. So rather than throwing it in a dumpster and having it hauled off — which costs us money — we asked our students for creative ideas on how to use the wood and be able to implement some of these."

Students from Lee County High School and Southern Lee High School have been working at one of the newest build sites on Cobb Court and implementing the technique.

"This is a planter they made from scrap lumber," Pedley said, as she pointed to a structure in the front yard of the site. "They're doing some lanterns, we'll probably do some birdhouses from the smaller pieces. They're able to add some fun things to the house itself and spruce it up and save some money by not having to haul it away."

Construction Manager John Hatch said there is some panning that goes into the projects.

"There's more level of detail than you think it would be," Hatch said. "What happens on a normal job site is dumpsters are filled with scrap wood ... We have decided, with the help of the high school kids who are out here helping, that we are using this recycled wood and making planters for the homeowner — if we have more, we'll make some and sell them at the ReStore. Instead of filling up the landfills with wood, we figured we'd reuse it in some way and repurpose it. It's turned out really good — this is the first time that we have done it."

Tim Willet, carpentry instructor at Lee County High School, said the work is a great experience for his students.

"This is great for these guys," he said. "They actually learn how to build a house — it's not just in a book. They love it. We've done the foundation, framed it in, interior trim, shingles, the whole house."

Willet said the real-world experience helps students in their future careers.

"We've got students that are thinking about going to Wilmington and taking construction management. I've got some that are going to work for a contractor — they'll get to learn even more," Willet said.

He also said the work makes students aware of their community.

"They're learning that the world is bigger than just them," he said. "We teach them something called 'green building,' where they use recycled wood, environmentally safe building materials — they're learning that everything just doesn't go in a dumpster."

"Weyerhaeuser is thrilled to support Habitat for Humanity of the Sanford Area as one of the winners of our 2024 Innovation Challenge," Nancy B. Thompson, senior director for Advocacy and Philanthropy at Weyerhaeuser, said.

"Their innovative Lean Lumber Initiative, which reduces construction waste and enables new uses such as planters, mulch, animal bedding and more from recycled lumber, aligns perfectly with our sustainability goals. We appreciate the opportunity to partner with Lee County Schools and strengthen our commitment to affordable housing, youth education and workforce development. Thanks to the hard-working high school students, today's project will provide multiple benefits for the community."

Local Habitat for Humanity Executive Director Kimberly Rau agreed.

"I think it's great that we can partner with Lee County Schools and help the students learn a skill set that they can use throughout their life," she said. "They help us in building the house, but they help themselves in learning something they can use for the rest of their lives. I'm so happy and proud of them — they hand nailed this whole house and did a great job."

Jon Hart, of J.A. Hart Construction, the contractor on the job for Habitat, said it is enjoyable to watch the students work.

"It's a blessing to be able to be out here and spend time with them and watch them grow," he said. "I think being out on the job versus being in the classroom all the time is the best experience they can get."