Habitat for Humanity of Flathead Valley will break ground Wednesday on the first of five single-family homes to be built in the Spring Creek Estates development in Kalispell.

The groundbreaking ceremony begins at 5 p.m. at 185 Short Pine Drive.

Habitat for Humanity of Flathead Valley purchased five lots in the Spring Creek Estates Development using a $75,000 Self Help Homeownership Opportunity Program grant. 

The first home will be a five-bedroom home for the Kearneys, a family of eight who will attend the ceremony. 

Members of Habitat’s board of directors, family selection committee and several key volunteers and sponsors also will attend. Cake will be provided by Smith’s Grocery of Kalispell.

Construction will begin immediately following the ceremony. The first home will be completed in March 2016.

The application period is open for the remaining four homes. Once families are selected, the floor plans can then be established based on the sizes of the families.  The entire project is scheduled to be completed by August 2017.

Habitat for Humanity of Flathead Valley was established in 1989 with the mission of eliminating substandard housing.

Habitat selects families and/or individuals based on their need, ability to pay 30-year, no-interest mortgages and their willingness to work with the organization to put in sweat equity hours on their homes. 

By using volunteer labor, homeowner “sweat equity” and donations from local and national building material suppliers, Habitat for Humanity is able to keep the cost of construction low. Approximately 3,000 hours of volunteer labor are required to complete a Habitat home.

Habitat for Humanity holds build days every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. No building experience is necessary to help out on a build site. 

Habitat’s construction site supervisor is on site to assign tasks and supervise all construction. Call the Habitat for Humanity administrative office at 257-8800.