Parx Volunteers Make Sure the House Always Wins

Chris Smylie is not the most skilled person with a hammer, but that did not stop him from volunteering his Thursday off from work to give Habitat for Humanity a helping hand to construct the frame of a one floor ranch house in Bristol Township.

"The best thing for me is to just do whatever the site manager asks me," said Smylie.

He is part of a six-person crew of employees from Parx Casino that offered to give up time and put in a little extra elbow grease to keep the Watson Street project on schedule. Smylie was joined by fellow human resources employee Brett Kulak, Joe Berardi from the security department and Sue Stevenson, Kristen Buhalo and Meredith Webster from the table games.

"We broke ground at the end of April, and we should be finished before October," said Mike Fallon, construction director for Habitat for Humanity Bucks. "When it is finished, this house will be given to a single mom with three kids."

It's through the use of partnerships and volunteers that Habitat for Humanity can keep the construction costs manageable. Approximately 70 percent of its labor is performed by volunteers, and much of the materials are donated by corporate sponsors and local suppliers, Fallon said.

"Lemus Construction will donate the roof construction," said Fallon. "The owner, Victor, has donated 11 roofs for us, including the one for the house next door. We also got a bunch of lumber from 84 Lumber."

According to Fallon, the four bedroom, 1,296 sq.-ft. home will also be EnergyStar rated, keeping with Habitat for Humanity's policy to adhere to energy efficiency standards for new construction.

"We will use a spray foam insulation, Energy Star-rated windows, high efficiency HVAC and energy efficient light fixtures," said Fallon. "Every home we go to, our goal is to get as close to a zero carbon footprint as possible."