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A House of Their Own

Kyle Will and Brittany Fonferek are new homeowners. Their home, made possible by Door County Habitat for Humanity (DCHfH), is a charming addition to its Sturgeon Bay neighborhood. Inside, the decorations are simple and modern. While each DCHfH house has to meet certain requirements, families are given the chance to personalize many aspects.

“You get to choose everything,” Fonferek said. “The doors, what colors the walls are, the siding, your roof colors.”

This makes each house unique to the families who own it, and these two happy homeowners are no exception. The rooms are all painted different colors, giving it a contemporary feel. The living room and kitchen are spacious and the master bedroom boasts a flat-screen television. The kids rooms have bunk beds, their toys already scattered about.

(Back row, left to right) Kyle Will, Bristol, Brittany Fonferek, Construction Supervisor Paul Stangel, and (front) Kadince in the kitchen of their new home built by Habitat for Humanity.

“[Habitat] wanted carpet in the hallways, vinyl in the bathroom and throughout the kitchen,” Will said. “I work for Carpet One in Jacksonport; so we got a deal on carpet, deal on wood and tile. We didn’t charge labor on anything, so that cut down costs – basically in half – and we got to put in nicer stuff.”

Habitat houses are built with relation to family size, age and gender of the children. Brittany and Kyle have three children: Kadince, age seven; Keaton, age five; and Bristol, 18 months. Their new home has three bedrooms and two bathrooms. They moved in on last Thursday, Nov. 11.

“I own this house,” Keaton said, jumping up and down on his parents’ bed.

He may well think so – he has his own room; however, Will and Fonferek pay a monthly mortgage on their new house. Habitat for Humanity doesn’t give their homes away.

Rick Nelson, executive director of the DCHfH said, “They have to show us a reliable source of income with which they can make monthly mortgage payments. We want to give a hand up, rather than a hand out.”

To qualify for a Habitat home, a family must have an income of no more than 60 percent of the federal poverty level, must have been denied for a traditional home loan, have good credit, and sustain a savings account. Once accepted, families must attend homeowner education classes, and to help families afford their payments, Habitat charges no interest on its mortgages. Will and Fonferek’s home cost $90,000 to build, and they’ll make a monthly payment of $500.

“We were paying $525 a month for a cramped apartment, no room for anything,” Will said. “Now we’re paying less and it’s our own. We can put whatever we want, wherever we want it.”

Now, instead of costly childcare, Fonferek stays at home to take care of Kadince, Keaton, and Bristol. They have more space to run a small in-home daycare.

Fonferek added, “No more hearing people through walls. We’re very excited!”

The difference between the appraised value of the house and DCHfH’s cost in building it comes to $32,000, which Will and Fonferek signed a second promissory note for. This amount is forgiven over the term of the mortgage.

“As long as they make their mortgage payments on time and adequately maintain their home, at the end of the mortgage, when they have completely paid off their first promissory note, the entire balance on the second note is forgiven,” Nelson said.

Will and Fonferek began the process of applying for a DCHfH home about a year ago after they saw Habitat’s booth at the Door County Fair. Once they were accepted, they had to invest the 200 hours of sweat equity that Habitat for Humanity requires of all of their applicants.

Will spent workdays alongside Construction Supervisor Paul Stangel, and on many days Fonferek and her family helped cook meals for volunteers. Both of their parents, who live in the area, have been involved and supportive along the way.

“I was here every day that they worked on the house, so I put in close to 400 hours, if not more, myself,” Will said. “I did some of the flooring, the carpeting, tile and wood. A lot of the building parts I didn’t know but everyone here helped out. The project leaders tell you what to do, what not to do.”

On the day of the home dedication, many community members, habitat staff, and volunteers arrived at the house for the ceremony. It was warm inside, packed close with smiling faces; none more so than the two happy new homeowners.

After welcoming remarks Nelson took time to thank and recognize the hard work of the builders, volunteers and community members who make Habitat for Humanity’s many accomplishments possible.

“We could not do this without all kinds of volunteers, and the support of the community,” Nelson said. “People come to us and say they’ve never built a house before. As long as you’re interested in helping, we can find work for you to do – valuable work.”

On any given day up to 25 volunteers help out at a build site. DCHfH creates a work calendar at the beginning of the year.

Will and Fonferek said they learned an enormous amount in the process of applying for and building the house, and are immensely grateful to DCHfH. They said they feel honored to be a part of the Habitat community, and to have met great people along the way.

Carpet One said that they would partner with DCHfH on other houses in the future, and Will plans on continuing to volunteer whenever he gets the chance.

“Just from working on our house with [DCHfH], I want to help out with more stuff. It was a great experience. I think the program’s really nice. Without them, we wouldn’t be able to have a house,” Will said.

This Thanksgiving, Will and Fonferek will be able to cook a big turkey in their own kitchen, with plenty of room to entertain family and friends, and a whole lot to be thankful for.