What Are Habitat Houses Like?

Simple, decent and affordable.
Habitat for Humanity houses around the world are built according to the same guiding principles:

•Simple.
Habitat houses are modestly-sized. They are large enough for the homeowner family’s needs, but small enough to keep construction and maintenance costs to a minimum.

•Decent.
Habitat for Humanity uses quality, locally-available building materials. Habitat house designs reflect the local climate and culture.

•Affordable.
The labor of volunteers and partner families, efficient building methods, modest house sizes and no-profit loans make it affordable for low-income families to purchase Habitat houses.

Generally it takes between 2-3 months to build a complete Habitat home. All HFHTT houses are built according to plans pre-approved by the Town and Country Planning Division. The average two-bedroom Habitat house in Trinidad and Tobago measures 22 x 24 square feet, with the three-bedroom structure measuring 31 x 24 square feet. The structures are built with concrete blocks with steel roofing profile covered with aluzinc roofing sheets. All the homes are complete with electricity, running water, indoor plumbing and washrooms.

To put the “Sweat Equity” (each family is required to contribute to the construction of their own home and the homes of their Habitat neighbors) principle into action, a selected number of families form a work team and rotate the construction until all the homes are built. Then, together, all the families will receive the keys to their new homes in a dedication ceremony.

When volunteers participate in the construction, houses are finished far more quickly and at a reduced cost, enabling HFH to help more families in need. Furthermore, the partner families and the entire HFH community are motivated by the dedication and the hard work of the volunteers; this inspires them to increase their efforts and to work harder toward the goal of affordable, decent housing for all.