Laebon Homes set the standard by building a $300,000 house in a mere 92 hours or four and a half days.
That’s right –– days.
The remarkable construction feat was part of the annual Build a Kid to Cure house where construction crews and trade partners donated their time and supplies for charity. In the past the homes were completed within 30 days.
“As far as I know this is the fastest a home has ever been built in Red Deer,” said carpenter and project manager Jeff McPhee.
“It’s a pretty good feeling of accomplishment.”
The foundation was already in place when crews started on the 11,000 square-foot bi-level in Timberlands at 4:30 a.m. on Monday.
Between 15 and 20 workers were on site between 5 a.m. and midnight on most days. The project was completed around 5:30 p.m. on Friday.
“This house will stack up just as well to anything that is built in six months,” said McPhee. “I spent every waking hour in this house so I know exactly how this house was built.”
McPhee said the same building practices and materials were used in the building of this house as in their other homes that take four to six months. There were no short cuts and the house was built following all safety standards.
He said the difference was “a lot more people and a lot of late, late nights,”
The tone was set on the first day with the framers and the roofers finishing the roof and the framing by 3 p.m. Originally the plan was to finish in eight days but with the good pace on the first day, McPhee said he knew if the crews pushed they would get the job done in nearly half that time. At times “it was a zoo” with the different crews but everything went smoothly, said McPhee.
The hardest part was co-ordinating the trades before the project began, said McPhee. Once the work got underway the various crews stepped it up to get the project done.
But don’t expect Laebon Homes to guarantee a home build in less than a week anytime soon.
“I think we would have no trades left in a matter of a month,” laughed McPhee. “Doing a one off for a charity is different. I think I might be two feet in the grave if I do another one soon.”
The proceeds from the sale of the home will go to support Kids Cancer Care and Central Alberta Women’s Emergency Shelter. Visit www.laebon.com for more information.
crhyno@www.reddeeradvocate.com