Habitat for Humanity building house frame inside Oasis for event

Last edited 12:35 p.m., March 4, 2026 [Editor's note: The headline has been corrected.]

This week's Tool Belts & Bow Ties fundraiser for Habitat for Humanity of Springfield, Missouri Inc. will have a unique offering: a full-scale residential home frame built inside of the Oasis Hotel & Convention Center.

Volunteer crews this morning started building the home’s frame in time for the fundraising event tomorrow evening. Attendees will be able to walk through the two-bedroom, one-and-a-half-bathroom home during the event. A ceiling will not be installed.

"It took a lot of planning,” said Mark Murphy, housing and construction director at Habitat for Humanity.

Murphy said around 20 people are lending their time to the project, including employees at Russell Cellular Inc.

Habitat for Humanity also is working on the project with Help Build Hope, a Louisville, Kentucky, organization.

"Help Build Hope produces a cut list, a material list and goes off our floorplan and puts it into their system," Murphy said. "It calculates how long each wall needs to be. And then we bring the puzzle here, and we put it together according to those plans."

After the event concludes tomorrow, the walls will be taken down and housed at Habitat for Humanity's Scenic Avenue storage facility, Murphy said. This summer, the home will be built for the Haskett family, a partner homebuyer.

Aaron Wahlquist, director of marketing and communications at Habitat for Humanity, said the home in Legacy Trails would cost about $160,000. Funding comes from the Habitat for Humanity ReStore, as well as fundraising and donations, he said.

Murphy said the project is emblematic of the nonprofit’s mission.

"It's to show the people who attend our event, our sponsors, what Habitat is really all about. It's about providing safe, decent and affordable housing for families,” he said.