Habitat for Humanity of Springfield's ReStore at 2410 S. Scenic Ave. drew a crowd of about 450 shoppers on Oct. 3, during the store's 10th anniversary half-off clearance sale.
The store sells new and used building and home improvement supplies, as well as appliances and home furnishings, and the proceeds are used to help pay for overhead and the construction of safe and affordable homes for Ozarks families.
Development and Marketing Director Kristy Nelson said the construction of a new home costs Habitat on average anywhere from $27,000 for two bedrooms to $42,000 for five bedrooms. The bulk of those costs are covered upfront by fundraising and sponsors for individual builds, and the ReStore contributes whatever building costs aren't covered, Nelson said.
Homeowners contribute sweat equity and use loans through Habitat to buy their homes. While the loans are interest-free, homeowners will pay anywhere from $57,500 for a two-bedroom home to $74,500 for five bedrooms. The mortgage payments cover land, infrastructure and administrative costs, as well as fund other homes.
"We have sponsored a whole home off of ReStore proceeds, but we average at least one complete home a year, (contributing) 10 percent to 25 percent of other homes," Nelson said.
In the last 10 years, the ReStore has helped fund construction of about 70 Habitat homes, Nelson said.
Beyond helping pay for home construction, the ReStore also helps keep materials out of area landfills. Habitat officials estimate that every dollar spent at the ReStore keeps 1.3 pounds of material out of landfills. To date, the ReStore has kept roughly 1,170 tons out of landfills.
Using that pounds-per-dollar formula, the numbers suggest that the ReStore has raised $1.8 million in the last decade, but Nelson said she didn't have an actual figure.
"The ReStore started out a lot smaller than it is now, and I think (early funds) were counted as donations," she said.
The store has a full-time manager and three part-time workers on staff, but much of the work is done by volunteers, some of whom are earning sweat equity toward their Habitat homes.
In 2007, the ReStore had a grand opening for its current location, donated to Habitat by Keltner Enterprises. The ReStore features 48,000 square feet of office and warehouse space, which is more than four times larger than its previous location at 4535 W. Chestnut Expressway.
Nelson said individuals and businesses have shown steady support for the ReStore, but she said the economy has changed the nature of donated materials.
"In the past, we had a lot of donations from contractors and developers, and a lot of leftover materials ... from the job sites," she said. "Now, a lot more people are remodeling, so we're getting remodelers bringing things in. ... We still have some new products that come in from our relationships with contractors and retail stores."
There have been plenty of customers on the prowl for good deals on materials at the ReStore, though.
"There's been a surge in the do-it-yourselfers, probably from popularity of some TV shows," Nelson said. "Then, I think it's partly due to the economy. More people are wanting to purchase something at a discount. More people come here first just to see if we have (what they need). And I think a lot of people are trying to take a look at the footprint that they're leaving, environmental-wise."
Habitat, which has a 2009 operating budget of $1.4 million, will finish nine homes in 2009, Nelson said. The organization was set to kick off construction Oct. 12 on the last house in Phase I of its Legacy Trails subdivision, Nelson said. All told, Legacy Trails, located at 3800 N. FR 143, will have 55 homes, with build-out anticipated in 2015.
This installment of Springfield Business Journal’s Architects & Engineers Project Report showcases 26 endeavors by area design and engineering professionals.
