SEARSPORT — The sounds of construction can be heard  from at least a quarter of a mile away from Habitat for Humanity’s latest Waldo County build, located on Old County Road.

The site looks nothing like it did just one month before, when the only evidence of the house to come was a freshly laid foundation.

With the help of a steady stream of volunteers, and some experienced professionals guiding the way, the skeleton of the home is starting to take shape.

While all Habitat for Humanity builds are volunteer based, the Searsport build hosted a unique group from July 10-21, with the arrival of Habitat’s RV Care-A-Vanners.

The RV Care-A-Vanners are a subset of Habitat volunteers who mix their altruism with a bit of wanderlust.

RVers spend their time traveling the country, guided by their desired direction and the available Habitat builds along the way.

Two couples, and one woman each traveled to the Searsport build site from different locations around the country.

Chris and Dottie Thompson, who have a home in Beaver Dam, Wis., said this marks their fifth build of the year, with three of their builds in Florida, and the other in Tennessee.

The Thompsons said they were drawn to Habitat, and Care-A-Vanners, after they both retired two years ago. The couple said they love to travel and wanted to continue performing volunteer work while on the road, making the group a natural fit.

“We thought this would be nice to do on the road and not just be traveling to travel. Then we got hooked,” Dottie said.

It’s a sentiment familiar to the other traveling Habitat members at the site, with the inhabitants of all three RVs agreeing that although life as a nomadic volunteer has its challenges, it’s not something any of them would give up.

Andrea and Charles Putnam loved life on the road so much they decided to make it permanent by selling their New Jersey home last September.

Though neither would trade life on the road, Charles said one thing he loves about building houses with Habitat is that it gives him a chance to work with a variety of tools. He was forced to part with his own when the two turned full time RVers.

The pair said they knew right away that they wanted there to be a greater purpose to their travels, echoing the sentiments of the Thompsons. The mobile Habitat RVing group provided the perfect opportunity for travel, and for Charles to continue his hobby of woodworking.

The longest serving volunteer of the Care-A-Vanners, Pam Lurz, is also a full time RVer, crisscrossing the country and stopping at chosen builds along the way.  

Lurz began her work with Habitat for Humanity 24 years ago, working for the affiliate in the Chicago area where she lived. When asked to estimate the number of builds she’s taken part in over the years, Lurz said she stopped counting at 100.

Despite more builds than she can remember, Lurz said the Searsport home has a feature she’s never encountered before.

“I have not worked on [a house] with double walls before, I’ve worked on energy efficient ones, solar panels, and net zero homes, but I haven’t worked on one with double walls. I like new stuff,” she said with a smile.

Lurz said her life as a Care-A-Vanner began when she and her husband retired, and that after he passed away, she continued with their chosen way of life.

“Moving forward, one foot in front of the other,” she said of life since she became a solo traveler.

As for her favorite part of building homes, Lurz said that working with the homeowners is what she considers the best part. It’s also a favorite shared by the Thompsons, and as for the homeowner of this build, there were only words of praise.

Brandi Brown comes to the build site every single day, before leaving for her full time job in the afternoon, a work ethic that has impressed everyone from the volunteers, to construction manager Jenness Robbins.

Robbins, who has volunteered for the same role on every one of the four Waldo County builds, said this build has been a memorable one.

“[It’s] probably the best build we’ve had so far,” he said. “We have the Care-A-Vanners who are fantastic, [we] have a lot of talent and it makes the job easier.”

As for what personally motivates him to stay involved in the group, Robbins had a simple response.

“I enjoy doing this. I like doing things for people. It’s hard to go bad doing good things for good people,” he said.

Robbins altruism isn’t limited to just the future owners of Habitat homes; he also planned a special send-off for the RVers.

While they won’t be around to see the finishing touches of the house, the group was treated to an equally memorable end to their time at the Searsport build, courtesy of Robbins.

Members of the group spent their last night camped at Robbins Lumber, with Robbins providing a tour of the mill. He also took the group to Thresher’s for a well deserved beer.

The majority of the group’s nights were spent in their RVs, in spaces donated by Searsport Shores, an oceanside campground that remains in high demand throughout the summer.

With the Searsport build well underway, Waldo County’s strong sense of community will soon provide another deserving family with a home to call their own.

Erica Thoms can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com