Six Lisbon families will get federal help to build their own homes.

The six families will work together for nine months this fall, building six homes in a Lisbon subdivision.

“They’re not fancy houses,” said Community Concepts spokesperson Mary Ellen Therriault. “These are simple, one-story ranch houses with a full, dry basement. They do everything from choosing the color theme to installing their flooring and cabinetry. And when they’re done, they move in.”

Community Concepts is supervising the project, according to Therriault. The effort received a $94,000 boost from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Housing Service last week. The money helps to buy the land where the homes will be built and will help pay for building supervision and lessons.

“Most of the costs of the actual work is paid for by the people themselves, in the form of a mortgage” she said. “They have to qualify for a low-interest mortgage to get in this program, and then they have to do the work.”

The families get intensive lessons in building as well as mortgage and household finance lessons. Then they go to work. All six families help build all six houses. They all move in when the work on the last house is finished.

One member of each family must agree to spend a minimum 30 hours each week on the work.

“One thing we’ve found is that people want to be involved in this process,” she said. “It’s a matter of pride for most, being able to live in a house you built yourself. It’s a good feeling.”

Therriault said Community Concepts has three families selected for the Lisbon project, and is taking applications for the other three families.

This is the first project of its kind Community Concepts has managed in Androscoggin County. The company has helped build 80 homes in Oxford County with similar programs.

staylor@sunjournal.com

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