JAY – The crew worked quickly as the final pieces of yellow siding were added to Crystal Ducharme’s new home Saturday.

This was not a group of professionals but instead five single women and one couple who have worked together to help each other build their own ranch-style home.

As part of the Community Concepts’ Self-Help Homeownership Program, each family committed to work 30 hours per week (Saturday, Sunday and Monday) over the past year. It’s a task that required learning construction skills and performing the physical labor.

Experience is not a pre-requisite as a skilled site supervisor, in this case Tom Walker of Wilton, teaches the team, as he said, “all my little secrets.” Walker oversees every step, including basic framing, interior work and the siding. As they learn construction principles working on the six homes, he said, maintenance of their own homes will be easier for them afterward.

“I know my house inside out,” said Ducharme, as she and two other women measured, hammered and leveled what will be her front porch.

Most of the women are employed in jobs that don’t require a lot of physical labor or even has them working outside, he said.

But you’d never know it watching them skillfully tackle their work.

“I’m one of the laziest persons,” said Carrie Nelson of Auburn as she spoke about her experience with the program, “but I came and I love doing it.”

Her new home in Hartford, like the other five, will have three bedrooms, one bath, and be energy efficient. All the houses are basically the same, Walker said.

“The homes are available with no down payment and low mortgage payments with interest rates as low as 1 percent,” said Dana Stevens, director of the Community Concept program. The agency has been building homes in Oxford, Androscoggin and Franklin counties since 1991.

“Families qualify to participate based on the size of the family and income,” said Sandy Albert, also from Community Concepts in South Paris. “The participant needs reasonably good credit,” she said, “but those interested are encouraged to apply as we will work with them.”

Participants also realize instant equity of up to $20,000 for building their own home, Walker said. It’s a project that can take 10 to 12 months.

After completing the siding at Ducharme’s home, the group planned to move on to side another participant’s home in Livermore, he said. He keeps them working at the same stage on each house till all six are completed. They created six frames, interior work on each and now are working on the siding, he said.

Foundation, electrical and plumbing work is done by professionals but everything else is up to the participant, who is able to choose items such as paint, flooring, siding and cabinets to make their home their own, as stated in the program flyer.

Community Concepts finds available lots that participants can choose from in areas where they want to live, he said.

Three groups of six work on their homes following completion of a 10-week pre-construction course. The course includes mortgage and home insurance instruction, said Albert, but it’s also a team builder as participants get to know each other before they start working together.

This group has received a little extra help from a couple inmates involved in the work release program at Franklin County Detention Center.

The low-risk inmates, said Carl Stinchfield, assistant jail administrator, can volunteer for community service projects. Four inmates currently qualify to participate, he said Saturday at the Ducharme site.

“For each 16 hours of work they give,” he said, “they receive one day off their sentence.”