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A Stevensville family has a new home with the help of more than 100 dedicated volunteers, and one busy weekend.

The final bits of construction were being completed Sunday up at the construction site for Habitat for Humanitys Blitz Build, which put up the exterior of a house in just 72 hours.

Crews worked to put the shingles on the roof, while down on the ground the doors and windows were trimmed. On scaffold platforms teams finished installing the soffit material underneath the eaves so that the siding could be put on that afternoon.

Seven lumber mills from across Montana donated all of the wood being used in the house. This is the third time the wood products companies have partnered with Habitat for Humanity on a Blitz Build, having put up homes in Corvallis in 2003 and Missoula in 2000.

The amount of wood products donated included about 7,000 pounds of plywood and what Society of American Foresters Scott Keuhn called truckloads of bunks of 2-by-4s, each with 297 boards, with the donated material coming from as far away as Columbia Falls and Livingston.

Its one of the few houses where you can say every stick is all from Montana, said Mike Kibler, executive director of the Ravalli Habitat for Humanity.

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Although the exterior construction was completed in three days, Habitat volunteer coordinator Erin Clark said the effort had been in the planning process since May. Work on the plumbing, wiring, dry wall and the rest of the work to finish the interior of the house will start as soon as the Blitz Build is done, but will done at a more relaxed pace.

In all, its going to be a 12-week build process, with the goal of having the family moved in by Christmas, Clark said.

Over the course of the three exterior building days, she said the site saw 140 volunteers lend their time to make the project a success. From experienced carpenters ready to jump right in to people who were putting on a hard hat for the first time, she said they found tasks for every skill level.

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Habitat for Humanity volunteers build Stevensville home exterior in 3 days

home wiring 1st video
where i live there are 2 groups of people who by law can do wiring in a house 1 is a licensed electrician the other is the property owner and with the DIY cr...

By: mike strain

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home wiring 1st video - Video

STEVENSVILLE Building a home in 72 hours, constructed with lumber donated by Montanas seven mills, the Forests for Humanity Blitz Build kicked off in Stevensville on Friday and launched the third annual Montana Forest Products Week.

The project requires the labor of more than 40 local volunteers each day, with support from the Society of American Foresters, Missoula Federal Credit Union, University of Montanas Carpentry Program, the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, Ravalli County Habitat for Humanity and more.

Habitat partner family and future homeowners Lori Call and her daughter Miranda Rivera were at the site Lori pounding nails and Miranda hobbling along in a cast.

The flurry of construction ceased for a brief ceremony at noon.

Gov. Steve Bullock said, The suggestion at times is somehow that the community is actually helping out Lori and Miranda, but in many ways Lori and Miranda are helping out a community.

Its when we all come together be it the seven mills, be it the high school students and Key Clubs, be it the boards, be it everybody who says we can all work together on something thats a little bit bigger than any one of us as individuals. So the gift isnt given to you two, you two are giving this gift to this community and, indeed, the state.

Said Department of Natural Resources and Conservation Director John Tubbs: This week brings a focus to the forest products industry in Montana and how important it is for our communities for having those seven operating mills.

The ceremony also honored Darby Schools Rick Scheele and Victor Schools Lyle Thompson for their wood energy programs and Dirk Kruger of the Montana Logging Association.

Then construction resumed.

Ravalli County Habitat for Humanity executive director Mike Kibler said the Blitz Build was proceeding right on schedule.

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Blitz Build of Stevensville Habitat home launches Forest Products Week

Police search for MPD officer's personal vehicle stolen with weapons inside Police search for MPD officer's personal vehicle stolen with weapons inside

Updated: Wednesday, October 15 2014 10:09 AM EDT2014-10-15 14:09:48 GMT

Updated: Wednesday, October 15 2014 8:40 AM EDT2014-10-15 12:40:51 GMT

Updated: Wednesday, October 15 2014 7:44 AM EDT2014-10-15 11:44:09 GMT

Updated: Wednesday, October 15 2014 7:07 AM EDT2014-10-15 11:07:22 GMT

Updated: Wednesday, October 15 2014 7:05 AM EDT2014-10-15 11:05:53 GMT

As the Tennessee Highway Patrol investigates a double fatal crash involving a Bartlett police officer, family and friends remember the victims.

Investigators say the wood-frame house was under repair. The fire started in the bedroom when faulting electrical wiring sparked.

Damage to the house is estimated at around $45,000, and destroyed contents in the house total about $5,000 in damages.

Investigators have not been able to figure out if the house had a working smoke detector.

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No injuries in fire that destroyed Memphis home

ByKathy Sweedler

Do you have windows that don't seal completely? Perhaps you have holes going from the outside to the inside of your house from old pipes or wiring? If so, money is slipping out of your house.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, heating our homes accounts for 42 percent of our utility bills.

The U.S. Department of Energy has recently released a wonderful resource, Energy Saver: Tips on Saving Money & Energy at Home (energy.gov/ energysaver/downloads/ energy-saver-guide).

Here are a few of their tips to seal air leaks in your home:

Test your home for air tightness. On a windy day, carefully hold a lit incense stick or a smoke pen next to your windows, doors, electrical boxes, plumbing fixtures, electrical outlets, ceiling fixtures, attic hatches and other places where air may leak.

Caulk and weatherstrip doors and windows that leak air.

Caulk and seal air leaks where plumbing, ducting or electrical wiring comes through walls, floors, ceilings and soffits over cabinets.

Install foam gaskets behind outlet and switch plates on walls. This is a very low-cost improvement that will cut down drafts and make your room more comfortable.

Cover single-pane windows with storm windows or replace them with more efficient double-pane, low-emissivity windows.

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Family checkbook: Your bank account will warm up to these tips

GREENCASTLE >> Nearly a year ago fire destroyed Joseph Rutledge's mobile home, but his German Shepard Bella saved his life by waking him in time for them to get out.

Now, just over a week after his son's 12th birthday, Rutledge is doing everything he can to make sure they have a new home before winter.

"I'd like to give him (a home) for Christmas and his birthday, I want to say, 'here's the house, we're all done,'" Rutledge said.

At 6:15 a.m. on Nov. 11, 2013, Bella woke Rutledge by barking incessantly in his ear. It was unusual for her to act that way, and when he realized smoke was filling his home, he understood.

He grabbed some pants, went outside with Bella, and called 911. Once outside, he realized his home was billowing smoke, and after a few hours of firefighting and containment, his mobile home was destroyed.

Rutledge said getting his new home together has been an incredibly long process, that was greatly hindered by extreme cold of last winter's Polar Vortex. Once he was finally able to get his burned mobile home hauled off his lot on Warm Spring Road, he bought a broken down mobile home at an auction held by his mobile home park.

The home needed new plumbing, new electric wiring, flooring and skirting for the trailer. So far, Rutledge has been able to finish the new plumbing. But due to financial and time restrictions, he has struggled to finish the rest or the work that would make the place "livable."

Rutledge's mother, Patty Rutledge, decided to find a way to help. She has already provided a temporary home for him, Bella and hi son Joey, but she wanted to find a way to raise awareness again.

"I reached out to people personally," Patty Rutledge said. "They had heard about Joe's fire, and I told them that he was trying to get his place together... They have been really coming together to help out as much as possible."

She didn't just do a simple call, but rather decided to knock on the doors of local businesses that might be able to help out her son. A few follow up calls later, and she was able to confirm at least two businesses that were willing to help her son, all without his knowledge.

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A year later, fire victim works to build new home

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DEAR BARRY: In some of your articles, you advise people to hire home inspectors who have errors and omissions insurance (E&O).

Ive been a home inspector for 15 years and have avoided E&O insurance for four important reasons: 1) Insurance does not prove that a home inspector is qualified; 2) Insurance covers the inspector if he is sued, but it does not insure the homebuyer against financial loss for an undisclosed defect; 3) If a home inspector does his job well, he doesnt need insurance; 4) Having insurance attracts frivolous lawsuits. What do you think about these objections? Jeff

Dear Jeff: Regarding errors and omissions insurance, there are two schools of thought among home inspectors, and both have some merit. In response to your four arguments against E&O, here are some points and counterpoints:

On two of your points, we can agree: E&O insurance is not essential to every home inspection company, and E&O coverage does not indicate whether a home inspector is truly qualified.

In fact, some of the best home inspectors work without insurance for one of the very points that you made: namely, that insurance can be a magnet for baseless lawsuits.

As most people know, we live in a litigious business climate in which attorneys name as many defendants as possible in order to get as many settlements as possible. The deep pockets provided by an insurance company can definitely attract that kind of trouble.

On the other hand, frivolous lawsuits can be filed against a home inspector, even when there is no E&O insurance. Case in point: There was an ongoing lawsuit against a termite inspector for failure to disclose damaged wood in a home.

The plaintiffs attorney decided to name the home inspector in the suit. The home inspector, by law, was not required to disclose termites, so there was no basis for the complaint against him.

Nevertheless, he had to hire an attorney and eventually settled for thousands of dollars. With E&O insurance, he would have paid the deductible and walked away from the problem.

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Exposed wire in garage ceiling should be covered

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VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) Trying to sell a home in BC and not having much luck?

According to a new survey, the top factors for buyers in BC saying yes to a home is the potential of a homes value to increase.

I think everybody looks at a home and they just want to feel comfortable that theyre in a neighbourhod and/or the house itself will increase in value, its the investment for them, says Todd Shyiak with Century 21.

[They want] the opportunity to make sure that theyre not gonna lose money, that theyre not going to be under water. They want to make sure that if theyre buying a home, that its going to be worth more tomorrow than it is today, he adds.

Shyiak says the number one additional feature that would persuade people in BC to buy a home is upgrades that make the home more energy efficient.

The survey found three out of ten people in BC would avoid the potential costs of a home with outdated plumbing and electrical systems.

People are willing to renovate for looks but not for repair. They dont want to have to come in to have to re-do the wiring or re-do the plumbing. They will absolutely come and in and knock out a wall, if it increases the layout but theyre not going to come in and want to replace the roof or the plumbing or electrical.

The survey says nationally, the top three factors found to make a home more attractive are layout, location, and cleanliness.

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What features tend to win over prospective home buyers in BC?

VILONIA, AR -- It's a big step for neighborhood hit hard by the April 27th tornado that devastated parts of central Arkansas. The first rebuilt home is currently under construction in the Parkwood Meadows subdivision of Vilonia.

Crews were busy Thursday putting in electrical wiring and working on the roof. A developer bought up 25 lots. He plans to build homes and put them on the market. For one of the guys working on the build its an extra special job. He's an electrician and also a volunteer firefighter -- one of the first to respond after the tornado.

"This is my home town and just to see the destruction , the life lost, it still gets to you a little bit," said Clay Heslep. "To be rebuilding the first house, it's just a testament to what this community is all about.

The developer says all the homes will be build with anchor bolts to better secure the walls to the foundation. Each will also have a safe room.

The builder says the plan from here out is to do two homes at a time. He hopes to have the first home on the market within the next three weeks.

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Tornado Flattened Neighborhood Seeing First Rebuild