Farley and Lenita Graves rolled up their sleeves on Saturday and got busy with about 70 volunteers.

The Graves and the volunteer corps are building a new habitat, to be completed this summer.

Saturday’s work included the raising of the first walls of a brand-new house the Graves family is purchasing with the help of Habitat for Humanity of Island County.

The fifth such home to be built on Whidbey Island by both the north and south chapters of Habitat, the home is situated on a treed lot in a quiet neighborhood in Admiral’s Cove. The dwelling will be a definite step up from the apartment in Coupeville the couple now rents.

But more than just a house, the structure and the work going into it, have special meaning to the couple, married nearly four years ago.

“There are a lot of caring people around who are willing to put in time so we can have a livable place to live,” said Lenita Graves over the sounds of hammering and sawing.

Each Habitat for Humanity house on Whidbey Island comes with about a $50,000 price tag for materials. The homes are built on donated lots by volunteers. Those purchasing the homes must qualify financially and must contribute “sweat equity” to the building process. Purchasers secure a mortgage to pay off the $50,000 debt.

The homes are not a hand-out, said Habitat Selection Committee Chairperson Yvonne McGinnis. Rather, Habitat is trying to reach families that have the means to qualify for the small mortgages on the houses the organization builds, but could not afford the normally higher-priced real estate in the conventional market place.

Lenita Graves is a substitute teacher at Coupeville Elementary School. With a master’s degree under her belt, she hopes to get a full-time teaching position. Farley Graves is developing a Web site business that the couple hopes will turn a profit.

With the weather cooperating on Saturday, the number of volunteers that turned out to help erect the structure was evidenced by the row of cars and trucks lining both sides of the residential street.

“I thought there’d be three or four people show up,” said volunteer Baker Ferrall, a retired Marine. “There’s close to 70 volunteers here.”

Young and elderly, men and women, the group of volunteers seemed to effortlessly raise the four outer walls of the house and secure them into place. The majority of those pounding nails don’t even have construction experience.

“You learn quick. Anybody can do it,” said volunteer Diane Olson, who worked side-by-side with a man she had never before met, Dave Mark. The two were hammering support beams for the floor.

“I’ll do anything for a cup of coffee,” joked Mark.

The volunteer construction crews are supervised by professional general contractors that volunteer their time. One contractor working with the crew on Saturday was Mark Barlup.

Barlup has worked on three Habitat for Humanity houses on Whidbey Island, said his wife, Veronica Barlup.

Harvey Herrigstad is the volunteer coordinator. A retiree, Herrigstad has been with Habitat for Humanity since the chapters were first formed on Island County.

“I’ve been kind of the construction guy for the north end,” Herrigstad said.

Volunteers are mostly found through the organization’s church relations committee. While many volunteers are active Christians, and the group has Christian roots, there is no religious requirement for volunteer participation or for those that are selected to purchase the homes, McGinnis said.

The Graves are active in the Christian and Missionary Alliance church in Langley, and chose to have a naming ceremony for the site, officiated by their pastor, Bob Welch.

Since there is a large cedar tree on the property, the Graves’ future home is now known as “The Graves’ House by the Big Cedar.”

While the construction of a home is a huge undertaking, Welch, in his prayer during the naming ceremony, touched on the difference a dedicated corps of volunteers make.

“Many hands make light work,” Welch said.

You can reach News-Times reporter Christine Smith at csmith@whidbeynewstimes.com or call 675-6611