DEMOPOLIS – Today, Demopolis residents became a part of history as they embarked on a journey that will change one family’s life forever.

At 7 a.m. Lindsey Gardner, library director, and about 25 volunteers began construction on Demopolis’ first Habitat for Humanity home.

“We have about six or seven people who have done something like this before,” Gardner said. “So we will put them in a group with two or three people who haven’t.”

According to Gardner, 80 people have volunteered for the three-month project.

“But if people still want to volunteer they can call me so I can schedule them so we won’t have too many people on one Saturday,” she said. “Twenty-five or 30 is an ideal number.”

Gardner said some building materials have been purchased but they are currently looking plywood and other such items at a reasonable cost.

“Since the hurricanes, the price of plywood and other building materials has risen,” she said. “Many of the places we were ordering from have suffered damage and now they have to go to another supplier further away and that is making the prices go up for us.”

She added they are still accepting donations for the house if anyone is interested in helping monetarily.

Potential homeowner, Lavon Blount said she is ready for the construction of her new home.

“I’m excited. It’s been a long process,” Blount said. “It’s been two or three years, but I’ve always had faith in God.”

Blount said she planned to be at the site with her three children at 6:30 a.m. because she is ready for the project to begin.

“We’ll definitely be there at 7,” she said.

In a few weeks, Gardener and Blount will search for doors and windows, but tomorrow’s main task is to put up the frame and the home’s exterior and interior walls.

Although that seems a big task for an 8-hour block, Gardener said she thinks they will be able to do it and learn in the process.

“With tomorrow being the first day of us building our first house, we will be very aware of ways to make things run smoothly for the rest of the time,” she said.

“I’ll just be so happy to see that get done,” Blount said about the first phase of the project.

Blount said the location of her future home at the corner of Washington and Chestnut streets is in a quiet neighborhood and peaceful as far as she can tell.

“I met the woman who lives next door,” Blount said. “She is nice.”

Blount said she wanted to wait until construction on her new home had gotten underway before she shopped for furniture. So, fair warning to area furniture owners as of Saturday afternoon – look out.