FAIRMONT — The house at 313 N. Orient St. in Fairmont looks like it has seen better days, as evidenced by its board-covered windows, but Habitat for Humanity of Faribault and Martin Counties already has made tremendous strides in refurbishing the structure to be a home for Ashley Arcos and her seven children.

“We want them all moved in by Christmas,” said Staci Thompson, executive director of the Habitat chapter.

Citibank donated the house to Habitat in October 2015 and work started in January 2017.

“It doesn’t usually take this long,” Thompson said, but the amount of donations and number of volunteers control the work timetable. “Last year was the year of the roof where it was just shaving off layer after layer after layer of shingles. They were using a potato fork.”

The inside has been gutted, and plumbing and electrical have been upgraded. Prison inmates are crafting the cabinets, and volunteers are in the process of replacing those boarded-up windows.

“This is a many-groups project,” Thompson said. “Right now the carpenters are just finishing up so we can start hanging sheet rock. Once the sheet rock starts going up, things tend to go pretty quickly.”

She estimates it’s going to take about $65,000 to finish the house, which will put it back on the tax rolls as a safe, livable home instead of the dilapidated hovel it was.

“We’re really excited about this house because when we first saw it, it was so ugly. Sometimes, it just takes faith to make it beautiful again. I’m so glad this house is going to be lived in again,” Thompson said.

This house, which is the 11th build for the Habitat chapter, and the one prior to it have been houses that have been rehabilitated, rather than a new build. Difficulty finding a contractor to oversee a new build has forced Habitat to be creative.

“We’ve had to think outside the box so we can keep serving families,” Thompson said. “When we knew we were going to accept this house, we started advertising to get the word out.

Habitat for Humanity does not have a waiting list, nor do people apply.

“If we’re going to build, we need to have the family chosen because we design the house to meet the family’s needs,” she said. “When we have a donation, like this one, we try to find a family that’s suitable for the size of the home.”

Currently, Habitat is looking for a family that includes a member with a physical handicap, Thompson said, hinting at a future announcement about a new project in Fairmont.

And Habitat always is seeking volunteers, both skilled and unskilled workers.

“We work on Saturdays and also Wednesdays if we have people that are interested,” Thompson said. “It’s been difficult to get groups to come and work so if anyone is interested, please, please call the office.”

Thompson can be reached at (507) 526-2500.