Habitat for Humanity embarks on Blitz Build

Published 1:30 am Saturday, August 8, 2026

PORT ANGELES — About 25 percent of a house was built in just five days thanks to Habitat for Humanity of Clallam County’s first Blitz Build.

“This has been such an exciting and busy week,” Habitat CEO Colleen Robinson said Friday during a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the house at 1127 W. Hazel St. “Who has ever heard the phrase ‘many hands make light work’? This is the proof.”

As Robinson spoke, she stood in front of the fully-framed building, which was constructed this week by three companies.

The Blitz Build began Tuesday with Titan Builders completing the exterior framing.

On Wednesday, AW Services LLC completed the interior framing.

Romero Contracting took over the project to construct the roll trusses and sheeting on the roof.

Habitat Board President Danny Steiger, the CEO of Lumber Traders, thanked Robinson for her vision and drive in bringing the Blitz Build to Clallam County.

“All these different community partners came together to make this happen,” Steiger said. “It builds excitement when people see work being done. They want to get involved, too.”

After cutting the ceremonial ribbon, Habitat staff and volunteers were invited to go into the house to sign the studs and write messages of blessings and welcomes.

“The premise of the Blitz Build was to bring in skilled contractors to close-in a house in a week,” Robinson said before the ceremony. “With only our volunteers, this would have taken about a month. To get this far in just four days is incredible.”

The project first came about while the organization was working on its four-plex Ketchum Veteran Cottages on Hazel Street. The property next door was “very blighted,” Robinson said, and the owner wasn’t living there, so Habitat approached the owner about selling the property at 1127 W. Hazel St.

Robinson got the idea to do a Blitz Build on the property. Although it was Clallam County’s first Blitz Build, the strategy has been used by Habitat for Humanity branches many times, Robinson said.

“Some Habitat affiliates have built a whole house during a Blitz Build,” she said. “There’s lots of ways to do this.”

Habitat affiliates have even built half of a house during county fairs and then transported the house to its location, she said.

In addition to the three construction partners working on the house, Habitat received all of the framing lumber as a donation from Interfor, which has donated the framing lumber for the past 13 homes.

The Blitz Build also was supported with sponsored lunches from Lincoln Park Grocery, Safeway, Subway, Sunny Farms and Pizza Hut.

The North Peninsula Building Association, of which Habitat is a member, also helped support the build by recruiting and coordinating local building contractors.

The city of Port Angeles also assisted by having site inspectors ready for the permitting process.

“We are incredibly grateful for the generosity of our local building community and business partners,” Robinson said in a news release. “The Blitz Build is a powerful example of what can be accomplished when contractors, suppliers, volunteers and community organizations unite around the shared goal of helping a local family achieve the dream of homeownership.”

It will take Habitat another six to nine months to finish the Hazel Street house, which will go to a single family that has not yet been chosen.

This first Blitz Build in Clallam County was “100 percent” successful, Robinson said.

“We had perfect weather, great community partners, it was everything we hoped for,” she said. “It was quite a bit of coordination that went into this.”

The organization has a 45-home community coming up in Carlsborg and 48 homes to be built in Sequim, so Robinson said she would love to see more Blitz Builds in the future.

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Reporter Emily Hanson can be reached by email at emily.hanson@peninsuladailynews.com.