Home for the holidays

Christmas came four days early for Shantina Potts and Nate Steele, when an almost 1,000-square-foot home was delivered to their Greenbank property.

Part of Goosefoot Community Fund’s Affordable Housing Program, the recycled home was delivered by a massive truck and trailer around 2 a.m. Sunday.

Crews worked all day Saturday to temporarily remove mailboxes and yard decorations along the street in the Lagoon Point neighborhood to make room for a house already perched on an oversized trailer waiting for its new owner.

The excitement and holiday spirit in the air Saturday evening was unmistakable. Employees from Empire Construction, J.D. Wallace and Goosefoot put the finishing touches on the home around 9 p.m. by stringing up Christmas lights connected to a generator. The workers’ glow-in-the-dark Santa hats bobbed in the dark, while neighbors — some wearing their pajamas — congregated in their driveways to see the house depart.

Debbie Torget, administrative manager for Goosefoot, said the move Saturday was their most successful yet. It was the festive and helpful contributions from neighbors which made the move memorable, she said.

“It was like being part of a Mardi Gras parade,” Torget said with a laugh. “We cannot thank them enough.”

From the day they signed up for the program until delivery day, Potts said the move has been about two years in the making. After Goosefoot’s waiting list came the exciting task of finding the perfect house to recycle.

“It’s been a long wait,” Potts said Saturday.

Potts and her fiance, Steele, are waiting until August to say their vows on their land beside their new home. After living with family for several months, Potts said their new home will have been worth the wait.

“It takes a lot of planning and preparation,” Potts said about the program. “We’re very anxious to get into our space.”

Crews worked until about 2 a.m. Sunday, after maneuvering through the narrow neighborhood streets out onto Highway 525. They left the house on the edge of it’s new property, but will wait until next week to begin the foundation, according to Potts.

“It went perfectly,” Potts said. “We beat the schedule by a couple of hours.”

Potts said once the house has been hooked up to the utilities, it will be lowered onto the foundation. They hope to move into the home by the end of January, and eventually add three bedrooms onto the house next fall.

The couple has three children, Derek Steele, 12, Tyler Potts, 10, and Sarah Potts, 8.

Goosefoot transported two houses in 2003, and seven total houses since they began the program in 2000, according to Torget. Goosefoot hopes to move four houses in 2004.

Comment on this story.

COMMENTING RULES: We encourage an open exchange of ideas in our online community, but we ask you to follow our guidelines for respecting community standards. In a nutshell, don't say anything you wouldn't want your mother to read. Please see our FAQ if you have questions or concerns about using Facebook to comment.