Alle-Kiski Realtors, Carnegie Mellon students volunteer to rehab 4 New Kensington houses for Habitat for Humanity

Wielding a pry bar, Nicole Tascarella knocked down the remains of the second-floor plaster wall.

Shannon Doerr steered the mini circular saw through some foam board.

And Sylvia Maxwell climbed a ladder to measure the wall for its insulation.

The women, all part of the Greater Allegheny-Kiski Area Board of Realtors, volunteered on Saturday morning, along with a group of students from Carnegie Mellon University, with Reaching for a Better Tomorrow and Allegheny Valley Habitat for Humanity.

The two organizations are working to rebuild and renovate four properties in the 500 block of New Kensington’s Fourth Avenue.

The homes, which won’t be completed until later this year, will go to local veterans or military service members, said Habitat Executive Director John Tamiggi.

The block on Fourth Avenue is one of the first clusters of homes they’ve been able to take on, he said.

“We can be part of reinventing this block and turn it into something special,” Tamiggi said.

In addition to the four homes being rehabbed, the groups will also offer to do some light exterior maintenance work on other properties on the street, including replacing porch steps, painting and rebuilding railings.

“We want to bring this block back to life,” Tamiggi said. “Be part of something of greater meaning and purpose.”

The interior of the house at 547 Fourth Ave. has been torn down to the studs. On Saturday morning, volunteers were working to finish some final prep and demolition work before starting to install foam board to serve as insulation.

Doerr said the Realtors’ group had about a dozen volunteer on-site prepping the studs for drywall.

They voted to partner with Habitat earlier this year.

“This so ties in to everything we do in real estate,” Doerr said. “They were a great fit for us.”

Among their goals, she said, the Greater Allegheny-Kiski Area Board of Realtors wants to help people gain access to quality housing.

“There’s so much more that goes into people having safe and affordable housing,” Doerr said. “This gives us an opportunity to help with that.”

Chris Andring, a construction lead with Habitat, said they will move through the house and complete one room at a time. So far, they have installed new windows and a new terra cotta sewer line. The kitchen will get granite countertops.

Charles Monroe, who also works for Habitat, said they soon plan to blow out a wall on the side of the house and build a new porch.

He has been doing construction work since he was 11 and has worked for Habitat for about four years.

“People need help, and I know how to do it,” he said. “I use my knowledge and try to share it.”

Work is done at the properties at least a few days each week. Volunteers can sign up for the project by going to habitatav.org and can work in groups or as individuals.

Habitat provides tools and materials and even instruction.

“We’ll teach you anything you want to know,” Andring said.

As the projects move along, he said, there is customization to fit the needs of the person who buys it — including whether the house will be a two- or three-bedroom.

The buyer gets a 0%-interest mortgage for the property and is required to put in some sweat equity as the renovation goes on, Tamiggi said.

“It helps weave them into the social fabric of the community,” he said.

He noted, too, that Resnick Roofing put a roof on the building at the back of the property — which will be turned into a two-bedroom apartment — at no cost. And Merit Electric ran all the wiring in the house for free.

Across the street, at 544 Fourth Ave., the CMU students were working.

Although that property did not require as extensive tear-down as the other, the students spent much of Saturday doing demolition.

J.T. Devine, a senior business major at Carnegie Mellon, gutted the downstairs bathroom by himself.

“The most fun part was taking the sledgehammer and breaking the toilet apart,” he said. “I saw sparks.”

Andrew Morris, a junior scenic production design major at CMU, is familiar with carpentry work.

“This is actually rest and relaxation for me,” he said. “And it feels so great to be able to give back to the community.”

Stephanie Choi, a senior at CMU majoring in architecture, has volunteered at the property before.

“I’m interested in how I can help other people with housing and construction,” she said.

Mark Cook, executive director of Reaching for a Better Tomorrow, said they use professional contractors to do things like electrical, HVAC and plumbing, while the volunteers do much of the cosmetic work.

Cook, who is a stone mason, said that he realized early on in the business that refurbishing run-down properties helps the whole community.

“It keeps everybody else’s values up,” he said.