A Habitat for Humanity truck driver found himself on the opposite side of a ribbon-cutting house-reveal in West Virginia on Saturday.
Truck driver Bian Mills has been working for Habitat for Humanity for around two years, and in that time he has seen plenty of houses built, refurbished, and gifted to those in need. Now, Mills is finding himself on the receiving end of Habitat for Humanity’s efforts.
For the last two months, Mills has been working on the house every Friday from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., but he wasn’t alone in his building efforts. Many Habitat for Humanity volunteers and workers contributed their own time to the renovation of this house until it was ready for its new inhabitant, Mills himself.
Mills says he is excited for his new, warm home, one he considers an upgrade from his last place, where he had to sleep in the cold due to utility issues. Habitat for Humanity says that efficiency was a focus when building this home, so Mills won’t have to worry about excessive utility bills or cold nights once he gets settled.
“When i got started in the program, I didn’t realize how much work it takes to put a house together or to refurbish a home like this home’s been refurbished,” Mills said to WTAP News.
“It takes a lot of work….the stripping it out, getting rid of all the things in the house before, putting the flooring in, the trim, the painting…”
Mills says he’s thankful for all the help he received in building his new home, and admits that lending a helping hand is contagious.
“As you start to give, you get. You get back. Then you want to give more and not to get but because you’re giving….it starts to grow and it becomes a habit,” he said, adding that he plans to help with other builds in the future.
Mills is due to move in any day now, and he says he’ll be christening his home in an iconic fashion.
“Well I kidded with one of the other employees that Tom Cruise was in a movie a long time ago when he was in his skivvies and a Bob Seger song played and he was sliding across this wood floor,” Mills said.
“So I’m going to slide across my wood floor in my socks. That’s the first thing I’m going to do. When there’s nobody around, I’m going to take a run and slide across that floor.”