Jane Skills at Their Best

Every Jane out there knows that feeling of pride that comes with completing a do-it-yourself project, whether it's hanging a shelf, changing out a faucet or tiling a floor. So, imagine how you'd feel if you'd built an entire house in just one day!

That's exactly what fellow Jane, Holly Downs, did-with the help of a couple of friends, of course. We've featured Holly's projects before-click here to check them out.

Earlier this year, Holly and about 50 other volunteers with the non-profit organization Corazon (www.corazon.org ">www.corazon.org), built a house for a family in need. In fact, in its 28 year history, Corazon has helped to provide 800 new homes in Mexico and repair thousands more. Holly heard about the non-profit from a friend and decided to give it a whirl.

In this case, Holly and her co-workers built the new house in about 8 hours!

So, how exactly do 50 people build a house in one day?

Well, these homes do not come with the amenities many of us are used to. They lack indoor plumbing and electricity. Also, they are small by our standards, ranging about 12'X 20'.

Still, these houses are a vast improvement to how many families are living in some villages. "People were living in shacks made of pallets and cardboard at best," Holly says. "It's exactly what you don't want to see."

At 4:00 o'clock Saturday morning Holly left her home in Orange County, CA to help build a home for a young couple, Caesar and Jessica, who had just welcomed a new baby into their family. In order qualify for a new home, Corazon asks that the recipient volunteer within his or her community. With her husband at work six days a week, Jessica put in most of the hours pouring cement for foundations on other homes being built in her community.

A single home costs about $1,300 with any leftover proceeds going towards scholarships for family members. On this particular day Corazon had organized a Super Build, where more than 300 volunteers built or repaired six homes.

Holly was in Tecate by 8'oclock, and soon everyone was divided into different groups, cutting, nailing and painting. Though she's an experienced Jane who redid her own kitchen, Holly notes that people of all skill sets and ages were there and eagerly helping out. "Some people just handed out water," she recalls, "But that was an incredibly important job because we all needed it!"

After a couple of hours of painting, Holly was anxious to swing a hammer. (Another note: the only power tools used on the project was saws to cut the wood.) Up on the roof Holly estimates she pounded in some 300 nails, and learned a thing or two such as the three cardinal rules for working on a roof are: don't ever walk backwards, always stand sideways, with one leg above the other and always have both feet firmly planted below you. No tip-toeing!

Though small, the home incorporated a few signature touches. A loft gives younger family members ample sleeping space, baskets were hung from the walls and butterflies were stenciled into the loft's staircase.

Once the door was installed the keys were handed over, the volunteers called it a day. Caesar and Jessica had a new home! Besides the home, there was more good news: Jessica also received a scholarship. "There wasn't a dry eye around," says Holly.

Holly is looking forward to putting her Jane skills to more good use in the near future. "I am definitely going to try and do a few builds a year," she says. "I am hooked."

For more information on how you can take part in similar builds, click here or go to www.corazon.org ">www.Corazon.org.