The sound of three hammers echoes in the cold October air.

People in orange hard hats huddle together on a wooden platform, surrounded by piles of two-by-fours and hand tools.

Mounds of black dirt surround the small concrete foundation at 731 Walnut St. in Story City that will soon be transformed into a house.

It is a house Valerie Dillavou and her four children are “really excited” to occupy.

“It’s gonna be great having a place we can call our own,” she said. “A place where we can paint the walls any color we want and where we’ll have enough room for everyone.”

Dillavou said her four children – 16-year-old Justine, 10-year-old Mikyla, 6-year-old Ryan and 4-year-old Mykl – see the progress every day.

She said she and her family are very happy with the area and the “really nice people” in Story City.

“Everybody is real supportive up here,” said Dillavou, an Ames resident.

Her new house is part of the Homecoming Week Blitz Build, where ISU students join together and build a house for a someone in need through Habitat for Humanity International.

This is the fifth year ISU students have done the project, said Kendra Nelson, co-chair for community projects on Homecoming Central. However, this is the first year the project has taken place outside of Ames.

Nelson, senior in agronomy, said actual work on the house began in September, when Habitat for Humanity workers began to lay the foundation. Most of the structural work will be completed this week with the help of volunteers, she added.

Nelson said the “finishing touches” will go through December.

Work on the house is done in two four-hour shifts, she said. About 15 people work each shift, but sometimes other people show up to help as well.

The house will not be formally dedicated and ready for the Dillavou family until they have put 500 hours of “sweat equity” into the building of their home, Nelson said.

But the family has been involved since the very beginning.

Dillavou said she received a letter on Aug. 24, the day before Justine’s birthday, that work would begin on her new home. She then sat down with a designer almost immediately to work on things she wanted in her home.

Dillavou said three things were very important to her.

She wanted a “very open floor plan,” with no wall between her kitchen and the living room.

The stairs also will be open all the way to the basement, she said.

Another major need was a large bathroom, because Dillavou’s daughter, Justine, is handicapped.

“If it gets to the point where she can’t walk, I wanted to be able to get her in and out without having to do an expensive remodel,” Dillavou said.

Then, with a smile lighting up her face, she pointed to the place where the corner window in her kitchen will eventually look out on the street.

Dillavou said she’s prepared to do any work necessary, including climbing on the roof and laying shingles.

“It’s the only thing I don’t know how to do,” she said. “I’m looking forward to that the most.”

Dillavou also said she’s enjoyed the volunteers who are helping her construct her home.

“They’re all excited and willing to do what they can,” she said. “The kids and I are really grateful for the help at Iowa State.”

Being involved in the project means a lot to Sarah Johnson, the other co-chair for community projects for Homecoming Central.

“We both felt this was something where we could make a big impact,” said Johnson, junior in elementary education. “It makes an impact on the community as well as an individual family.”

Johnson also said she’s very excited about the location of the house.

“It’s a nice, safe community with a good school system,” she said. “It’s a good town for a family to live in.”