CARBONDALE — Jeff Smith of Carbondale is one step closer to having a home for his family.

Initially the groundbreaking for his Habitat for Humanity project was planned for October. But it didn’t happen until December, putting the project behind schedule for Smith’s family of seven.

But this morning all that is to change with about 30 Habitat for Humanity of the Roaring Fork Valley (HHRFV) volunteers helping to unload the family’s new, pre-built home.

The home comes from New Hope Construction, which has built many of the prefabricated homes in parts of Mississippi damaged by Hurricane Katrina.

“We are very excited about utilizing New Hope’s building expertise to help us get a jump-start on this project that is behind schedule,” said Scott Gilbert, board president of HHRFV. “The pre-framed system will enable us to get the eager Smith family into their new home sooner than the traditional method of building would have.”

The pre-framed shell packages from New Hope include everything required to complete the exterior of the house, including a complete floor, wall panel and roof system; roofing felt; shingles, windows; doors; vinyl siding and trim. New Hope will also provide the interior package for the home, including plumbing, electrical, insulation, floor coverings, kitchen cabinets and countertops, interior doors and trim, and even the light bulbs.

Because of the need to unload the trucks quickly, today’s workday will involve the largest number of volunteers utilized in a single day for the Habitat affiliate.