With the sun setting and the temperature dropping on a chilly November afternoon, Jimmy was perched on a scaffold outside, shimming a second-floor window. It was tricky work, even a little tedious. But Jimmy – like always – was smiling wide.

“I’m so excited to see the progress going on and know finally we’ll be moving into our own home,” he said during a break from working on his future home in Malden with Habitat Greater Boston staff and volunteers.

All partner families bring incredible dedication and enthusiasm to the sweat equity hours they put in helping to build their homes as part of the homeownership program. But Jimmy, who completed his 300 hours in December, reached that milestone among the fastest out of all the families who’ve partnered with Habitat Greater Boston.

To get those hours in, Jimmy used all his vacation days from work and spent time away from his wife and daughter. But knowing his investment of time and effort was going toward their future home made it well worth it.

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“It’s a privilege to see your house going up,” he said. “I’ll make whatever sacrifice is needed to get it done.”

Jimmy’s is one of five families looking forward to becoming homeowners at the Malden site. Many of the future neighbors have already become friends working side by side.

Even with his sweat equity hours complete, Jimmy said he expects to still be a familiar face on the job site, both in a hard hat working beside his future neighbors and stopping by to say hello on his daily walks from his apartment nearby.

Congratulations, Jimmy!