On a bright April morning, Larbi smiled over his shoulder at the five-unit townhouse going up in Malden. Even shrouded in scaffolding with a crew of volunteers busy putting up siding, it’s beginning to look a lot like home.

“It’s beautiful,” he said over the din of a half-dozen hammers and a power saw nearby. “It’s a great feeling. All the family are excited that it’s getting close.”

Larbi, his wife, and their three children are one of five families partnering with Habitat for Humanity Greater Boston to build their future homes. With the help of one of his sons, Larbi recently reached a major milestone in the process – completing 300 hours of sweat equity working alongside Habitat Greater Boston’s construction team and dedicated volunteers.

Since last May, Larbi has been working hard framing walls, becoming an ace with power tools, and bringing positive energy to the build site, said Site Supervisor Sam Levenberg.

“He always has a smile on his face, even in the winter when it was bitter cold,” he said. “We’re really excited for him.”

For Larbi, one of the best parts has been getting to know his future neighbors on the job site.

“We already know each other from working together,” he said. “‘It’s a community.”

As part of the homeownership program, all partner families contribute sweat equity hours helping on the job site or in the ReStore, Habitat Greater Boston’s home improvement retail outlet in West Roxbury. Households with one adult are asked to contribute 250 hours; households with two adults are asked to contribute 300 hours.

Larbi’s family is the second to complete their sweat equity hours, following his future neighbor Jimmy, who wrapped up his hours in December.

“It’s an amazing feeling” to be getting close to owning a home, Larbi said. “Without Habitat, this wouldn’t happen.”

Congratulations, Larbi!