Improvements to historic Hired Man’s House in DeKalb could be completed this summer

DeKALB – After the relocation of the historic Hired Man’s House from Sycamore to DeKalb last fall, project leaders said building improvements were in order and are expected to be completed in the coming months.

On Saturday, Habitat for Humanity of DeKalb County was joined during a build by a group of volunteers from Northern Illinois University and its women’s basketball team.

“It’s amazing, and it’s very critical for us,” said Sheri Kosmoa, president at Habitat for Humanity of DeKalb County. “Because of these volunteer groups that come out to help us, we can get a lot of this work done.”

Since the historic move of the Hired Man’s House this past fall, Kosmoa said improvements to the house have remained close to within budget.

“Affordability has always been a challenge,” she said. “We are able to keep the cost down through donations. But costs aren’t going down for any builder and we’re in the same boat as them.”

NIU student Alecia Doyle said she’s glad she decided to lend a hand to support the cause.

The NIU women’s basketball team’s newly installed head coach, Jacey Brooks, was seen dropping in as student athletes spent time bonding with one another during the build.

“It means a lot to me,” Doyle said. “It makes me feel good knowing that I’m helping the community and helping others and also getting to do it with my teammates. It just helps us build a bond, as well, while we’re helping the community.”

One such challenge Doyle said she faced during the build was climbing a ladder.

“I am kind of scared ladders, so getting up on a ladder was definitely a challenge,” Doyle said. “But I ended up doing it. I conquered my fears. So, I’m proud of myself for that. I had my teammates there at the bottom holding it, so that just gave me confidence, the ability to be able to trust them that they wouldn’t let me fall.”

NIU student Shannon Blacher said her favorite part was building camaraderie with the team giving back to a good cause.

“It’s probably just learning new things, learning how to work in construction and houses, something I’ve never done much of before, but I’m having a lot of fun doing it, especially with my teammates,” Blacher said. “It feels good to give back to the community.”

Chris Marrs, treasurer at Habitat for Humanity of DeKalb County, said seeing the university community show its support meant a lot to Habitat for Humanity.

“I mean, I think it’s great,” Marrs said. “The community support has been phenomenal for this house and to see the university active in being involved in this build is greatly appreciated.”

Kosmoa touted what project leaders have accomplished so far.

She said the rooms were reconfigured to a two-bedroom, the basement was finished to include a bathroom, a porch was added, and a new roof and siding were installed.

The historic house is expected to be move-in ready by the end of June or beginning of July, project leaders said.

Kosmoa said there’s still much work that needs to be done on the house.

Project leaders need to finish the siding, flooring, interior painting, kitchen cabinets, fixtures, install appliances, among other things.

“It’s a large project – a lot of moving parts, a lot of moving pieces, a lot of different things to coordinate," she said.