Local News
Darboy parish selling house
Holy Angels parishioners built the house and now they are trying to sell it
By Joanne Flemming
Compass Correspondent
Members of Holy Angels Parish in Darboy this summer came up with an unusual way to
help pay off parish debt.
They built and are attempting to sell a three-bedroom ranch home located in the Town of
Harrison off County Highway N.
Dawn Schmidt, project co-chairperson, said they have had two weekend open houses to
show-off the house, which more than 100 people attended..
The parish hopes to sell the house for $162,000. Between $70,000 - $80,000 of that will
be applied to debt from expansion of Holy Angels School and the construction of the
church's multi-purpose room in 1998.
Schmidt said parish volunteers decided to build the house last year after they renovated
and decorated the inside of the church.
The 1,620 square foot house was built on donated land with volunteer help, Schmidt said.
Construction began in early May and was completed by Aug. 1. The parish paid for
building materials and about 20% of the labor.
Schmidt said construction generally went smoothly. She co-chaired the project with
husband George, then with Dick DeValk of Darboy, the principal builder.
Schmidt contacted business people who donated help with the house. These were either
parish members or people who have worked with other parish projects.
Schmidt also coordinated the 15-20 volunteers who worked on construction.
After the foundation was poured, volunteers framed the house in three days. After that
they worked mostly evenings and weekends. When completed, the home was ready to
move into, said Schmidt.
Besides three bedrooms, the house has 2½ baths, a first floor laundry room, three-car
garage, full basement and full patio. The yard is landscaped with trees and shrubs. The
interior is decorated in neutral and earth tone colors. There is a fireplace in the living
room. Kitchen cabinets are maple.
Parish artisans added special touches such as stenciled grapevines above bathroom doors
and kitchen windows. They also "woolied" the walls in one bathroom and bedroom by
blotting freshly applied paint with bunched-up wool rags to create a marbelized effect.
One parishioner made and installed birdhouses in the yard while his wife sewed curtains
for the house. Craft items from the parish's annual Angels Arts craft sale completed the
decorations.
To see the house, follow N to Meadow Lane, then turnleft onto Meadow, to Sara Lane
and the house. The sign reads: "Holy Angels Parish. Invest In Our Future."
For more information about the house, phone Jean Sprangers at (920)730-0864 or Schmidt at (920)731-1922.
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