Darboy parish selling house

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.