The Messplay family has never owned a home. This year, however, the family of seven will be moving into a duplex of their own with the help of Habitat for Humanity of Waukesha County.

The Messplays will join the Lorman family, another family chosen to share the duplex.

“We will be the funnest house in the neighborhood, that’s for sure,” said Amanda Messplay. Amanda and B.C. Messplay have five children: Ethan, 10, Ava, 8, Charlie, 5, Ella, 5, and Mason, 3.

The Lormans, who they will be sharing the duplex with, also has five children, around the same age. The children were excited to meet their new neighbors while Amanda said they were happy to have someone next door “who really understands what it’s like to raise five kids.”

“We all recognize the way the world ought to be. Families ought to have healthy, well-built homes,” said Mayor Jeff Scrima during a house blessing and wall raising ceremony for the family on Sunday afternoon.

“Habitat hasn’t built for a couple of years in this area, because of the economy," said Julie Wood, board president of Habitat for Humanity of Waukesha County. "We had to find lots, affordable lots, to build from.”

This duplex represents Habitat's first home build in three-years and the 18th and 19th affordable housing project in Waukesha County since 1989.

This particular project was made possible through a $68,750 award by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, in addition to money raised by Wisconsin Fraternal Congress. A $7,000 check was awarded to Habitat during Sunday's ceremony.

Scrima explained that it was a collaborative effort between
federal and local government, as well as between the public and not-for-profit sectors. The City of Waukesha purchased the property in 2009 with federal grant money. Habitat purchased a lot from the city for $1 – the going rate for the redevelopment project – and began soliciting applications.

The Messplay family is from Waukesha and is looking forward to their new Dunbar Oaks neighborhood. According to a Habitat for Humanity press release, the area rests on the former YWCA site on Dunbar and currently consists of 11 lots on which eight single family homes and three two-family homes will be built. Habitat for Humanity of Waukesha was selected to construct one of the two-family dwellings designed as a two-story, side-by-side duplex.

In the heart of downtown, the area is within walking distance of many local favorites.

“My husband works downtown so we know all about Friday Night Live," Amanda said. "Now we can take our kids there whenever we want."

At the end of the ceremony, B.C. and Amanda grabbed a hammer and raised a wall in what will eventually be their kitchen and dining room. The family may be able to move in as early as Thanksgiving, depending on the volunteers’ progress, and a firm deadline has been set for Dec. 31, 2011.

For more information about upcoming events or volunteering for Habitat for Humanity of Waukesha County, check out their website.