Local family welcomed to new home

By Bernard Baker

Published: November 22, 2008

The future home for Sylvia Miller and her family was just a wooded lot when she saw it in March, but it didn’t dawn on her that the empty lot on Lee Street would be her new house until the foundation was put in place about two months ago.

The Miller home was dedicated Saturday, making it the 27th home the Danville-Pittsylvania County Habitat for Humanity has built.

“I want to thank God. If it weren’t for him, none of this would be possible,” Miller said.

Like all Habitat homeowners, Miller put in her 250 hours of sweat equity, or time spent building her home. Miller joked that the hardest part was maneuvering the wheelbarrow.

“It’s a wonderful feeling,” Miller said. “This is my blessing that I asked for.”

Marlin Yoder, the local Habitat affiliate’s executive director, said a home is more than bricks and wood. A home is where someone puts down roots, raises a family and builds a community.

This is the third local Habitat home built with Danville Utilities providing a grant to cover the cost of energy efficient upgrades.

These upgrades include the home’s cooling and heating equipment, appliances and fixtures designed to meet higher “EarthCraft” efficiency standards. Homes like the Millers’ will be 30 percent more energy efficient than standard homes built today, according to Danville Utilities.

Danville Utilities will compare these energy usage figures to other Habitat houses and report on the level of savings on a monthly utility bill because of this investment.

Yoder added that the Millers’ house has a slight modification compared to other Habitat homes. He said the front of the house has a more open floor plan.

Contact Bernard Baker at or (434) 791-7986.