The house on Indiana Ave. was over 100 years old and needed much work. We made an agreement with the owner to demolish it and build a duplex at the site. The owner would occupy one unit and the additional unit would be below-market rental for the community.

Volunteers contributed more than 1600 hours to the construction of the Indiana Ave. duplex.

Demolition happened in late fall of 2021 and framing began in December of ’22. Framing is slow in the winter, but by March, with the roof on and windows and doors in place, volunteers began the process of finishing the two 1200 square foot, three-bedroom housing units.

Norwanna painting.

In order to build a duplex on property zoned single family, Project Neighbors had to request a variance from the Valparaiso Board of Zoning Appeals. That variance was granted with the requirement to include a two car-car garage to each unit.

Moving Plywood.

Volunteers worked about 1600 hours doing minor framing, shingling, siding, HVAC work, wiring, insulating, hanging and finishing drywall, painting, trimming, landscaping and lots of cleanup. Both units were occupied by the end of summer.

Young volunteers are welcome!

After two years of planning and negotiating with the City of Valparaiso, Project Neighbors will begin building a close-to-downtown triplex on Monroe Street in the late summer of this year. The design of the building was created by architectural firm Shive-Hattery for Project Neighbors.

Great minds at work.

The front faces Monroe Street. There will be two three-bedroom units side-by-side in the two-story portion of the building. At the rear is a one-story, three-bedroom unit which will be handicapped accessible. The project is planned to be completed by spring, 2023.

-Paul Schreiner