We are happy to welcome a second Lead Carpenter to our Habitat staff: Roy Colby. Roy has been a builder most of his life, working for Cape Associates for 17 years before turning to teaching. Roy taught in the Carpentry Shop at Cape Tech in Harwich from 2008 - 2013. Roy says he picked up carpentry skills from his do-it-yourself father and also from his uncle, a builder. Roy's uncle once gave him instructions to "pick up all the nails and straighten them - as a way to keep me out of his hair." Roy enjoys framing houses and looks forward to working on Habitat homes: simple, well-built houses. 

As the son of a United Church of Christ minister, Roy and his family travelled all over the country when he was young. They lived in New Hampshire, Chicago, North Dakota, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Buffalo, New York. But the family had a summer home in Eastham on Cape Cod, where his parents eventually retired, and Roy says "Cape Cod was the biggest constant in my life." As a young adult, Roy lived a few different places himself, but always returned to Cape Cod. Although he enjoys travel, he says there is "something about the Cape" He appreciates the changing New England seasons, and likes to have sand in his shoes.

Roy lives in Harwich with his wife Rachael and three of their four children: his daughter Anna is 19 and attends Cape Cod Community College studying education, his daughter Abby, 15, is a sophomore, and his son Andrew, 12, is in seventh grade. His oldest daughter, Ariel, is a phlebotomist who lives in Marstons Mills with her husband.

Roy is not a stranger to Habitat's work. He volunteered on HHCC's very first home, in Wellfleet in 1989. He also put in some volunteer days last year at the Ginger Lane house in Centerville. Roy says he is excited to be here, and looks forward to the opportunity to teach people who are eager to learn new things. "I'm thankful for this opportunity." 

We are also thankful - that Roy has joined our Habitat team. Roy is already busy doing some off-site construction to prepare for our Harwich construction this spring, but you'll be seeing him on the job sites soon!