How My Sister and I Are Building Houses in Grand Marais

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I began Hamilton Habitat LLC in 2019 with my sister Sarah. I had recently sold my last restaurant and finally had the time to put my money where my mouth was about the housing need in our northern Minnesota community.

My sister and I both were tired of the same rhetoric from the county and city about the need for affordable housing while money continued to be spent on research.

We asked each other, “How hard can building a house be?”

Sarah knew of a lot for sale in Grand Marais. We borrowed the money for the lot. Then we ordered a shell of a building, had it placed on site, and began the process of finishing it off. The home was about 480 square feet, located on a beautiful lot with an outbuilding. In three to four months, we had created a one-bedroom, one-bathroom space with a covered front porch. We sold it immediately to a young teacher at cost.

We were approached by a woman who said that if we became a nonprofit she would give us $100,000. Boom! We became a nonprofit. Since then, we have built four one-bedroom homes and a three-bedroom home, and are onto our largest project to date: a village of six homes.

Finding lots is the toughest part, since this is a tourist community. The market is too rich for the local workforce, but we are doing what we can. We buy the lot, plan a home, and then contact the first five people on our waiting list. These are working people who simply want to remain in this community. They deserve to.

We don’t build for new people moving into the community, but for the ones already here who are struggling to stay due to costs growing out of their reach. Many people we know have already left due to lack of affordable housing.

We don’t rent these homes; we build to sell. We are averaging two homes per year. Most people on our list are patient; they get their credit in order and save for a down payment. Since we sell at cost, the buyers acquire equity immediately. We have deed restrictions as a deterrent from flipping for profit.

My sister owns and operates Trail Center on the Gunflint Trail. Although she is the president of Hamilton Habitat, her involvement is behind the scenes. She mentors people in the importance of taking care of themselves, paying bills, and other aspects of surviving daily hurdles.

I am the project manager and the hands-on person. I design the homes and facilitate the development work, all the way through closing with a buyer. This labor of love has been going on nearly six years, and I have learned so much. Each home is built in smarter ways as I learn.

I have a real estate background, which has helped, but anyone could do this work if committed and honest. Hamilton Habitat is funded 100 percent by donations. We are finishing our 11th home.

We are proud of what we have done, yet hate publicity. [Minnesota Women’s Press reached out because a member mentioned the Hamiltons as a story idea.] We are simple people ourselves and believe working people deserve a home and equity.

I work at a local lumber and hardware store — Cook County Home Center — which has sold us all materials at cost. That has been a huge factor in this success. We are grateful for the partnership.

Hamilton Habitat pays from donations for all labor and materials. Volunteers are welcome and appreciated. This work has mostly included cleaning up a site and clearing brush. The company also includes our other siblings, Charly and Mary, who live in our hometown in Iowa.

We also give credit to our “Aunt Fara,” who really wasn’t our aunt, but who quietly showed us, during a tough time in our young lives, how to put one foot in front of the other by staying busy, working, fixing your own stuff, and sharing your gain. With straightforwardness and much humor, she taught us how to march on.

My sister and I recently won the Norman Deschampe Award from the Cook County Chamber. At the ceremony, Sarah thanked everyone in the community who had been part of the work, including partner One Spirit Lakota.

She said: “This village welcomed us so long ago, when we were tattered and worn, though young. It saved our lives and gave us an opportunity to do many things. We created many businesses and still remain who we are. Yes, it takes a village, and we are grateful for this one. We want everyone who has supported us to know just how much we see you and feel you.”

See what the Hamilton sisters have built in Grand Marais

 

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