After months of planning and fundraising, the first home built in Cape Breton by Habitat for Humanity is almost ready.

Flora Plichie will move in to her new home in two weeks. The mother of three currently rents from public housing.

She’s amazed that she’ll soon have a place to call her own.

“My kids are super excited,” she said. “The move is going to be great.”

As part of the agreement, Plichie has served 250 volunteer hours which counts as her down payment on the home that she will buy from the organization.

Flora Plichie says she's amazed by the number of people who have volunteered to build her new home. (CBC)

Joyce Rankin, who is also working on the project, said it’s very important for people to have a place to call home.

“If your housing situation is not good, there’s huge spillover onto every other aspect of your life, education, health,” she said.

Habitat for Humanity partnered with Cape Breton University and Marconi Community College to build the house. The schools provided support for planning, electricity and construction.

“It was a perfect opportunity for the students to get involved,” said Vince Carrigan, a carpentry instructor. “They get an opportunity to show their skills, possibly learn new ones, make some great connections, and have that feeling of giving back to the community.”

“It’s just – it’s amazing,” said Plichie. “They’re doing all this for free and it’s all for me. I can’t even believe it. It’s very overwhelming.”

This is just the start of Habitat for Humanity’s work in Cape Breton. The organization will start planning its next project over the winter with a plan to build next summer. Plichie said she’ll be there to help out.