When seven-year-old James Senter walked into his new house and saw the plush carpet, he couldn't resist lying down to make a "carpet angel" as though he was playing in the snow.
He came back to the house on Sunday, this time in the company of some 60 community members gathered in his living room.
"We're so excited to move into our new house," James told the crowd.
His parents, Luther and Gabriel Senter, spent a combined 550 hours building the house alongside more than 180 volunteers through Habitat for Humanity of Clinton County.
"It's amazing what a group of people who have a commitment can do," Sue Carroll, executive director of the nonprofit, said during a dedication ceremony on Sunday. "We built an energy efficient home, a quality home, with people who just have a heart to give to others. We're just pleased that the Senters are grateful and that this is going to change their lives."
Volunteers broke ground on the house at 131 E. High St. in Ovid last June. The Senter family plans to move into the 1,200 square-foot, three-bedroom home today.
Luther Senter, 28, is a self-employed contractor, and Gabriel Senter, 27, works two jobs.
They've been renting a home in St. Johns, but it has significant problems. They were looking for another house when they read about Habitat for Humanity in the newspaper.
The Senters did not get the home for free. They had to spend hundreds of hours working on the house, make a down payment and take out a mortgage to purchase it. Donated materials and volunteer labor brought down the cost of the home.
Thirteen local churches provided funding and volunteers for the project, along with in-kind donations from several contractors and businesses.
"It's hard to believe there's still people like that out there in this time," Luther Senter said of the support he and his family received.