He built his first Habitat house 15 years ago, and when he became a member of the Habitat Friends group here, he decided he and some of his competitors could build 12 houses, all in one week.

The year was 2002. "I called up 15 and got 11," says Gipson matter-of-factly of the number of home builders who joined him. One of those who answered Gipson's call was Mark Massengill. "He caught me in a weak moment," jokes Massengill of Mark Massengill, Builder.

The next year, 2003, more builders signed up for the week-long "blitz." Nine were repeat participants. They built 24 new homes off Rose Lane in Raleigh.

"What really happened, my wife Pat and I were talking and she asked me, 'What are you going to do next?'" recalls Gipson. "We came up with the idea together, to do it nationally."

This year, Gipson and colleagues such as Massengill worked with Habitat International and the National Association of Home Builders to recruit builders from coast to coast to build 435 homes, using the Raleigh Blitz as a model.

It helped that a North Carolinian, David Pressley of Statesville, is president of the national home builders association this year. Habitat International also sent one of its officials, Kevin Campbell, to Raleigh to coordinate Habitat affiliates' work. "It's the largest single project in Habitat's history," declares Woody Yates, HFHWC's executive director.

Gipson, Massengill and a handful of other Wake builders such as Mike Golder, John Baldwin and Kent Seeley traveled around the country for over a year, recounting their blitz experiences and encouraging others to participate.

"The next thing I know, I was on a plane," recalls Massengill. "I went to 20 places, from Palm Beach, Florida to Hot Springs, Arkansas. It's amazing what happens when you get in front of a group of builders."

Twenty Habitat homes went up in Raleigh's Dowling Ridge development off Poole Road during the week of June 5-9. It started with national cable television coverage at daybreak on Monday and ended with the home dedication Saturday.

For the record, the builders were Gipson, Massengill, Woodard Builders, Inc., Baldwin Homes, Williams Building and Realty Co., Houseman Custom Homes, Homes by Don Bunting, Skywater Building Co., Barrington Homes, Ammons Building Co., Toll Brothers. Woody Teague, Inc., Thadd Roberts Builder, J. Wayne Massengill Builders, Inc., Upright Builders, Inc., Huntley Design Build, Inc., Sundance, Cityscape Builders, Lennar Homes, Homescape Building Co., John L. Hayes Building Co., Palladium Homes, Spectrum Homes, Baron Custom Homes, Maestro Homes, Inc.

Rich Sherman, division president for Lennar Homes, the nation's third largest home building company, looked at the blitz as a way his company can "give back to the community." It's a phrase that one hears again and again from his competitors.

Sherman gave time off for Lennar's administrative employees to join their building team members on the project. The company also used its 1,500-sq. ft., four-bedroom, two-bath home to showcase Lennar's trademark Environments for Living construction system.

"It has tighter insulation, special framing techniques and minimal air leakage to reduce energy costs. It's going to help with energy efficiency and the comfort level," he says.

Lewis Woodard, president of Woodard Builders, Inc., is a veteran of the Wake County blitzes, and he says they have learned from each one. For example, Woodard says Gipson and Massengill improved site traffic congestion by designating one street for entering vehicles and another for exiting traffic.

He also has his own building schedule organized down to the hour. "What I have to do is make sure before we start that I've confirmed with everyone who's going to work on that house, telling them the hour and day," he explains.

"We started sheet-rocking on Tuesday at 11:20 a.m., using quick-drying mud, and my sheet rock man, Gary Hodge, will finish in the evening and it will dry all night. That way, we won't have to waste time waiting for it to dry. We do the same with painting."

Woodard and his subcontractors typically take about five months to build $420,000 to $620,000 custom homes.

Lyle Gardner, president of Spectrum Homes and Evergreen Construction, is another blitz veteran. "It's running much smoother this year," he says. "All the homes are on schedule or ahead of schedule. We stockpiled materials in that first blitz and now, we're basically getting on-time deliveries, and our subs come in during the next hour and the work gets done."

The efficient scheduling, says Gipson, is a big selling point to builders nationwide. "It limits the time a builder [and his subcontractors] have to spend on it."

Gipson, Gardner, Woodard and others are quick to credit their loyal subcontractors' participation. "They don't ever say anything. They just go about their business," says Woodard. Gardner points out that some subcontractors are donating time and money on more than one house: "My roofer, Warren Heath, has done several houses out there."

President of HFHWC John Cramer of Raleigh finds the whole home building community "remarkable" in its generosity. "Our costs for an average, single-family home is about $90,000 to $100,000 now," he says. "Materials have gone up $10,000 over the past 15 months. We are blessed with such a successful build."

Tim Minton, executive officer for the Wake Home Builders Assn., is not surprised by his members' response. "We've raised about $81,000 for the blitz," he says. That's money over and above what the blitz builders are contributing. "They're the most generous group of people I've ever worked with."

The blitz does present a different model for Habitat homeowners. They cannot work their 250 sweat equity hours on their houses that typically take months to erect. Says Woody Yates, "We integrate homeowners into the [blitz] process. Some take the week off and help with deliveries, food and drinks and transport materials. They put in their sweat equity hours on another home."

Yates and Cramer both appeal to citizens to apply for Habitat homes, noting that many people who work for city or state governments or day-care and school system may qualify. "We have a very short waiting list and we're looking for people," says Cramer. HFHWC has built 300 homes in its 20 years.

Adds Gipson of his experience, "When you give back to Habitat, you get more than you give." Massengill agrees. "It's the most rewarding thing I've ever done."

A final note: In a surprise to both men, two streets in the new subdivision are named Tom Gipson Drive and Mark Massengill Drive.