Shuquale Royal and her 9-year-old son, Jayden, have been happily settled into their new Mount Olive home since November. The home was built by Habitat for Humanity, and, as the homeowner, Royal helped with numerous tasks, including painting, installing siding, and constructing the deck. (Kathy Grant Westbrook|mountolivetribune.com)

Shuquale Royal and her 9-year-old son, Jayden, have been happily settled into their new Mount Olive home since November. The home was built by Habitat for Humanity, and, as the homeowner, Royal helped with numerous tasks, including painting, installing siding, and constructing the deck. (Kathy Grant Westbrook|mountolivetribune.com)

<p>Thanks to assistance from the Goldsboro-Wayne chapter of Habitat for Humanity, Shuquale Royal is the proud owner of a three-bedroom, two-bath house on Lees Country Club Road. (Kathy Grant Westbrook|mountolivetribune.com)</p>

Thanks to assistance from the Goldsboro-Wayne chapter of Habitat for Humanity, Shuquale Royal is the proud owner of a three-bedroom, two-bath house on Lees Country Club Road. (Kathy Grant Westbrook|mountolivetribune.com)

<p>During the construction of her home, Shuquale Royal had the opportunity to pick out the flooring, countertops and cabinet color in her kitchen. (Kathy Grant Westbrook|mountolivetribune.com)</p>

During the construction of her home, Shuquale Royal had the opportunity to pick out the flooring, countertops and cabinet color in her kitchen. (Kathy Grant Westbrook|mountolivetribune.com)

<p>Nine-year-old Jayden Royal perches on the edge of his bed, playing a video game, in the new Habitat for Humanity house he and his mom, Shuquale Royal, moved into in November. (Kathy Grant Westbrook|mountolivetribune.com)</p>

Nine-year-old Jayden Royal perches on the edge of his bed, playing a video game, in the new Habitat for Humanity house he and his mom, Shuquale Royal, moved into in November. (Kathy Grant Westbrook|mountolivetribune.com)

<p>Shuquale Royal’s favorite room in her new home is her bedroom, she says, noting that it’s far larger than she’d imagined it would be. (Kathy Grant Westbrook|mountolivetribune.com)</p>

Shuquale Royal’s favorite room in her new home is her bedroom, she says, noting that it’s far larger than she’d imagined it would be. (Kathy Grant Westbrook|mountolivetribune.com)

<p>Shuquale Royal feels a sense of accomplishment standing on the deck she actually helped build during the construction of her Habitat for Humanity house. (Kathy Grant Westbrook|mountolivetribune.com)</p>

Shuquale Royal feels a sense of accomplishment standing on the deck she actually helped build during the construction of her Habitat for Humanity house. (Kathy Grant Westbrook|mountolivetribune.com)

Shuquale Royal is as excited about her new home today as she was five months ago when she and her 9-year-old son, Jayden, moved in. “I love it, I love it!” she says. “I do!”

Thanks to assistance from the Goldsboro-Wayne chapter of Habitat for Humanity, Royal became a first-time homeowner last November. “I’m 34, but I had no idea that right now I was going to be a homeowner because I really wasn’t thinking about it,” notes Royal, who is employed as the assistant director of New Life Childcare in Goldsboro. “But my friend, she went through Habitat actually, and she kept telling me, just try it.”

Habitat for Humanity is an international, Christian-based nonprofit committed to helping people have safe, affordable housing. Contrary to popular belief, the organization does not give away homes, but instead helps people build and purchase them at a reasonable cost. Once applicants are accepted into the program, they are required to put in “sweat equity,” helping with the construction of not only their own home, but also the homes of others in the program.

During the construction of her three-bedroom, two-bath home on Lees Country Club Road, Royal helped with painting, installing cabinets, hanging doors and putting on doorknobs. She also helped build her deck and install siding. “Now I was scared to get on the roof,” she recalls, with a laugh. “I started going up the ladder, and I was like, no, I can’t do this.”

Other than roofing, though, she was game for anything and wasn’t even intimidated by the thought of helping with the deck, despite it being very different from anything she’d ever before attempted. Instruction and guidance from the project supervisor and team leader gave her confidence. “They made it really easy,” she notes.

“Habitat is really a great experience because you’re able to work hands-on,” Royal continues. She remembers installing siding on one end of her house, with another homeowner working alongside her, up to the height where they could no longer reach. What’s nice about having that experience, she says, is that if there should ever be damage to the siding, she knows how to pull it off and replace it herself.

In fact, a big part of Habitat’s mission is empowering homeowners with the knowledge and skills they’ll need to maintain their homes. Royal says, for example, she has learned enough about basic plumbing so that if there’s ever a problem, instead of immediately calling a plumber, she’ll assess the situation first to see if it’s something she can take care of.

Prior to moving into her new home, Royal lived in Goldsboro, where she was less than five minutes from her mom and her job. Now, in Mount Olive, she’s 25 to 30 minutes from both, but the extra time isn’t an issue; she had gotten used to it even before her house was built. “When I came out here and I just walked around on the land, God was like, this is where you need to be,” she says. It also helped that when she moved in, the neighbors across the street came over and introduced themselves, making her and Jayden feel welcomed.

The newness of being a homeowner has not yet worn off. “I wake up numerous times in the middle of the night and I just walk through, and I just look around and I’ll be like, oh my gosh, I did it,” says Royal.

Her favorite room is her bedroom, which turned out to be far bigger than she’d imagined it would be. “When I got in there, I had a queen-sized bed at first, and I was like, it’s still empty in here, what am I supposed to do? So I got to upgrade to a king-sized bed.

“I’m so blessed. I really am.”

That’s not to say that the process wasn’t without a few bumps in the road. Her original closing date was set for last June, then moved to November 7 and delayed again to November 14, before finally taking place on November 21. She’s quick to point out that the delays were caused by issues beyond the control of Habitat for Humanity (like weather, for example), and, in fact, she credits the organization for supporting her even when she was feeling a little discouraged. “Habitat was right there,” she says. “They have become, basically, my family.”

The only “complaint” Royal has about her home is that she hasn’t had enough time to just sit back and relax and enjoy it. She works and is in school at Wilson Community College (soon to earn an Associate’s degree in early childhood education), while Jayden is also a student and athlete (he plays basketball and baseball), so they’re on the go a lot. But on May 18, they’ll take time to entertain family, grilling on the deck Royal helped build, in celebration of her graduation the previous day.

One thing Royal has learned as a homeowner is that your home is never really “complete.” There’s always another project in the wings. She’s already thinking ahead to fencing in her yard and having a concrete pad poured in the backyard for Jayden’s basketball goal.

But first, she says, she’s ready to decorate her front porch with a couple of rocking chairs. And then, maybe, she’ll find the time to actually sit, relax, and enjoy her new home.

For more information on Goldsboro-Wayne Habitat for Humanity, go to habitatgoldsboro.org.