Local family soon to get the keys and become homeowners

Wendy and Zach Bruchwalski and their daughters, Tegan and Lucee, celebrated a house blessing Friday afternoon for their new home, which is being built by Habitat for Humanity of the St. Vrain Valley. 

Ground for the new two-story, three-bedroom home in the 1700 block of Raven Avenue was broken earlier this year, and the house won’t be finished until after Labor Day, but the house has been framed in, the windows have been hung, and the insulation layer has been installed. 

Still to come is the HVAC and electrical work, the plumbing fixtures, the cabinets, drywall, and flooring. The punch list for a new build is extensive, but the family, who has been living in Estes Park Housing Authority housing and will be moving into their own home in the weeks ahead, was ready to celebrate. 

A mamma elk and her newborn baby even took shelter in the home’s garage last week as a sign that the house will soon be a home.

Zach, a 2013 Estes Park High School graduate, works for Aldrich Builders and has been helping with the construction work. One of the requirements of Habitat ownership is that the new homeowners have sweat equity in their home. 

Wendy, who immigrated from China in 2013, is an accountant with Shotts, Merryman and Company in Estes Park and an enrolled agent with the Internal Revenue Service, a federally licensed tax practitioner authorized by the IRS to represent taxpayers in matters before the IRS.

Asked how the couple met, she laughs and says through Bumble, a dating app where women typically make the first move by initiating a conversation with a potential match.  Zach was in the Navy at the time, and in 2019, they decided to move to Estes Park to make their home in Zach’s hometown. Wendy became a U.S. citizen in 2024.

During the dedication ceremony, Wendy spoke about the American Dream of homeownership and her gratitude for securing a future for her daughters. 

“Through faith, hope, hard work, and community, a better life is possible not just for ourselves, but for our kids as well. We are blessing a dream come true of safety, civility, and belonging. I want to say thank you to Habitat for Humanity. You haven’t just helped us build a home, you have helped build the future,” Wendy said. 

The Bruchwalskis, along with representatives from Habitat for Humanity, Estes Park Town Trustee Frank Lancaster, and their pastor, Christine Dempsey of the Presbyterian Church of the Rockies, took shovels and symbolically turned the earth on the property. 

Family, friends, and community representatives joined the family to tour the not-yet-finished home. Markers were distributed so people could write words of hope and blessing on the studs, which will soon be covered with insulation and drywall. Sisters Tegan and Lucee went into their soon-to-be rooms and wrote their names on the studs.

The home the Bruchwalskis will own is one of five homes on Raven Drive scheduled to be completed by the summer of 2028. 

Dave Emmerson, Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity of the St. Vrain Valley, was on hand for the dedication. Emmerson said Habitat helps families become homeowners and offers opportunities for no- or low-interest mortgages. 

The property will have a deed restriction that will cap the annual amount the home can increase in value to keep the home permanently affordable to other moderate-income families who meet the area median income qualification.

“I think what makes Habitat different is it’s not just affordable housing, but affordable home ownership and all the things that come with home ownership – more stability, kids do better with education, better health, better employees,” said Emmerson. 

Habitat works with the Estes Park Housing Authority and local builders on their builds and remodeling projects. For the Raven Avenue homes, Habitat has worked in partnership with developer Frank Theis, and they may be working with him on additional Habitat homes on Peak View if the property can be rezoned.

Habitat also works with volunteers from the Estes Park Newcomers Club, who have helped with drywall, finish carpentry, and painting on several projects.