Becoming a homeowner is a huge milestone for anyone.

It was even more so for one local woman who helped build the house with her own hands.

“This is my very first home I’ve ever owned," Cindy Engel said.

She beams as she stands outside her new house.

"I’m receiving my keys for my habitat home today," she said.

Engel signed the final paperwork yesterday and found out her monthly payment for housing is cut in half.

"This made they whole journey worth it, when I found out how much my rent was," Engel said.

Her son, Dakota, cut the ribbon on his very own bedroom.

Engel says, "When you're able to provide a home for your family and be able to afford it, it means everything."

Volunteers, family, and friends have supported her goal to become a home owner.

"To see a habitat home owners face and know that all those hour all that time culminated in today, where they get to move in and call it home, it’s all worth it," Amy Rogers, with Habitat for Humanity of Mesa County, said.

Getting a Habitat home isn't easy. It requires a long application process and 500 hours of work toward the home.

Engel says, "I’ve worked at the office a few time with the lady's there and I’ve helped with a lot of the construction on the houses. I’ve put a lot of time in there."

"You couldn't hold her back,” Rogers said. “She always did more hours than she needed to every month."

Her neighbors helped her build her home and Engel has done the same for them.

"We’re all going to be best friends and we're going to have a great neighborhood,” Engel said.

Habitat for Humanity is currently looking for families or volunteers who may be interested in building homes.

If you would like more information, visit their website at hfhmesa.org.