WAIMANALO — The Silva family of 11 struggles to keep their lives together, but one thing they won't have to worry about soon is a roof over their heads, as Habitat for Humanity and hundreds of volunteers work to replace their dilapidated house on Poli'ala Street.

"It looked like it was ready to fall down," said Debbie Silva, the matriarch of the family. There were holes in the walls and roof. "For years we lived in that little stick house, and a lot of people used to tell me, 'I can't believe you're still living in that house.' "

Silva, 50, who suffers from several ailments that keep her from working, said she tried to get help from several agencies before Habitat answered her prayers and agreed to build them a six-bedroom two-bath home on Hawaiian Home Lands.

Yesterday, non-medical personnel from Kaiser Permanente's facilities and administrative office also pitched in to make her "dream come true."

The Kaiser volunteers were applying a second layer of drywall mud to smooth out the seams and corners of a wall. Music was blaring and the weather, which had soaked the community the night before, had cleared but remained overcast and cool.

Ross Lee, a Kaiser project coordinator, said it was the one thing he really wanted to do to celebrate his birthday yesterday.

"Our blessing in life is so much more," said Lee, 47. "We got jobs. We have our roof over our head. We got food on our table, clothes on our back, just the small essentials of life sometimes you take it for granted. But when you see people who don't have anything, it's like, 'Wow.' "

Habitat began working on the home in August and decided it was a tear-down rather than a fixer-up, said Christine Ho, fund development officer for Habitat. Volunteers on the project have included military personnel, architects, engineers and others.

The 1,500-square-foot home sits on a 10,000-square-foot lot at the foot of the Ko'olau mountains. Between trees and homes, the ocean is visible. The community includes a range of homes, from tear-downs to well-kept.

The material for the Silvas' new home cost about $90,000, which the Silva family will repay through a no-interest, 20-year loan.

"The mortgage payment is cheaper than the rent that they're paying for their one-bedroom home they now live in" for the duration of the construction, Ho said.

The Silvas also had to perform 250 hours of labor, known as "sweat equity," in the construction of other homes before they could get their house built. They also have to contribute 250 hours of labor to the construction of their home.

Once it's completed, the Silvas will move in with their grandchildren and children.

"The thanks we feel for Habitat is just beyond me saying thank you," she said. "It's way past that already and it's a dream come true for us."