It takes a village to raise a child, and in one case, the same can be said about raising a new house.

For Larry and Judy Harris, the house in which they now live is home to problems as varied as a disintegrating foundation, rotting support beams and black mildew. But with money raised by Rindge-based Neighbors G.I.V.E. (Group Involved in Volunteer Efforts), a lightning construction session contending with heavy rain and thunder took place Friday and Saturday, and the exterior of a new house sits on their property.

“It’s amazing it went up so fast,” Judy Harris said Friday, a short while after the 17 workers had finished the roof.

That morning, Harris was not even sure the workers would be able to come at all. A thundershower took place in the early morning hours, but the construction team began arriving at 6:30 a.m.

“They worked right through it,” Harris said. By 10 a.m., they were working under clear skies.

Andre Aho of ATA Construction in Rindge headed up the team, bringing together workers from nearly a dozen firms to get the job done in a hurry.

“I have been keeping an eye on the project and didn’t feel it had taken off,” Aho said Friday. “I called and said I wanted to help.”

Typically, when Aho is building a house, he has a crew of between four and six people. With the large crew of 17, Aho said this project was among the fastest completions he had ever seen.

“It’s a big coordination effort,” Aho said. “The experienced guys lead the way and the others fill in the gaps. This has been about people coming together because they care.”

In times of economic trouble, Aho said, it is important for people to step outside of their comfort zone to help. Working through the rain was uncomfortable, but Aho said he and his crew leaned on their Christian faith, saying a prayer to bless their efforts.

Bob Carney of Neighbors G.I.V.E. had a crew of his own on site, preparing food to feed the workers. He said the biggest complication was the weather.

“The biggest thing I want known is the outstanding volunteerism,” Carney said. “We couldn’t have done it otherwise.”

Through fundraisers and an initial donation by John Hunt, Neighbors G.I.V.E. was able to get the construction team together for long enough to get the shell of the house completed. The house will be protected against the winter weather.

During a lunch break, Carney addressed the workers.

“You are simply amazing,” he said as crew members ate chili and sandwiches. “If I have a house to build, guess who I am going to call. It is incredible to see everyone doing their own thing and doing the right thing.”

According to Judy Harris, she has been trying to work with other agencies for a new house she and her husband could not afford for four years. She and her husband have been facing problems based on the fact that the house is built on a swamp. Pieces of the floor have fallen out, and support beams have rotted. Both of them have gotten sick from mildew present in the house.

Harris used to work at Franklin Pierce University, but after an accident that left her temporarily paralyzed, she had to collect disability. When Larry Harris married her in 2000, he had to carry her home.

“We are just trying to make the mortgage payments,” Judy Harris said. “What we owe is more than the house is worth.”

Larry Harris, currently the Rindge police animal control officer, helped throughout the building process, from preparing the site for the foundation pour to spreading sand following the rainfall. A resident of Rindge for 49 years, he said finding out about the volunteer project for his new house was a welcome surprise.

“We would have had to move out of here if this didn’t happen,” Harris said. “I have no idea where we would have gone.”

The shell is up, but the Harrises have to wait before they can move in. Neighbors G.I.V.E. is still seeking donations to complete the interior of the house. On the third Saturday of the month from January through May, the organization is holding fundraising breakfasts at Applebees in Keene from 8 to 10 a.m. Donations can also be sent to Neighbors G.I.V.E., P.O. Box 123, Rindge, NH 03461.