Habitat for Humanity’s ‘Key Man’ has helped build 190 local homes

Editor’s note: This story is among features in the newly-released 2026 edition of Laurens Living magazine, available now at The Courier Herald and other local businesses.

The living room is full of smiling people. They have gathered to celebrate a family’s dream – homeownership.

After dedications, prayers, and some gifts handed out to the owner of the new house, Tim Edge is the person they are really glad to see. With a big grin on his face, he walks up to the new homeowner who is surrounded by family, friends and Dublin-Laurens Habitat for Humanity officials and volunteers. He holds high the one gift that really says “Welcome home,” – the key to the front door.

“Since 2007, I have handed the keys over to every homeowner (in Laurens County),” Edge said. “That is always such a great feeling because they have worked for it.”

The next house, which is set to be celebrated this spring, will be the 20^th time he will be given the opportunity to hand over the key. This moment is what keeps Edge coming back to help Habitat. This spring, when the dedication is held for the Habitat for Humanity’s House Build No. 43, it will be Edge’s 190th house he has helped with for the organization. 

He has no plans to stop helping until he reaches House No. 200. Edge and his wife, Margee, who have been married for 49 years, moved to Dublin from Vero Beach, Fla., in 2007. Before living in Florida, the couple lived in Michigan, which is where he helped Habitat for the first time in the early 1980s. 

“That is where I started and I just enjoy it,” Edge said. “It is doing something nice for somebody. As they put it at Habitat, it is not a handout – it’s a hand up. In those days, we did everything ourselves which included putting the roof on and did the siding. Here we hire a lot of that out. I think a lot of it is for safety’s sake. You don’t want a bunch of people running around on the roof.”

In Michigan, Edge learned what it took to build a Habitat house. On the organization’s 25^th anniversary, he read a book about everything people needed to know to build a Habitat house.

“You could learn anything you wanted to learn because it was practically in that book,” Edge said. “I learned every aspect of it. You pretty much learned how to build a house from start to finish.”

The funny thing is Edge had never built or help build a house before becoming a part of Habitat. He and his wife were hairdressers.

“We had two hair salons in Michigan,” Edge said. “I always enjoyed woodworking and building.”

His wife had no issues with Edge going off on the weekends to help assist build houses. In Florida, Edge helped the Habitat there build subdivisions with three, four-to-five-bedroom homes.

When they moved to Dublin, Edge did not plan to build anymore houses. But that was not God’s plan. A man from Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, where the Edges attended, told Habitat executive director Tracy Kinney about him. 

“He told Tracy that she needed to get a hold of me because I had done a lot of houses for Habitat,” Edge said. “That’s how I got involved.”

Kinney reached out to Edge. The rest is history. Edge knew Kinney was not going to let him go. He began working with the local habitat in 2007 and Edge has been with them ever since, serving as Habitat’s construction supervisor. 

“He is so fun to watch,” Kinney said. “And he is still so spry. He will need something from the back of his truck and he’ll hop on it, get it and jump back down at 80 years old.” 

After the regular volunteers are done with that part of the house build, Edge returns to help hang cabinets, trim, baseboards and flooring.

“He, Chris (Kinney) and I have been there a couple of times lately,” Kinney said. “He has that dedication. He has a willing heart to always volunteer. He is that glue that holds us together. He has a willing heart to see the project through and gets us across the finish line.” 

And Kinney feels that God brought Edge to Dublin, Laurens County.

“He was definitely a gift from God to us,” she said. “I don’t know what brought him to Dublin, but I’m glad God brought him this way. We are also grateful for his wife to let us have him every so often. He is a personal friend and like a second dad. I respect him as a volunteer and person. I can’t imagine Habitat without him.” 

Right now, Edge has planned for 10 more years and that 200th house goal.

“If we keep on the same pace of what we’re doing, I’ll be 90 years old when I am building the 200^th house,” Edge said. “I like doing this in Dublin because we are doing something good for somebody. They have to work for (a house) and they have to get their friends or family to work for it. I enjoy it when I see the previous homeowner come and help the new homeowner. It feels good to see them, and a whole bunch of people from the community come out on and help others.  I love it. I really do.”