Treehouses, as well as solar- and wind-powered homes, were some of the submissions featured at the 20th annual Build a House ... Build a Dream contest presented by Habitat for Humanity of Chester County.

During the competition, held on March 11 at the Church Farm School in Exton, local fifth-grade students worked individually or in teams of two to build their own three-dimensional model dream homes. The model homes were then judged by professional architects, engineers and builders from the community.

This year, there were a total of 48 homes submitted by 59 students. "The sustainability theme was really prominent this year," said Christy Kane, Habitat's director of development and marketing. "In the past years, we saw a few homes with sustainable features. This year, one child not only had solar power, but he also had wind power with turbines that he created on his property. There were some treehouse models, and one kid grew his own grass for his home."

While there, students learned about Habitat for Humanity of Chester County, which provides affordable housing to qualified families and individuals in need who live or work in Chester County. "We want the kids to know that a home is a luxury that not everyone can afford," Kane said.

She noted that the contest is a way to introduce Habitat for Humanity to students who are not old enough to become volunteers working at construction sites. She added that youths were very eager to explain their designs to the judges.

"It is the one event where it gives you hope for the future," said Kane. "These kids are surely going to change the world."

To learn more about Habitat for Humanity of Chester County, including volunteer opportunities, call 610-384-7993 or visit http://www.hfhcc.org or http://www.facebook.com/chescohabitat.