Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood ‘Bicker’ Like Pals Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter: ‘Works for Us Too’ (Exclusive)

Whether they’re harmonizing on stage or swinging hammers on a construction site, Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood are undeniably a great couple.

The country superstars spent the week of Oct. 1 hosting Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter’s working project — which the former president and first lady started in 1984 — down in Charlotte, North Carolina, where they built 27 affordable single-family homes.

“After Katrina in ’07, we fell in love with Habitat for Humanity. We knew we loved the Carters and we fell in love with them even more once we got the chance to work with them,” Yearwood, 59, tells PEOPLE of how she and Brooks first got involved with the organization. “We love what Habitat for Humanity is all about: spreading love. It’s about creating community.”

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Brooks and Yearwood have been married since 2005, and Brooks says the Carters have inspired them not only as humanitarians, but also as a couple.

“They inspired us in many ways, in ways you’d expect: humanity, modesty, work ethic. But they also inspired us by their example as husband and wife,” explains Brooks, 61. “We’ve worked with them for the last 15 years, and you notice right away that they argue about the right way to do things. That works for us too!”

Yearwood agrees and takes the example the former president and first lady took to heart.

“To whom much is given, much is expected,” she says. “We’ll never replace their shoes, but we’re doing the best we can.”

Trisha Yearwood and Garth Brooks work with Habitat for Humanity in 2018.

Habitat for Humanity International/Jason Asteros

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Habitat CEO Jonathan Reckford is grateful to have this rural couple lend their talents to the site.

“They continue that incredible legacy. Garth and Trisha are calling attention to the great need for affordable housing,” says Reckford. “They represent the hope and joy of building community.”

For Yearwood, the impact of the project is shown in the people who will live in the new homes.

“We built in Haiti after [2010] earthquake. When we were coming back [the next year], we got to see a different look on the faces of those homeowners,” she recalls. “There was pride. They built gardens; they took pictures. I carry it everywhere with me.”

Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood work with Habitat for Humanity in 2017.

Gregg Pachkowski/Habitat for Hum

And for Brooks, there’s one part of the finished house that always makes him emotional.

“It’s always the front door. It’s a ceremony: the first person through that door is the one wearing the red shirt that says “House Owner”. When they walk through that door, it just kills me,” he says. “Screams and tears – their journey inside their house has begun. And the Carters said it best: if you go to sleep with a roof over your head, you’re spoiled.”

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As for the hard skills the couple picked up along the way? There are plenty of them.

“The first time we got to the site, we thought we’d take a few photos, maybe hold some tools. We framed the wall that day,” says Yearwood. “You learn the skill you need at the moment.”

Trisha Yearwood and Garth Brooks work with Habitat for Humanity in 2016.

Habitat for Humanity International/Ezra Millstein

Echoes Brooks: “What I love is that nobody cares about anything other than ‘Can you swing a hammer?’ The color doesn’t matter. Male, female – it doesn’t matter,” he says.

“Just, ‘How much do you want to work together? How much love do you have in that hammer?’”

For more on Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands everywhere Friday.

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Source: HIS Education