Suzanne Stewart
Staff Writer
Through the years, the carpentry class at Pocahontas County High School has built a lot of different structures – from houses to bus shelters, garages and cabinetry.
This year, a class of juniors and seniors set their sights on something tiny for their class project. A tiny house to be exact.
In his first year as the carpentry teacher, Jonathan Taylor is continuing the curriculum used by former teacher Duane Gibson and said the tiny house project helps the students go through the steps of a building – from the very beginning.
The class – Devon George, Devon Burgess, Joey Cassell, Austin Rider, Remington Cook, Justin Lizotte, Caleb Ritter and Jayden Hershman – worked together to design the tiny house.
In addition to doing research online, the class asked several teachers for their opinions and got feedback on what they should include in the design.
“They did research on tiny homes and one [teacher] wanted to know how her kids could play in the inside and still be safe,” George said. “We did a bit of research and watched a lot about tiny houses on TV. She knew more than we did. We used all their information and feedback on what to do on ours.”
The group used CAD –computer-aided design – software to do the layout of the house, which includes one bedroom, one bathroom, two loft rooms and a kitchen/living room area.
One reason the group chose to do a tiny house is because the carpentry class already owned a trailer which they were able to build the house on.
“The carpentry teacher from last year already had the trailer and had plans to build on it, but never got to it, so we just took the opportunity to try and build on it.”
A tiny house gives the students the same experience of building a regular-size house, but with the added bonus of finding innovative ways to include as much as they can in a small space.
“It’s a good learning experience because we’re working on such a small scale,” Cook said.
After the design was complete, the group made a materials list and contacted outfitters for pricing. Although they didn’t have a set budget, they wanted to find the most cost effective materials possible.
“We got a stackable washer and dryer to save space,” George said. “We also learned about a dishwasher – it’s not like a regular dishwasher. It’s smaller. We had to do a lot of calculating on what would be the best thing for our electrical system.”
“It definitely opened our eyes to smaller living area amenities,” Cook added.
The actual build started in mid-December and now the building is under roof. The group recently installed the windows and are waiting for supplies to finish the interior.
With other projects and classwork taking priority, the house will be finished next year.
The group is proud of the work they’ve put into the tiny house and have learned a lot through the process. Lizotte even said there are things they are using in the tiny house that he wants to add to his cabin.
“It’s been really fun to work on,” he said.
Once the tiny house is finished, Taylor said it will be auctioned. There have already been several people show interest in the house, including a couple of the students in the class who said they wouldn’t mind living in it themselves.
