TVHS Building Trades Students Learning More This Year
Posted
David Slone-dslone@timesuniononline.com
AKRON – Students in the Tippecanoe Valley High School Building Trades program said they learned more on this year’s house than last year’s. This year’s house is being built for Cody and Amanda Hudson at 11475 E. CR 200N, Akron. An open house is scheduled for 1 to 4 p.m. May 17. Senior Zack Gordon, a second-year student, said he was surprised at “how less time it’s taken than last year’s house. Last year’s house was probably three times the size of this one. We did a lot more on this house than we could on last year’s, giving me the opportunity to learn to do more things.” Since the TVHS students built the house “from the ground up,” Gordon said he learned how to set trusses, put in plumbing and install cabinets. “I can’t believe how much we have done. It’s pretty awesome,” Gordon said. “Last year it didn’t even look like a house at this time. This year it looks like a house already.” “We got a little bit more time to work on everything (this year),” said senior Gary Long, also a second-year student in the program.”You get to slow down and learn a little bit more on everything.” Long said both this year’s house and last year’s were learning experiences, and students got to work on stuff this year that they didn’t get to last year. On a tour of the basic ranch-style house, instructor Wes Backus highlighted an idea by senior Nash Keirn incorporated into the house with the Hudsons’ approval. In an attic space above the two-car garage, the Valley students modified it to allow for more shelving storage. “They’ve got a ton of storage space in there now,” Backus said. “It’s a neat thing we’ve never done before. It’s not designed to be a room up here, but they can use it for storage. They’ve also got to watch what they put up here because it gets pretty warm in the summer.” Keirn said he found the storage idea while browsing on social media. “I informed Wes one day and it looked really cool. It would save them space,” Keirn said. Entering the house from the garage, there’s a closet and laundry room. “The kids actually set the cabinets and vanities this year,” Backus said. Across the hall are two spare bedrooms that mimic each other. There’s a children’s bathroom across from the bedrooms. At the end of the hall is the dining room that flows into the kitchen and living room. In the dining room, Backus explained the shelf the students are building into the wall. All the cabinets are set in the kitchen, and were done by the students. It’s all self-closing drawers and doors. “That’s an awesome accomplishment for the kids – something we don’t always have time to do,” Backus said. There’s a walk-in pantry next to the kitchen. Tile is almost half of the flooring of the house, he said. The homeowners are painting, staining and installing the tile. The master bedroom has a walk-in closet. The bathroom will have a double vanity in it, and the students installed a glass shower. Backus said Menards provided interior doors and trim and some electrical and plumbing for the home. Builder’s Mart provided all the siding, framework, cabinetry, roofing and dry wall. Downstairs is the complete unfinished basement. The students this year were able to set some of the walls in, and also got to experience putting lighting into the stairway. In the basement will be the mechanical room, play room, possibly a half bath and a room for shelving. In front of the house is a little covered porch, with a patio with a handrail in the back. “They did all the drain and water lines. It will have hard water and soft water that can be controlled with one device. The kids did an excellent job with wiring the whole house,” he said. Ulerick Heating & Cooling did the furnace, air conditioning and ran the gas line through the house. Weitzels did the concrete work, and Paul Caudill did the excavating. The Insulation Guys provided the insulation, while S&C Gutters did the gutters. David Haynes put in the well. “Other than that, I think we’ve done everything else,” Backus recalled. He later said, “This year I think we’re doing better on time since it’s a doable size house for us. It’s the first time we’ve had the siding done before spring break.” Junior Rikko Montelongo said he took the Building Trades course so he could learn stuff to help himself instead of just being in another classroom. “I thought it would be helpful,” he said. While he learned “basically everything,” Montelongo said the biggest thing he learned was doing drain lines. “It was probably the hardest, too, because everything has to be perfect and have a slope to it,” he said. The home is 1-1/2 miles south of TVHS on Ind. 19 and one-quarter mile east of Ind. 19 on CR 200N. The home is on the south side of CR 200N. According to a press release from the school corporation, the home has about 1,800 square feet of living space on the main floor. The two-car garage has a little over 1,000 square feet attached to the home at an angle. Students involved in the building trades program can earn up to 18 college credits during their junior and senior years. College credits are offered at no cost through Ivy Tech in Fort Wayne, and students must maintain a “C” or better grade in the class to earn the credits.
