From reading blueprints to framing, plumbing, wiring, and roofing, a lot of knowledge and experience is necessary to build a home. Students such as Middleburgh’s Dalton Porter are gaining that knowledge and experience as they build tiny homes on the Schoharie Campus of the Capital Region BOCES Career and Technical Education Center.
Through the experience, Dalton, who is part of the Building Trades program, has come to recognize problems as learning opportunities.
“Being able to be hands-on with a real project and learning how to fix all types of problems. There’s no better way to learn something than to have to fix a problem,” he said.
Dalton’s classmates worked with their peers from the Electrical Trades program to complete construction on one tiny home and are working on another. In this case, the tiny homes are approximately 24, by nearly 12-foot. The students are taught by Curtis Van Steele and Matt Hitchcock. Hitchcock highlighted the value of real-world learning.
“The project is a perfect project for students to test their skills and put the knowledge they have learned to the test,” he remarked.
Taking on the construction of a tiny home led to big confidence and a sense of pride.
“I have learned how to frame a house, do a roof and floor supports, frame a shed; basically I have learned everything I need to know to build a house,” said Nick Hyatt of Schoharie. “You feel proud that you have built something that someone will live in one day.”
While they learned new skills, students thought about their futures.
“It’s also a good test of our skills because we learned about codes and how to wire residential construction. It’s also closer to what I want to do when I graduate and closer to the reality of a worksite,” said Guilderland student William Hausler.
The students are also getting a glimpse of the market. Already, the sale of the first home to a local business is being finalized.
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