TAHS House Project Enters Home Stretch

In 2014 the Tyrone carpentry program broke ground on its most recent house project.  Five years later the students are still hard at work and hope to finish construction by the end of the 2019-2020 school year.

“I think it is coming along pretty well and the kids are working hard,” said carpentry teacher and project supervisor Dan Plummer.

It’s not everyday that a student gets to leave school and get a real world experience

— Senior Zack Neff

While most of the major construction is compete, the students still have a lot of finish work to do, including drywall, trim, and constructing the custom cabinets for the kitchen and bathrooms.

Unlike some earlier house projects, almost all phases of the construction were done by the students, including the wiring and plumbing.

The cabinets will be custom built by the students, not purchased and installed.  Plummer, and his assistant instructor Bob Wilson, only step in if the students are having difficulty with something.

“It’s a learning process for the students so they can gain experience,” said Plummer, but he also added that he wants the best work he can get out of them.

Plummer stressed how difficult the challenge is of constructing an entire house from the ground up with novice students.

Mistakes are sometimes made but that is part of the learning process and, according to the students, the project has been a great experience.

“It’s obviously taking longer than we expected, but its going well. Right now were working on the drywall. I just finished putting up the siding, and pretty soon we’ll be putting down flooring,” said senior Brandon Homan, who is in his second year of working on the project.

Homan admitted there have been some setbacks. For example, the siding and framework took the students longer than expected, but no matter what the problem may be, the students work to figure it out and the end result is done right under the supervision of Mr. Plummer and Mr. Wilson.

Plummer still hopes that they can finish the project by the end of the school year, but it’s up to the students and how hard they work.

It’s obviously taking longer than we expected, but its going well. Right now were working on finishing the drywall.

— Senior Brandon Homan

Homan also remarked that he would recommend the class to anyone that wants to go into a construction career field.

“I have enjoyed working on the house project. It is a great experience,” said senior Isaac Parks.

The work is split between the junior and senior carpentry classes, which is a challenge because the juniors are new to working on the project and by the time they are experienced seniors they leave. Luckily both group this year are focused on finishing the house.

Senior Zach Neff also said that it’s been fun working on the house with his friends.

“It’s not everyday that a student gets to leave school and get a real world experience,” said Neff.