Throughout this school year, the Geometry in Construction class has continued the construction of their tiny home, a project consisting of building a 160 sq. ft. mobile home from scratch, including a bathroom, kitchen, two bed lofts and a couch area.
The project was started in the fall of 2023, and Zachary Avila, engineering and construction teacher, said the exterior of the home is now complete. By the end of this school year, they are hoping to finish all of the rough electrical and plumbing work.
The construction of a tiny home is not only new to the students but to the teachers as well, Avila said.
Avila said he has built a house and his co-teacher Jeff Wallner has done different renovations on his home, but Avila said the construction of a tiny home is very different.
“It has to be more reinforced and stronger than a traditional home,” Avila said. “It’s got to withstand being transported down the road going 60 to 70 miles an hour.”
Increased amounts of metal reinforcement components, such as metal straps and hurricane ties, hold the tiny homes together.
Once the home is finished, Avila said it is expected to sell for about $30,000.
“That is roughly how much it has cost to build the house,” Avila said. “The funding has come from the district so we are hoping that by selling it for $30,000 it will end up costing the district close to nothing.”
During the interior installation processes, Avila said challenges arose in finding professionals to help install the electrical wiring and plumbing systems and making sure it all fits successfully. Yet through trial and error, the class has been able to overcome the struggles.
“It’s been a joint effort with several people trying to problem solve and work out what to do in such a tight space,” Avila said. “Finding professionals that allowed our students to work alongside them when doing work on the home was also a great way for them to gain more experience.”
Avila said some of the most significant aspects of taking the GIC class is how the class brings relevancy into geometry and provides experience students can’t find elsewhere on campus.
“Students get to learn about practical construction techniques and how to build things by combining real world, hands-on experiences and geometry,” Avila said. “Students also meet every day, in both 6th and 7th hour, which allows for a greater ability for the kids to bond and really become friends.”
Marina French, sophomore, agrees the GIC class has brought her a lot of friends and cherished experiences.
“It’s truly fun to spend every day with people you like while learning math and construction,” French said.
Participating in the tiny homes project has opened up opportunities for French that she said she hasn’t been able to find anywhere else.
“I now know how to use hand tools like drills,” French said. “The class also definitely highlights interests of mine like home decor. If I ever went into a job like that or bought a house myself, I could renovate my house on my own, which feels very freeing.”
French said some of the work she has contributed to the project have been cutting wood, holding screws in place and installing the shower head.
Hunter Wellman, freshman, said he appreciates how building the tiny home not only benefits the students in the class but how it will also become a living space for someone in the future.
“Someone is actually going to use it and benefit from it, which is positive,” Wellman said. “There is a sense of accomplishment in giving back to somebody.”
Wellman said his favorite aspect of the GIC class is being able to have time specifically built into the school day for work. He said it creates a feeling of success.
“I get to expand and enhance my knowledge working with power tools, wood, measurements, and groups,” Wellman said. “Being interested in going into blue-collar construction work in the future, I have found this to be a passion of mine.”
