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GT kids building tiny house
Mountain Home's gifted and talented program students are at it again.
One year after they built a full-sized blue whale out of adhesive tape and large sheets of plastic film, the youngsters decided they needed to tackle something even more challenging.
So they've gone ahead and started building a house -- a tiny version built for maybe two people.
Dave Holland, who teaches the school district's gifted and talented program, developed the house project.
"Why build a tiny house? This idea came to me while at a gifted and talented conference a few years back," Holland said. "It seemed like a good idea, combining two passions of mine -- teaching and building things."
In addition, the opportunity for higher-level thinking and problem solving presents itself at every turn as the project continues, he added.
Support from the project was made possible through the generosity of local farmers, dairymen and businesses, who provided financial support and materials for the house.
Work actually began last school year when students developed the initial floor plans.
"It was fun and interesting to see what the students thought was important and what should be included in their house," Holland said.
Using a scale of one inch equals one foot, they drew the basic outline of the house without much trouble. But that is where the project's easy part stopped.
"After they laid out the five requirements -- bathroom, bedroom, living room, kitchen and office -- on their plan, we used tape and made two full-sized models on the floor," he said.
Nearly every student quickly realized their drawings of sinks, toilets and other amenities were way too small. Holland remembered one instance when everyone in the class laughed at a shower design that was too small for the teens, much less a larger adult.
But those minor setbacks simply prompted the students to think of other ways to make everything fit under one roof.
"I am always amazed and a little embarrassed by my lack of vision when you turn a thought loose on kids," Holland said. "They don't seem to have a limit on their thinking, so they really come up with good ideas."
Among those ideas focused on the bedroom location. Instead of keeping it on the ground floor, they decided to build a loft for the sleeping area.
Construction actually started just a couple of weeks before the current school year began, said sixth grader Liviya Kleinwachter. The project really took shape as students added the actual floors and walls with the front porch deck added a week later.
"There are obviously jobs that the kids can't do due to being dangerous or just lacking the strength or skill," Holland said. "These will be done by myself or local professionals."
The roof was one part of the project that needed this outside help.
Last Thursday, the home continued to take shape as sixth grade students like Kallie Haslam-Ransom added the windows to the home, which measures just 288 square feet -- slightly smaller than a master bedroom in most homes.
The tiny house itself sits on a trailer, allowing it to move from place to place.
"You can travel anywhere with this," said Maya Merryman as she finished rechecking the building's exterior measurements.
Holland expects it'll take nine months to finish the home.
"With any luck, we will have a completed house and a group of kids who believe that learning is lifelong and meaningful," Holland said.
But the lesson won't end there. Once complete, students plan to auction their tiny house to the highest bidder. Proceeds from that sale will go to pay back those who provided all of the money and materials to make this project possible.
People can continue to follow the house's progress online at www.MHTinyHouse.com.