H-D students work to build house from start to finish

Most of the students in the Hampton-Dumont High School Carpentry Fundamentals class can tie their interest in construction to their childhood.

For senior Michael Sosa, it’s memories of watching his father, a mechanic, work on vehicles and seeing construction progress on new hotels and buildings.

“I would watch him fix things and I always had an interest in that,” he said. “When I would see how buildings are being built when I was little, I had an interest in that too, and that’s why I joined this class.”

Through the class, Sosa, along with his classmates, are getting a live, hands-on look at the process that enticed them at a young age. Led by instructor Dave Harms and contractor Trademasters, Inc., the students this year are working to build a house from the ground up on First Street NE, near North Side Elementary. This will be the second home constructed from start to finish by H-D students.

To date, the students have completed the foundation and are working to close in the basement before the winter. They’ve also constructed the walls for the home at the industrial arts shop at the CAL school building. Once complete, the house will clock in at 1,600 square feet with four bedrooms and an attached garage and be fully handicap accessible.

While the process is still in the early stages, senior Jose Castro said he’s already learned many new skills and expects to acquire much more knowledge as the house begins to take shape.

“It’s been a great learning experience,” he said. “It’s been a long process with a lot of hard work, labor and measuring, but it’s been fun.”

Sophomore Isaiah Nolte, too, has already seen an improvement in some of his abilities.

“I’ve gained a lot of new skills,” he said. “I’ve learned about the proper tools to use, how to cut wood…but there’s still plenty more to learn.”

The students will have a hand in virtually every process of the home, from installing the walls and interior features to laying the roof. Harms said the goal of the class is to provide a multi-faceted and hands-on experience that allows the students to gain skills in several aspects of construction. He said this serves as a head start for students as they begin to explore possible careers in industrial arts.

“We wanted to get started on another house because laying it out and doing the structural and concrete work, that’s all different skills that the guys can pick up on then,” he said. “It gets them out of the classroom setting and onto a job site. It’s a more conducive learning environment.”

Aside from physical skills, Harms said the real life job site aspect of the project requires the students to develop or hone more intangible skills, such as responsibility and promptness.

“Punctuality, working together…that’s all part of the working process too,” he said. “It becomes a reality on the job site. You all have to challenge each other and count on each other to get the job done.”

Sophomore Yahir Leyvee-Moor said it’s that chance to gain construction and general life skills that interested him in the class. With little construction experience prior to the class, Leyvee-Moor said he’s enjoyed the chance to see the process first-hand while doing so with fellow students.

“It’s just been a blast,” he said. “Sometimes, it doesn’t feel like work.”

For most of the students, building a home is a new experience but some entered the project with construction knowledge. Junior Jakyb Kapp said he has helped build a house before but enjoys the chance to improve those skills with his classmates.

“I enjoy it and we get to have some fun,” he said.