Cape Girardeau's Career and Technology Center students construct tiny house for auction

Students at Cape Girardeau's Career and Technology Center are using construction for instruction while building a tiny home.

The tiny house is being constructed within the CTC building, and staff hope to have the building completed by the end of the spring semester. All the labor is being provided by CTC students in the school's construction program, and the project is used as an educational tool to give the students hands-on experience.

Libby Guilliams, director of Cape Career and Technology Center, made the decision for the school to begin the project based on the success of other career center projects within the state.

Among students working on the tiny house projects are, from left, Aubrey Smith, Cordell McNeal, Jacob McFarland and Fayelyn Graham, in front of the tiny house they have all had a hand in constructing this spring semester.Beau Nations

"Previously, we would build a home off campus, and we tried an off-campus project last year, and by the time students get here, get on the bus and get to the construction site, they just don't have a lot of time," Guilliams said. "This project allows us to maximize the time we have with the students. They don't have to travel and transport their tools and can immediately get to work until the time is up."

The tiny house measures 350 square feet and will include electrical wiring and plumbing, and will be ready for the highest bidder to turn the tiny house into a tiny home for themselves.

According to Rodney Styer, construction technology instructor, the design and size of the house played an important part in the project.

"When we started this, we started with nothing. Obviously, we had to come up with a design, and we had to figure out how big we could make it," Styer said. "Right now, it is barely going to fit out of our doorway, but we built it to the maximum size that we could inside our shop. The students are actually the ones that came up with the floor plan and designed it all, and then we built from their design."

Rodney Styer, Construction Technology instructor at Cape Girardeau's Career and Technology Center, acts as foreman on the tiny house project.Beau Nations

Upon completion, the staff at CTC plan to put the tiny house up for auction on their Facebook page. Guilliams said they hope to break even from the cost of supplies used in the construction of the house, but any additional money from the auction will go back into the construction program for future projects. If the tiny house auction is a success, the CTC will continue to build tiny houses in future semesters and potentially construct two houses a year to educate students and potentially get funding for the program.

The construction technology students building the tiny house are responsible for many roles while they work on the project. Aubrey Smith, second-year adult student in the program, said her skills have improved since the beginning of the semester and she hopes to be placed in an electrical union in St. Louis by May.

"We've been studying electrical, rough-framing windows and doors, and we've had some skid steer and excavator practice," Smith said. "I found out last year that I actually enjoy the electrical part, so I'm really excited about being able to work on the electrical components of the tiny house."