BUILDING A HOME, BUILDING A TRADE

Travis McGuire removed a concrete form behind a house that is under construction by the Vo-Tech building trades class.

Bud Thompson, left, building trades class instructor, assisted Todd Johnston, a Central High junior, with installation of a garage door spring at the house being constructed by Vo-Tech students.

A combination of class instruction and hands-on experience will result in a new home worth some $130,000 built by Cape Girardeau Area Vocational-Technical School students.

For the past 17 years, students in the Vo-Tech school's building trades classes have designed and built homes in Cape Girardeau. Each year residential sites are chosen by instructors, who oversee students as they work to match their house to others in the neighborhood.

The houses are owned and later sold by the Cape Girardeau School District. Money raised from the sale of the home will be used for the next housing project.

This year Vo-Tech students are working on the exterior of their 10th house, a single-story brick residence at 2745 Caufield. It features three bedrooms, an unfinished basement and two-car garage, and several special features, including a security system on every window and door and heat detectors in the kitchen and garage.

Class instructor Bud Thompson said building trades students will perform nearly all of the work that goes into the house, including plumbing and electrical work. Additional work, like installation of air conditioning units and yard landscaping, will be performed by other Vo-Tech classes.

Students spend about two weeks at the beginning of the school year learning safety information, then they receive classroom instruction before each new phase of the project, Thompson said. Working in phases helps to ensure the students are prepared to work independently when they arrive at the site, he said.

"I'd say about one-fifth of our project is spent in classroom time -- everything else is hands-on experience," he said. "They have assignments each day so I can monitor their progress."

The school district selects sites for each project based on the age of the neighborhood, types of homes, and proximity to the Vo-Tech school. It's important to blend the new house with its surroundings, and keep the site near the school so students can optimize work hours, Thompson said.

He said students are allowed to work in their chosen area of interest, but most will leave the class with experience in virtually every area of residential construction. The variety allows them to gain expertise in a number of areas, which often helps students with job placement after they complete the class.

"It's a good introduction to the construction industry," said Thompson. "These students see a little bit of everything, which makes them easier to employ after graduation."