HOUSE BUILT BY VO-TECH STUDENTS TO OPEN

Steve Rector has spent the last two years building a house, and will have one thing to show for it a job building other houses.

But that's exactly what the 21-year-old student at Cape Girardeau's Vocational-Technical School wanted from his two years in the school's building trades class.

The class has just finished construction of a two-story home in Cape Girardeau that will be featured in an open house Saturday and Sunday. The house is for sale through sealed bids.

The open house will be held Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1-4 p.m. Bids will be accepted until May 29 through the Cape Girardeau Board of Education.

"You need this kind of experience to find a good job in residential construction," Rector said Thursday as he put finishing touches on the kitchen. "I know I wouldn't have gotten a job without it."

The home, at 1966 David, was completely built by students at the school. Rector said he's proud of the finished product.

"It's better than any other house in this price range because all the money went into the house. All the labor was free," he said.

Students at the Vo-Tech School began building the house two years ago. The brick-and-vinyl-sided home has three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths, hardwood floors and a deck and patio on the back. The foyer has an oak floor, and all three bedrooms have walk-in closets. Only the carpeting was laid by professionals.

The property was landscaped by students in the horticulture class, and plans for it were drawn up by drafting students. It's been appraised at $80,500.

Bud Thompson, building trades instructor, said students learn more than carpentry when they work on the house.

"A lot of these guys were afraid of new things and they needed some confidence," Thompson said. "I could see them building confidence as they worked on the house."

The experience will qualify students to work as entry-level carpenters, he said. But just because the work was completed by novices, people shouldn't think the house is second-rate, Thompson said.

"We would put it up against any house on the block," he said. "I make them do something until it's perfect."

The building trades class has been building houses for 11 years. Each time, the houses have sold within two weeks after they were shown at an open house. But the primary purpose of the project is not to make money.

"This is a classroom," Thompson said. "We're not out to make money, and we're not out to compete with the other contractors. We're just teaching these guys useful skills so they can become entry-level carpenters.

"Their work also allows employers to preview their work."

Most students in the class are junior and seniors at local high schools. Tom Griffaw, 17, of Cape Girardeau, said he enjoyed roofing the best. And he's pretty proud of the way the house turned out.

"It seems like a job older guys did," he said. "Most people don't believe it was done by students."

Thompson said plans are already under way for next year's project. Although previous houses have been completed in two years, beginning next year the class will attempt to finish one in one year, he said. That house will also be on David Street, next door to the house that has just been completed.