Students working through the Edmonds School District’s elective Carpentry and House Construction class just completed their 39th house in conjunction with the Rotary Club of Lynnwood, which provides the property, management and materials. The new Edmonds home officially goes on the market Aug. 3, and is being represented by another Rotarian, Inae Piercy of Edmonds Realty.
According to Lynnwood Rotary’s Ken Peirce, Rotarians joined students and teachers in a traditional barbecue party earlier this summer. New Edmonds School District Superintendent and former vocational teacher Dr. Kristine McDuffy attended “and was impressed with the class and the quality house that the students built,” Peirce said.
The long-established program — founded by Rotarian Dave Thomson in 1975 — has struggled the past three years with low enrollment but there are now 27 students enrolled for 2016-17, up from 17 during 2015-16 and 12 in 2014-15. Peirce attributes the increase to Rotarians visiting each high school during lunch hours to make students aware of the opportunity.
“The beautiful and spacious house is now ready to be placed on the market, and everyone hopes the new owners will enjoy it,” Peirce said. Any earnings are rolled back into the program, which provides a hands-on, real-life experience laboratory for the carpentry class, he added.
The carpentry class has also started building the next house — No. 40 — from the ground up with students currently learning how to pour a foundation. “A few students and one teacher will continue to be employed to work on the new home over the summer, creating a head start for the incoming class of 2016/2017 expecting to finish House No. 40 by the end of the school year,” Peirce said.
The Rotarians offered thanks to all those who have helped over the past two years. “There were many volunteers supporting the construction and contractors who discounted their labor and supplies to support this educational venture,” Peirce said. “They are too many to list but major ones were Bob Setting, volunteer construction manager and retired high-end custom home-builder; Jim Stark, former Carpentry student, current Rotarian, and manager at Plywood Supply; Monty Chaussee, Rotarian site supervisor, retired home builder; Gunnvor Tveidt, Rotarian, owner of Talent Services, provider of employee payment, WC insurance details and color and landscape decisions; Diane Cohn, Rotarian and Interior Design consultant; Inae Piercy, Rotarian, Edmonds Real Estate agent, color and finishes decisions; Bob Fadden, Rotarian and Mountain Pacific banker; Architects NW; and LSA Engineering.
Sub-contractors who assisted include Plywood Supply, Manor Hardware, Dunn Lumber, Astrof Concrete Supply, Stanwood RediMix, All Plumb NW, Stilly Plumbing, S-O Electric, Gale Contractor Service, Puget Heating, Axis Roof and Gutter, Ravsten Drywall, Builders Millwork, Dick Rasmussen Painting, Summit Interiors, King & Bunny Appliances, and Juan Ruiz of J & R Landscaping.
“Students often drive by these houses with their friends and family, proudly pointing out the house they helped build. And proud they should be, whether it helped launch their career or made them a knowledgeable homeowner,” Peirce said.
This is inspiring. What a great program!
How about building a couple of “tiny” houses as well?