Huffman High students finish building tiny house for Virginia family

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - Huffman High School students put their skills to work, building a tiny house for a family living in Virginia.

They started this project only four months ago using their very own hands in everything single aspect from the measuring and building to the electrical and plumbing.

The fully complete structure was built on the high school campus, right outside the construction room. Principal Dr. John Lyons, Jr. called the work “unmeasurable.”

“We did all the caulking, plumbing, the assembly of the shower -- the glass, everything,” said Maurice Teron, a Huffman High senior. “We have the marble counters. The light fixtures we added ourselves. We did the trim around the beams. We did the beams.”

They quite literally did everything by hand with some help from their construction teacher, Jacques Dean.

“The tiny house was the perfect thing because it exposes them to all the different trades from framing to doing the exterior, siding, windows, doors, flooring, electrical, plumbing, roofing,” he explained.

They learn how to do it all through the Academy of Architecture and Construction.

Some of the kids even find their passion through the lessons. Teron says his favorite part was learning about electrical work: “It’s such a delicate process and you need to be very aware of every wire, where it goes, and how it transfers to the building.”

What they use in the classroom can be applied to their future career too. Teron says he and his partner named Zay plan to start a renovation and remodeling business when they graduate.

“What Mr. Dean has taught these kids from a construction standpoint and what Mr. Marzette has taught from an architecture standpoint will enable them to find jobs anywhere that they want to work once they end high school,” said Dr. Lyons.

“I’m so proud of these students,” said Dean. “They’re like my grandkids... To see them grow from semester to semester, to see them take interest, to see how proud they are to see a finished goal... I’m very happy to be here, be part of this, and watch these kids grow.”

This is actually the third tiny house Huffman High has completed. Apparently, word has spread far and wide! Dr. Lyons says they are now getting called from people across the country interested in getting a tiny house built by the students.

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