Massive Plans for a Mini House

Big–or perhaps one should say “tiny” plans–are underway for the FCHS Carpentry program as they are planning to build a miniature house on a small trailer to help fund the carpentry program at the high school.  

Led and instructed by teacher Paul Chirico for the last four years, the carpentry program has grown exponentially, with the addition of a saw mill for milling sizable pieces of wood, and better equipment, such as table saws and miter saws, all in an effort to prepare students for careers in the building trade.  

People spend a lot of money on the roofs over their heads, so as a way to cut the costs, some have turned to the tiny house movement.  A tiny house is classified as any house between 100 and 400 square feet, much smaller than the 2,600 square foot homes of the average, working class individual’s home.  

The tiny house trend has been expanding over the past few years, as people have become more concerned with both their financial lives and their impact on the environment.  “I thought this would be a great opportunity for anyone interested in the building trades to get hands-on experience of building a home,” said Chirico, who is eager to guide his students in constructing the miniature house.

“This project sounded like fun, and it has been.  It has been interesting to learn how to do all the things we have to do to build a house,” said FCHS carpentry student Scotty Campbell.

The tiny house being built by the students will be a total of 224 square feet, including 160 square feet of living space and a sleeping loft of 64 square feet. Chirco said they have not yet set a price for the house, but it will come with the trailer on which the house is being built so the buyer can move it to their location of choice.

Proceeds from the sale of this tiny house will go to the carpentry program to fund the construction of a second tiny house the following year.  Chirico is hoping local businesses and individuals will be willing to donate supplies for the construction so they can keep the construction going and hopefully, sell the little house earlier than expected.

A few local businesses have already stepped up to support the effort. Scottsville’s Tapscott Brothers Logging donated the majority of the logs that the carpentry students have milled to size, while air conditioning company Robertson Electric donated all the wiring.  

Meanwhile, Little Creek Farm and Lumber provided some sycamore logs, while Virginia Air, an air conditioning company in Midlothian, donated a small HVAC unit for the tiny house.  

If you would like to donate supplies or funds toward the construction of the house, visit www.fchstinyhouse.weebly.com. You can also contact Paul Chirico at (434)-962-6238 or visit the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/fchstinyhouse.    

Following are some examples of items they are asking to be donated:

• Flooring underlayment
• Roll of vapor barrier for floor and walls
• Advantech ¾ for the floor
• Spray foam insulation under deck, walls, ceiling
• sheets of 7/16 osb
• 2x4x8
• 2x4x16
• Metal roofing, drip edge, ridge cap, fasteners
• Tempered windows, including
  • 2 loft windows
  • 4 singles windows
  • 2 doubles
  • 1 small double
• Propane tankless water heater
• Storage tanks for potable water and greywater
• An RV type commode (black water type)
• A kitchen and bathroom sink and fixtures for both
• Shower fixtures and shower unit           
• Plumbing materials
• A panel box, breakers, etc.    
• An entry door
• A refrigerator, counter top microwave, and range
• Caulk, glue, nails, screws, etc.
• Door knobs, hinges, drawer tracks, etc.