Tiny House Takes Shape

A tiny house built by teenagers is slowly taking shape at FCHS.  The school’s Carpentry program has taken up a project for building the mini, portable dwelling to raise funds for its future school year, as well as to teach students useful skills in construction and teamwork.  

These students are making good progress on the tiny house, although they still have a long journey ahead before they can sell the structure.  Despite only having three hours a day to work on the small house, due to the fact that only the Carpentry II students are able to work on the structure, Carpentry teacher Paul Chirico and his students have made significant inroads on the project.    

A number of local businesses have already donated suppies for the project, including Tapscott Brothers Logging, Robertson Electric, Little Creek Farm and Lumber, and Virginia Air. More recent contributors include Meade Construction, Ferguson Plumbing, and Better Living.  “We’re hoping to have the house closed in by the end of the semester, and we are hoping to pop it together, so we can start working on the interior after the break,” said Chirico.  

The students still have to finish decking the outside of the house, and attach all the sheathing to finalize the house’s exterior.  Once the students return to school in January, Chirico and his students plan to begin on the interior for the tiny house, including fixing the plumbing fixtures in the house, and adding all other necessary fixtures before they begin to put in appliances.    

The Carpentry II students have the class year-long, allowing them to work on the small house throughout the school year as needed.  Chirico and the students are eager to finish the arduous project “Working on the house has been fun, but we really just want to get it finished so we can sell it,” said FCHS carpentry student Rocky Prater.      

The carpentry program has not yet set a price for the structure yet, but the miniature dwelling is being built upon a trailer, allowing the buyer to move the establishment to a location of their choosing.   The finished product for the tiny house will have a total of 224 square feet, including a living space of 160 square feet and a sleeping loft of 60 square feet.  It will be powered by a generator and will also come with all necessary plumbing for a tiny bathroom, including shower fixtures, a toilet, sink, and even a small tankless water heater.  The kitchen will come with a small range, mini microwave, small refrigerator, a full-sized sink, and compact cabinets throughout the kitchen.

Chirico hopes to have next year’s Carpentry II students to work on another tiny house.  He also hopes that the first small house project will keep the carpentry program at FCHS well-funded next year.  Building this small house will help to provide students with skills and trades in construction, a job some students may be looking into once they graduate.  

If you would like to donate supplies or funds towards the construction of the tiny house, visit www.fchstinyhouse.weebly.com, or visit the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/fchstinyhouse.  If you have any questions, you can call or email Paul Chirico at (434)-962-6238 or [email protected].