Michigan man buys student-built house
|
“We pretty much work on it all year long,” said Charlie Delong, who oversees the construction of the house, built on school grounds, and then moved at the expense of the buyer to his or her property. “They do it all, from design and construction, to wiring and siding.”
This year’s house, built completely by high school students in carpentry and electrical classes, was about 1,500 square feet with three bedrooms and two baths.
Delong said the homes are of good quality and are a point of pride for his students.
“This is one of the few schools where students can get experience like this,” Delong said, noting he began helping with the annual project 25 years ago. “It’s great to see students move on and get jobs in the business. I’ve seen a lot of builders and electricians come out of our classes. They learn a lot building these houses.”
Delong said the money raised goes back to fund next year’s house which will soon have its beginnings on the design table.
This year’s high bidder, Chuck Cole of Michigan, won a 10-minute bidding battle which started at around $30,000. Cole said he intends to live in the house as he is moving here from Michigan. Cole is relocating his business, Cole’s Quality Machine, to this area and says he intends to have the house moved next to his shop.