DCHS Construction Program Builds Functional Tiny Home to Be Used as Airbnb

BY ALANNAH TINKER
For the Dade County Sentinel

The Dade County High School construction program is building a tiny house to eventually be used as an Airbnb. The project is already underway with the initial structure formed including exterior walls, subflooring, and some framing. There will be pine v-groove siding on the exterior. The students will build the cabinets, build the roof, install the plumbing, install an HVAC unit, and install the flooring. Local companies will assist with providing these materials and instructions on these processes.

The house’s exterior dimensions will be 12 by 24 feet, and the total square footage will be 288. The home will feature a bedroom, a bathroom, a closet, and a kitchen and living area. The project must be completed by May 20th due to storage limitations.

“When the semester started, they were learning about blueprints. They learned all the terminology, the vocabulary, the trade terms… we go through and actually look at various blueprints that I’ve accumulated through the years from projects I’ve been on,” explains program instructor David Howard, who has been teaching at DCHS for nine years.

“They learn scale which is where you look at a blueprint drawing, and it’s drawn in a level that will fit on a piece of paper. They physically drew a scale drawing of the tiny house project. We drew in the different rooms, the walls, the cabinets, the appliances. In open discussion students would ask questions about why can’t we put the sink here, etc. And we would work through it and try to eliminate flaws,” Howard said.

Construction student Collin Gray explained drawing in scale is, “on paper and it’s kind of hard to visualize it, but you have to do it to make sure everything will fit. If you draw in scale, you have the exact measurements, but they are just sized down to paper…”

Howard explained the next steps they took in the project: “We created a material list and then we actually did a budget based on the materials and the price of lumber… Then we assigned teams. Each student is assigned to a team with a team member. That team member has more experience. Some of them actually work in the workforce in construction, so they have a bit more knowledge. Then we assign tasks based on various things that are needed at that point in the project. Every day we do a risk assessment to try and eliminate hazards in the shop and identify anything that might need special protection or PPE.”

Construction student Noah Merritt explained, “The hardest part is probably going to be the rafters up top. We are trying to find the right measurements right now… we have to line it up, make them perfect, and if we don’t then we are going to have to completely retry (building the rafters).”

Merritt says the next steps are to “…get the rafters done, throw up plywood on the roof, but we have to move it out of the shop first. Then after we get the roof on, we can start furnishing it inside and do electrical, plumbing, etc.”

Monda Wooten, who is helping to fund the tiny house project and plans to use the house as an Airbnb once it is completed, shares, “You know they don’t have funding to do something like that… I saw they put it on the Internet that they… wanted to build one. I just called him up and told him that I would be willing… to furnish the funds and make them a donation… Those classes like that, I think they have a hard time getting support… from the community because everybody’s always about sports.”

“Yeah, I’m excited to be a part of it… I feel like it’s helping. It’s supporting the school system and… I think that program is so important because kids graduate high school and there’s so many fundamental things that they don’t know how to do… I love going over there and seeing that those kids know how to use saws and tape measures. When I went over and met with him and I saw what those kids were doing in class, I was just super impressed… I would love to see more classes like that in our school system,” Monda explained.

David Howard described how the construction program relies on their sponsors to fund their projects as the school budget does not include project materials or tools. With the tariffs, the price of lumber has skyrocketed, making it difficult for the program to fund their projects this year such as the tiny house, dog houses, bird houses, and reclaimed pallet wood flags. The students then sell their projects they build to raise money for the program. Any sponsorships or donations towards the program would be greatly appreciated, as they allow students to get hands-on experience useful in the workforce after high school.