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Washington Evening Journal
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Belle Plaine students build a future
BELLE PLAINE — Six high school students are learning carpentry, plumbing and electrical skills, not in a classroom, but in their community. The building trades program teaches students all aspects of construction.
The building trades program at Belle Plaine High School is constructing a three-bedroom home at 1207 16th Street, teaching skills to students while providing a product that a Belle Plaine family can enjoy.
The project teaches the students all aspects of building a house, said contractor Larry Formanek, who oversees the program.
“We wanted to make something that was relatively simple,” said Formanek, but the house is significantly larger than the one students built last year.
When the program was initiated last year, Formanek talked to Brian Baumgartner, who owns Belle Plaine Hardware and a lumberyard, about furnishing material for the building trades class. Baumgartner did better. He was planning to build a house, so the school board agreed to let students build it for him.
“We all agreed it was a good place to start,” said Formanek.
The house was built on a slab and was relatively simple, said Formanek. This year’s house has a basement, a covered deck, a large front porch, three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a cathedral ceiling.
“I drew up a plan that was simple enough but yet challenging enough,” said Formanek. He planned a two-car garage, but the property was large enough for a third stall, and the school board approved it.
The foundation was set in August so that students could start framing when school began. They needed to get the house closed up before winter, said Formanek, though they fell short of that goal; the garage roof wasn’t completed before winter.
“They framed everything in here. They put the roof on,” said Formanek last month from the work site.
Students framed the interior wall and put the doors in last month. They did all of the plumbing, except what is in the floor, Formanek said. They put in a walk-in shower and set the tub.
““They learned a lot doing that.”
The electrical system was installed last month. By Iowa law, certified electricians have to put in the meter, said Formanek. And they put in the service box.
“Electricians will pull all the wire that goes to each room,” said Formanek, but students will wire between boxes. The students’ work will be inspected to ensure there’s no safety hazard.
The students installed most of the heating, ventilation and air conditioning, but they didn’t put in the furnace.
A professional will put foam insulation in the wall, “and then we’ll hang the drywall,” Formanek said.
Students will complete all the mudding and painting and will set the cabinets. They’ll also start working on the outside and will finish the garage roof.
Formanek has been a carpenter for 25 years. He has a college degree, but it’s in accounting. The state gave him a three-year temporary teaching certification so he could teach the building trades class, he said.
Students are introduced to every facet of the trade, said Formanek. Two students from last year’s class found apprenticeships in the electrical field, one is in plumbing and one works for Manatt’s, Formanek said.
Building trades students aren’t locked in to homebuilding careers, Formanek said. They can go on to Kirkwood Community College or pursue traditional college degrees from a four-year schools if they want.
“At least they know how a house is put together and how to do some basic stuff,” Formanek said.
They’ll know where all the plumbing goes and how to hang a ceiling fan. They’ll gain practical knowledge they’ll use when they have their own homes, Formanek said.
Students have framed the basement and will wire it and provide access to water so another bathroom and a couple of bedrooms can be added later if the buyer chooses to do that.
Formanek does the work that is above the students’ skill level, but even then, students learn from watching Formanek and listening to his explanations.
Formanek chose a black-and-white color scheme for the home. It’ll have white siding, black accents and black flooring for the deck.
Students probably won’t have the house finished before the end of the school year, said Formanek. The instructor will finish it up during the summer. The school district owns the home and will sell it to provide funds for the next building trades project.
“I think it’s cool that the school does this,” said Damien Graf, a junior working on the house. He likes that he’s gaining real work experience.
“I never really knew that you had to do so much figuring,” he said.
Graf had no previous construction experience. “This class really brought it to me,” he said. “It’s kind of fun. Especially when it’s nice outside.”
