Riverside High wood shop students craft tiny home on wheels

Riverside High School teacher Tim Hart and his advanced construction students are building a tiny getaway on a trailer, putting up walls, framing doors and windows and hoisting the rafters into position.

While the building cannot be called a tiny home, because it is not intended to be a permanent residence, it can be put to good use as an alternative to camping or a woodsy retreat. The building is being constructed in partnership with Frame Your Future, a nonprofit organization that encourages people to consider careers in the trades. In turn, Frame Your Future has partnered with the Spokane Homebuilders Association, which is providing some of the materials for the building. The Wellpinit School District and Central Valley High School are working on similar projects.

The building was being built directly on a special-order trailer, which is 8 feet wide. If it was any wider, it would be considered an oversize load, Hart said.

“It makes it easier to move,” he said. “It’s attached permanently to the trailer. It’s bolted to the frame.”

Hart teaches beginning and advanced construction. His beginning class goes over a little bit of everything, including carpentry, concrete work, electrical and plumbing. He leads two classes per day, which are capped at 20 students each. Of those, nine are in advanced construction.

“Small numbers are better,” Hart said. “You have to be able to keep everyone busy.”

Hart spent his summers working in construction while he was in high school and college. He also holds a career and technical education endorsement.

While some of his previous students have gone on to get jobs in the trades, Hart said that in addition to exposing students to possible careers, he wants to teach them skills to make home repairs or complete projects like porches and decks.

“I just want kids to have a set of skills that they can use later in life,” he said. “To have that background, I think, is important to all.”

Experts will come and assist at certain points along the way, but Hart said his students do most of the work.

Not many schools in the area offer a construction class. Some have even done away with metal and wood shop classes, which some schools are working to bring back. Hart said he just wants to open his students’ eyes to what is available and make it clear that there are viable career options that don’t start with college.

“I think, traditionally in high schools, it was tough to direct people to places other than college,” he said.

Shaun Wilson, Cade Spencer and Gabrian Norton are all seniors enrolled in Hart’s advanced construction class. While they know of some people interested in a career in trades, none of them are taking the class for that reason.

Wilson said he enjoys having Hart as a teacher.

“It’s just a really good environment,” he said. “He just makes learning fun.”

He likes that he’s learning real-world skills that he will be able to use.

“What he’s teaching us now will be beneficial in the future,” Wilson said.

Spencer agreed and said he’d rather be taking construction than an elective like photography.

“I thought construction was the most useful,” he said. “Construction is something I’ll end up using. Construction can actually help me.”

Norton said that Hart, while a fun teacher, is a strict taskmaster who will make them tear things apart and put them back together if they make a mistake. He noted that they will be in charge the electrical systems, roofing and the plumbing. Norton said he tries his best to do things correctly the first time.

“I don’t want to mess this up,” he said. “This costs money. It’s like you’re at an actual job site.”