Tiny house project comes to WBHS

New teacher embraces the challenge
By: 
Miriam Nelson
News Editor

WITTENBERG — Caleb McPhail, the new technology education and woodworking teacher at Wittenberg-Birnamwood High School, found a project that gives students the opportunity to learn several aspects of the construction trades industry.

Building a tiny house is a year-long project that will be a hands-on experience for about 35 students, encompassing different classes.

At the beginning of the school year, there was a speaker who came to address the WBHS teachers. A slide show presentation showed a school in Missouri doing this kind of project. McPhail contacted the teacher in Missouri, who put him in contact with the tiny house buyer in Colorado.

The buyer has a large lot in a high elevation city in Colorado. He buys the tiny houses, puts them on his lot and rents them out through Airbnb, an online marketing service for lodging accommodations in homes in travel destinations.

According to McPhail, the cost of materials is $30,000. The buyer pays for materials and pays an additional 10 percent, which goes to fund future programs at WBHS.
The design was established ahead of time. The 26-foot trailer holds a 400 square-foot house which has a bedroom, loft, kitchen, living room and bathroom. The building and trailer cannot be more than 13 feet higher there would need to be special permits to transport it. The developer will come to transport it once the unit is completed at the end of the school year.

Senior Sam Fraaza has been accepted into the University of Wisconsin-Platteville for civil engineering and is working on the tiny house project.

“It’s interesting to see how to get everything to fit within the confines of the tiny house,” said Fraaza, “I think this is a little different aspect of building because of the steel structure rather than the traditional wood.”

There is a queen-size bed in the main level bedroom and one in the loft as well. The L-shaped couch can be used as an extra bed or the short part of the couch can be stored underneath the bed if more room is needed.

The kitchen will have a small sink, two cabinets and an apartment-size refrigerator that is 24 inches wide. It will also have a two-burner electric cooktop and a microwave.
The students will design and build a barn door slide for the bathroom which will have a toilet, sink and shower. The toilet and water plumbing works with the same standard hookups used in recreation vehicles.

There are also specific building requirements to follow regarding plumbing and insulation, and special windows designed for high altitude living.
Prior to this year, McPhail worked in private industry. He had his own business for several years doing custom wood cabinetry and also worked in Crandon at Pump Town Manufacturing managing the wood department for several years.

“I coached high school hockey in Antigo for several years so I knew I liked working with that age group,” said McPhail. “I hadn’t planned on being a teacher but when I found out I could teach high school based on my work experience it seemed like it would be a good fit.”

McPhail wanted to do something more than just a project of sides and roofs and framing. He wanted something that was small enough scale that it could be completed within the school year but would also teach skills for electrical, plumbing and flooring.

“Even though it’s a small project there is a lot to finish it up by the end of the school year,” said McPhail.

McPhail has been proactive in securing donations to help out the program. When he learned WBHS is a customer of Wisconsin Public Service he applied for and received a $1,000 grant, which will be used to buy tools needed to do the detail work on the tiny house project.

McPhail saw a picture in a magazine where a school was thanking Milwaukee Tool for their donations. He went on their website and sent them a letter about the tiny house project. Milwaukee Tool sent them a pallet of cordless saws and drills. McPhail estimates it was about a $12,000 to $15,000 donation.

“For the kids it was like an early Christmas present,” said McPhail.

The building trades class, a group of 12 boys, is responsible for most of the build as part of their year-long class. The drafting, furniture design and construction methods classes have been involved. McPhail noted that most of the students in his classes are boys, but there are several girls taking the architecture and design classes.