MURRAY, Utah — Utah high school students in the Murray district have put their blood, sweat, and tears into a project unlike any other most teens experience; the completion of a house they built by themselves and is now on the market.
According to Quinn Drury, the building training instructor for the Murray School District, it took around two years for the students to complete the house on 711 West Bullion Street.
The home project at 2700 square feet was accomplished with funding coming from the school district, along with strong support from the school board, administration and community.
Drury says the students have done a wonderful job building the house, which is holding an open house on March 14. He says teaching kids that they can use their hands to build houses means they've learned important life skills, with people already coming to him wanting to hire the students who worked on the house.
"There's a huge demand for people with these skills, and I believe that the very best way to learn something is to do it," said Drury.
An added bonus is that the student builders receive 20 hours of credit toward Salt Lake Community College's building program, which is also linked with Utah Valley University and Weber State University.
According to Drury, students receiving this credit can go directly from there to a four-year construction management degree.
There are plans for houses on three building lots and a mini-home that will be given to someone experiencing homelessness that will be completed in a year.
Funding for future projects will come from any profits made on the sale of the houses already built.
