This April, approximately 300 Montana FFA students came together to construct a tiny house out of a shipping container at the state FFA convention in Billings. Now, Tom Andres, an agriculture teacher at Big Sky High School and FFA adviser, is focusing on establishing a full program where shop classes can build tiny homes for affordable housing.
During the convention, students worked tirelessly to complete the house within five days, handling tasks ranging from wiring to plumbing. On October 16, the tiny house was showcased at the Missoula Public Schools agricultural center for a visit by Gov. Greg Gianforte, who commended the students for their work.
“We aimed for perfection for whoever ends up living in there,” stated Spencer Hielle, a senior at Frenchtown High School.
Andres has been developing this program for about three years. The concept is straightforward: a shipping container filled with all the necessary supplies for a home is delivered to a school shop, where students build it over a semester. Once completed, the house is sold to a buyer to offer affordable housing. This construction process gives students hands-on experience in trades like plumbing and wiring, and the cost of labor from students brings the price down to around $25,000, covering just the materials. However, Andres mentioned that schools do not typically have the upfront funding for such projects, so the houses need to be financially supported initially.
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Andres is currently seeking a partner who is willing to purchase the units before their construction begins.
“Every aspect of this project was completed by the students,” Andres stated. “It was designed with student involvement in mind.”
— Andy Tallman, andy.tallman@ missoulian.com
