Mitchell Tech to host open house for student-built house on Doris Drive

MITCHELL — Mitchell Technical College’s 109th student-built house is ready for viewing and auction.

Mitchell Tech is inviting the public to visit the 1,751-square-foot home at 405 Doris Drive in the Wild Oak Development Wednesday, March 29 and Thursday, March 30 between 5 and 7 p.m. During the event, visitors will be able to walk through the house and receive information about the potential purchase of the property.

The house is for sale by sealed bid, with the reserve set for $530,000.

“This really is a showcase of the work students in three of our construction programs have done over the last two years,” said Eric Schramm, architectural design and building construction instructor at Mitchell Tech, adding that inflation has driven up the cost of materials. “As we are preparing students to offer advanced level carpentry skills, we are teaching them techniques to attain a high-end finish. Though there have been significant increases in material costs, the $530,000 price point is still a great value, as the majority of the labor was provided by the students and did not increase the cost.”

This is Mitchell Tech’s eighth house to be constructed in the Wild Oak Development. Last year’s house, which is similar in floor plan to this year’s, sold for $489,000.

“We build with amenities that are consistent to the neighboring properties, following all homeowners association guidelines,” Schramm said. He also said the program strategically uses a variety of techniques and installs higher-end cabinets, trim work and other finish details.

This year’s house was designed and drafted by the Mitchell Tech team, including students. It was built by first-year architectural design and building construction students in the climate-controlled Mitchell Tech shop during the 2021-22 school year. It was relocated to its 15,898- square-foot lot last spring, and students returned this year to add a second bedroom and an attached three-stall garage with a smaller fourth door for a golf cart suitable for the neighborhood.

Visitors to the home will enter through the home’s covered concrete front patio. The open-concept main floor features modern finishes, including rustic alder cabinets custom-built by students and a built-in range hood with LED lights. Timber beams frame the panned great room ceiling to bring a bit of rustic charm into the modern-styled home.

The house consists of two main floor bedrooms, including a 206-square-foot master bedroom with a private full bath and large walk-in closet. A second bedroom and full bath, as well as the kitchen, pantry, dining room, laundry room and half-bath. The basement is framed for an additional two bedrooms and a recreation room. Sheetrock in the bedrooms has already been hung.

In earlier years, Mitchell Tech students would build two houses each year — one in the shop and one on-site. In 2019, the program shifted to completing one house on-campus that would be moved and finished on-site in the students’ second year.

“This model allows us to have students build additions to an existing structure, which is often seen in the industry and was identified by our advisory board as a skill that was needed,” Schramm said.

Revamping the program has also created an opportunity for students to be better-prepared to enter into commercial construction, thanks to an investment by Puetz Design+Build into a commercial lab, where students can learn steel construction methods and work more extensively with heavy equipment.

Electrical Construction and Maintenance students wired the house for electrical and telecommunications amenities, and Heating and Cooling Technology students ran ductwork and connected the house’s HVAC and whole-house ventilation systems.

“Collaboration like this is key for successful projects in the industry. By modeling it, we are teaching students how to apply what they’re learning in real-world conditions,” Schramm said. “They are able to develop critical communication skills and they have the opportunity to learn from a simulated job experience, where they have to work around the other contractors’ schedules and space needs.”

Sealed bids for the house will be opened at 10 a.m. Wed., April 19 in the Mitchell Tech business office.

Further information about the house, including photos, floor plan and the bidding process, can be found at mitchelltech.edu/house-for-sale.