Build a House, Build a Future

Welcome

BoPPoly — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 19:09:29 +0000

Hello everyone,
We wanted to welcome the new Certificate in Carpentry classes and wish you all the best.
We are looking forward to building new houses with you again and how you’ll share your experience on this blog.
Cheers
The Carpentry Team

nearly done!

briandil — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 00:18:06 +0000

Well, we’re near the end of term three and there’s been great progress made in the last few weeks. Both houses are pretty well completed, with one house getting the full treatment (stopping, painting, carpet etc). Each house will be auctioned on site on October 30th – a great way to round out the projects, and to see our charity partner Homes of Hope benefitting too.

Some comments from Dennis’s new class

BoPPoly — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 00:12:12 +0000

Hi, I’m a new student who’s started in the carpentry course and was encouraged to see the photos and read the comments about your challenges while building this house.

Kia kaha
Tom

KIA ORA BROTHERS!

Hi I’m John @ Mean Building Brothers C10
Hard, stay hard! Seeing some nice mahi brothers, too much.
*4 classes, 4 houses*

Thoughts about finishing up – Dennis’s class – part 2

BoPPoly — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 20:00:26 +0000

Awesome, building the house from the ground up watching it come together and having lots of fun.

Writing for the blog was the biggest challenge for me.

Peter

I feel really good and happy to see the house finished and having learnt more about how to build a house from the start to finish.

The big challenge of this build is that it takes a while getting into it, how to build step by step and then when it came to finishing it.

Tevita

Good to be finished, it was everyone’s first house and we learnt heaps.

Putting up trusses – it took a while to get used to being high and climbing around.

Linea weather boards were crap to drill, and cutting was dusty as, definitely needed masks and glasses.

Morgan

I feel a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction, being the first house build I have been involved with from start to finish.

Justin

The house build was really good; it feels great to say I’ve built a house from nothing. To go out there and see what that bit of dirt turned into is cool as.

I think the hardest part about the build was having to write for the blog. Everything was its own challenge as most of it was all new to me, but with the help of the tutors and other guys I learnt quick as and got the hang of it all. I think the practical side of this course, building the house, has made me learn a lot more than just sitting in a classroom.

Joel

Thoughts about finishing up – Dennis’s class – part 1

BoPPoly — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 03:05:58 +0000

Finishing the house build feels awesome, as it is a huge achievement and it feels good to know that we completed it.

The biggest challenge for me was doing the architraves and skirting around the bottom, because it had to be spot on and I’m not that spot on

But it’s awesome to know we have built our first house and know what it’s like.

Nels

Finishing the house build sucks, because I enjoyed working on it, but I do feel proud of it.

The biggest challenge was probably putting the windows in and getting them flush and level.

Dylan

Wow, the house is finally finished and what a mission it was. Now comes theory and a lot of it.

The most challenging part for me would have been the window facings and scribers. To be accurate was hard, but was done to a reasonable standard.

Thanks!

Calling

Now that the house has been completed, I feel like a major load has been lifted off my shoulders!

The completion of the house has been a major achievement, as I have not been involved in the construction of a house from start to finish.

Mania

progress

briandil — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 22:00:27 +0000

For the last 4 months I’ve been able to look out my office window and see some amazing progress, not only on the houses but also in the learning the students have achieved. They’ve worked in teams, learnt how to think before asking questions! and take a real pride in what they’re constructing - well done guys.

We’re now at the business end of the projects, with the finishing touches going on ahead of the auction on October 30th 2010. Keep watching the posts for more info.

Learning by doing – Jason’s class – Part 2

BoPPoly — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 02:24:21 +0000

Have a look at how Jason’s class thinks the course would be like without the house build:

“Learning without the house build would be more difficult as the practical explains the theory as you are doing it. Better way to understand.”

Brad

“Learning would be boring without the house build as well as harder to understand.
The house build has helped learning the theory part of the course by putting the theory into practice and seeing how it works.”

Brad

“I think that learning without the house build would have been hard, because I learn better by doing it than being showed pictures and models on how to do it.”

Sam

“It would be hard to learn without doing this house, it gives a lot of insight into the building and how everything works.
It helps with getting more knowledge of theory, doing this house build.”

Nigel

“Reading about how to install the linea seemed a little confusing, but after actually doing it on site at the house build, I noticed it’s not hard at all.”

Darren

Learning by doing – Jason’s class – Part 1

BoPPoly — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 02:15:28 +0000

Have a look at how Jason’s class thinks the course would be like without the house build:

“It would be difficult to concentrate and take it all in.
It helps you learn to do stuff when you are actually doing it yourself, not someone showing you or getting you to read about how to do it.”

Jared

“It’s good building a house as part of our course, because it makes everything easier to understand.
It helps you apply the theory to the practical part.”

Hugh

“The house build has helped with learning the theory, because we get to put all the theory into practical work and actually do it. Without the house build, we would only see models, not get to build it.”

Ben

“I’m a hands=on person, so without the house build, I wouldn’t know half the stuff I know now. Theory would ne much more difficult and having an understanding of hat our tutors are talking about would be hard.”

Eru

Homes of Hope visit the building site

BoPPoly — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 22:55:29 +0000

Homes of Hope visited the building site on Wednesday to talk to students and check-up on the building progress. The two houses being built on campus will be sold by open, public auction to the highest bidder in late September. A portion of the sales will go to Homes of Hope to assist them in providing a brighter future for children in their care.

Students got to hear first-hand about the care Homes of Hope provides for abused and neglected children in the Bay. Manager of Homes of Hope, Hilary Price, was really excited to see the progress students are making with the two houses and congratulated them on their fine workmanship.

Homes of Hope will be getting more involved as the houses near completion. One of the houses will be competed to lined and locked stage. Whereas the other will be fully completed through the generous support of industry partners and Hopes of Hope supporters.

All in all its set to be a great community partnership.

The houses will be auctioned by an avid supporter of Homes of Hope, Frank Vosper, from Vosper Reality.

The most memorable moment(s) – Dennis’s Class – Part 2

BoPPoly — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 03:14:29 +0000

“To date on the house build, we are at the stage of closing the house in. We have put in all of our windows and our back door. Today all that needs to be done is finishing our internal walls for the linea weather boards and putting our front door in. All going well. The highlight for me has really been building the house as a whole.”

Baldy

“The greatest moment of the house build so far was seeing all the frames and trusses up so we had a skeleton of a house and could see it was coming all together. Also, seeing the house and finishing placing the windows in, so we had a closed-in house with cladding.

The house build has gone fast, I didn’t think we would have it closed in yet, but everyone working together well made it go really fast.”

Matt

“The highlight of the house build so far was watching the build turn from what looks like a construction site into someone’s home after we put the linear weather boards on and the windows in. I’m really pretty surprised about how fast the house has taken to look completed from the outside, even though there’s still a lot of work to be done on the inside.”
Dylan C.