Guidance counselor Brandi Kerly has excitedly accepted Jon Shellenberger’s proposal for his construction class to build her new home.
The students who have helped with this project are freshmen Chase Conn, Sven Gehl and Braxton Knight; sophomores Tyler Ash, Craig Couch, Samuel Giles, Keeghan Jones, Mason Laws, Blain Marshall and Triston Robbins; juniors Adam Abounnaaim, Dylan Beck, Cole Crawhorn, Tanner Cole, Isaiah Holland, Anthony Lowe, Dawson Lynn, Ian Lynn and Kenneth Wadsack and seniors Joel Robinette and Dylan Beck.
“I am confident in these students’ abilities, dedication and work ethic. I visited the house they built last year before we started my build, and they did an amazing job. I was so impressed with the quality,“ said Kerley.
Kerley’s favorite part of this whole process is getting to work with this group of students.
“With Mr. Shellenberger’s direction and leadership, the construction classes work hard and pay attention to detail. They are also very energy conscious and are making sure my home is well insulated so utility bills will be low,” said Kerley.
So far, the students have finished the foundation, concrete walls, roofing, shingles, framing of the walls inside, doors, windows, drywall, lighting, electrical, HVAC and painting. They plan to begin installing cabinets, lights, countertops and vinyl siding soon as well as finishing the flooring and porches.
“I’m excited to finish the flooring because once it gets done, you can really start to see how the house is coming together,” said Lowe.
Kerley has been involved in the entire decision making process that goes into building the house, especially the interior. She has ordered cabinets and countertops of her choice and has also picked out flooring to order.
As the house nears completion, Kerley is very excited to begin decorating. Her son Gage’s room will be painted Boston Celtics green, and his playroom will be painted navy blue to represent his travel baseball team and the Boston Red Sox. His bathroom is bright red, also to represent the Boston Red Sox. Kerley’s living room, kitchen and cabinets will all be white to go along with her beach theme. The island in the kitchen will be gray, and the countertops will be white with grey and black mixed in. The floors and her room will be gray.
It has been predicted that the house will be finished in April, and Kerley is eagerly awaiting the reveal of her new home.
“I am so excited about all of it. It has been an extremely cool experience, and I am forever grateful,” said Kerley.
Story by Makiya Russelburg
