NCC In the News

Students build by taking apart
Center teaches how to build homes with deconstruction project
BY TIM KEITH — TimKeith@coloradoan.com

The National Center for Craftsmanship is giving Fort Collins area high school students a chance to learn how to build houses by taking them apart.

The center began its first "deconstruct" project over the weekend on Lady Moon Drive south of Harmony Road.

Deconstructing a house is different than demolishing it because the materials are gathered for reuse in building projects rather than being shipped off to the landfill.

The project is educational and environmentally friendly, said Robb Sommerfeld,assistant center director. About 80 percent of the materials from the house can be reused.

"Not only can we teach craftsmanship and the trades, not only can we impact the environment, we can affect the community," he said.

The project is part of the center's mission to promote and preserve craftsmanship and is designed to give hands-on, real-world learning opportunities to area high school, junior college, college and adult students interested in the building trades.

A general goal of the National Center for Craftsmanship and a specific goal of the deconstruct project are to educate the area's youth, especially those in high school who are not bound for college, about the numerous career opportunities in the skilled construction and associated trades.

Many of the volunteers are high school students getting their first construction experience.

"If you're going to buy a house, you ought to know how it's put together," said David Beers, a Ridgeview Classical School sophomore.

The opportunity to learn about how a house is put together without having to worry about making a mistake helps the learning process, said Sommerfeld, a Berthoud High School teacher.

Learning about construction also opens up a large career field, said Kyle McLear, a Colorado State University graduate student.

"There's so much more in this industry," he said. "There's a lot of outstanding jobs." McLear is writing his graduate thesis on sustainable pre-development of property, including the reuse of materials from deconstructed buildings.

The center will measure materials taken out of the house in order to apply LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) points.

There is no standard for deconstruction, so the project will try to develop one, said McLear, who is LEED accredited.

After the house is taken down the materials will be sold and proceeds will support continuing the project. The center already has two more houses it plans to deconstruct.

The project was initially made possible by donations from local organizations, including the Larimer County landfill, Sommerfeld said. The landfill donated $4,000 for the materials that won't be deposited at the landfill.

And although the project has several high-minded goals, it isn't all work.

"It's just fun to take stuff apart," said J.J. Johnson, a Berthoud High sophomore.

Photo by Sara Loven/The Coloradoan

Youth volunteers J.J. Johnson, 16, front, and Samuel Reeves, 18, remove flooring Saturday in a Fort Collins house that is being dismantled by The National Center for Craftsmanship organization. The salvageable pieces are being donated to Habitat for Humanity.

Photo by Sara Loven/The Coloradoan

Kyle McLear, a volunteer from JCL Architecture, helps remove hard wood flooring Saturday.

Want to help?

Volunteers who want to get involved in the deconstruct project should contact Neil Kaufman at 215-4587 or Neil@NCCaftsmanship.org. Groups are welcome.