Woodstock Community Unit School District 200’s latest student-built home is now on the market with open houses scheduled for May 13-14.
The ranch style home at 1550 Sandpiper Lane is the 43rd home built by students since the Building Trades program began in 1972. At its April 25 meeting, the Board of Education approved the process to put the home out for bid for 60 days.
The 1,660 square-foot, attached garage home in the Country Ridge subdivision on the edge of a cul-de-sac has three bedrooms with two tiled baths, a large laundry/mud room and a large basement with 9-foot ceilings. Open houses are scheduled from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 13 and from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sunday, May 14.
Building trades instructor Erich Parpart said students are just completing the final details and are excited about seeing their efforts reach the real estate market. He plans to invite last year’s graduates to attend the open house events so they can see the finished product.
In addition to the lasting structures throughout Woodstock, building trades classes have led to successful careers for hundreds of Woodstock and Woodstock North students who chose to pursue careers in the trades instead of traditional college.
Woodstock High School senior Kaden Perkins first took two high school woods classes before enrolling in building trades class this school year. While he’s been a good student in many other courses, the three-sport athlete found a passion for carpentry in his trades classes.
“I like the whole framing aspect, climbing around, using my hands and getting dirty,” Perkins said. “It definitely opened up my career options. I’m planning to do framing work, but most of the stuff we’ve been doing in trades classes like trim work and the cabinets — that’s all stuff I can do on my own if I wanted to.”
Perkins will be working for Trinity Homes this summer and said he’s excited about the opportunity and his future.
Parpart said he’s proud of what students accomplished over the last two years and is looking forward to getting started on the next building trades house that will be built through a partnership with the City of Woodstock.
The city obtained a $15,000 grant from the National Realtor Association and $10,000 from AARP’s National Livable Communities group to allow a professional designer to work with students on a “universal design” home that provides first-floor bedrooms, wider hallways and zero-step entry into showers.
