Northwest Tech has a tiny home pioneer on campus this year. Logan Klein, a second-year Carpentry student, and his classmates have begun constructing his very own tiny home. Klein’s tiny home shapes up to be 240 square feet, including a full kitchen, full bath, living room, a loft for sleeping quarters, and a loft for storage. He also added an exterior storage space for solar panels, which he plans to add onto the home in the future.
“My biggest goal is to graduate debt-free,” stated Klein. “I want to begin my career with a clean slate - no student loans, and no mortgage debt.”
However, building a tiny home was not Klein’s first effort towards a financially stable life; choosing Northwest Tech was. Klein decided to attend Northwest Tech to study a career-ready program, smaller class sizes, adaptability, and less projected debt after graduation.
Klein plans to return to his hometown of Yuma, Co, to open a handyman business - with a home in tow! Klein chose carpentry because he enjoys designing and fabricating solutions to various residential construction problems. His favorite hobby is blacksmithing, and he is handcrafting all of the hardware for his tiny home (coat hooks, cabinet pulls, etc.). The project is progressing well and Klein is on track to roll his new house off campus on the same weekend he graduates with his degree!
Klein’s home is the first of many planned to be built by the Northwest Tech Carpentry program, which has pivoted construction projects toward tiny homes during this academic year. Citing the rising costs and time necessary to build full-scale homes by students, Carpentry Instructor Joseph Dobbs and college administration decided to take a different approach for the future of the program. “The greatest benefit to this new direction is the ability for students to develop hands-on skills starting with framing all the way through finish work,” said Schears. “We can provide skill development and full exposure to the curriculum while also keeping the cost of the project manageable.”
If you are not familiar with the term, “tiny homes” average between 100 and 400 square feet (compared to the average American home at over 2,600 square feet). Tiny homes allow just enough space to live, cook, eat, and sleep. A rising number of people have determined that large homes, and the higher cost of living that come with them, are a detriment to their success and happiness. Tiny homes have enjoyed an upsurge in popularity due to the relatively low price point for construction as well as the social interest in minimalist living. Like the house Klein is building, some are constructed on specially designed trailers that can be easily transported. Other designs are built on-site on permanent foundations.
This way of living is growing in popularity for recent graduates, and for good reason. Life after graduation does not need to be filled with debt and stress. A tiny home is an excellent option for young adults, or anyone, looking to downsize their living space, debt, and monthly living costs. They are also make a nice addition to your property when your in-laws are in town. ???? For more information about the Carpentry program, contact our instructor, Joseph Dobbs, at joseph.dobbs@fhnw.edu or visit our website at www.fhnw.edu.
