HERKIMER – Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego BOCES Building Construction students have been building a house each school year dating back to 1982, and the recipient of the next one will be determined in a drawing this May.
The selected homeowner pays the cost of materials and transportation of the house from Herkimer BOCES to its location. The labor is provided for free by high school juniors and seniors under the supervision of Building Construction instructor John Martin and teaching assistant Shelby Creater.
The Herkimer BOCES Building Construction program is the only BOCES program in the state that constructs a full house every school year.
“Students learn hands-on skills through our Building Construction curriculum that will prepare them for a career in the industry," Martin said. “To be able to professionally build a house every year during their education is a unique opportunity – for both our students and for the homeowner who receives the house.”
If you’re interested in receiving the house, attend an informational meeting at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, May 10, in the Building Construction classroom at the Herkimer BOCES William E. Busacker Complex at 352 Gros Blvd. in Herkimer. Enter the classroom directly by going around to the back parking lot (where you will see the current house the class is building).
If you have any questions, contact Martin at 315-867-2600 or jmartin@herkimer-boces.org.
A lottery drawing on Wednesday, May 24, will determine who will receive the house. If multiple people apply and attend the lottery, runners-up can be selected for subsequent years.
Building Construction students are currently working on the program’s 42nd house, which is already accounted for. The lottery drawing will be for the 43rd house, which will be built during the 2023-24 school year for completion in June 2024.
At the meeting on Wednesday, May 10, information discussed will include procedures, house styles, the purchasing of materials, the construction date, criteria for applying, moving the house and other owners’ responsibilities.
The house can be up to 1,590 square feet and can be a single-story ranch style or cape style house. The house could be delivered to many locations in and surrounding the Herkimer BOCES region. Previous houses have gone to various locations such as the Thousand Islands, Lake George and south of Cooperstown. After a client is selected, meetings will be scheduled with the future homeowner to discuss the floor plan and the basic design of the house. The design must meet approval of the Building Construction program curriculum. It must be a single story house and can have up to three bedrooms and two bathrooms. The dimensions can be up to 26.5 feet by 60 feet.
The 42nd house created by the Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego BOCES Building Construction program is pictured under construction in March 2023. An informational meeting about a drawing for who will receive the program’s 43rd house next year will take place at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, May 10, in the Building Construction classroom at the Herkimer BOCES William E. Busacker Complex at 352 Gros Blvd. in Herkimer.
Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego BOCES Building Construction student Colton Roark, from Poland Central School District, works on the program’s 42nd house during the current school year. An informational meeting about a drawing for who will receive the program’s 43rd house next year will take place at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, May 10, in the Building Construction classroom at the Herkimer BOCES William E. Busacker Complex at 352 Gros Blvd. in Herkimer.
Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego BOCES Building Construction student Brayden Hurteau, from Little Falls City School District, works on the program’s 42nd house during the current school year. An informational meeting about a drawing for who will receive the program’s 43rd house next year will take place at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, May 10, in the Building Construction classroom at the Herkimer BOCES William E. Busacker Complex at 352 Gros Blvd. in Herkimer.
Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego BOCES Building Construction student Janarious Howard, from Central Valley Central School District, works on the program’s 42nd house during the current school year. An informational meeting about a drawing for who will receive the program’s 43rd house next year will take place at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, May 10, in the Building Construction classroom at the Herkimer BOCES William E. Busacker Complex at 352 Gros Blvd. in Herkimer.
Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego BOCES Building Construction student Nicholas Smith, from West Canada Valley Central School District, works on the program’s 42nd house during the current school year. An informational meeting about a drawing for who will receive the program’s 43rd house next year will take place at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, May 10, in the Building Construction classroom at the Herkimer BOCES William E. Busacker Complex at 352 Gros Blvd. in Herkimer.
Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego BOCES Building Construction student Derek Barnes, from Little Falls City School District, works on the program’s 42nd house during the current school year. An informational meeting about a drawing for who will receive the program’s 43rd house next year will take place at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, May 10, in the Building Construction classroom at the Herkimer BOCES William E. Busacker Complex at 352 Gros Blvd. in Herkimer.
Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego BOCES Building Construction student Joseph Urtz, from Central Valley Central School District, works on the program’s 42nd house during the current school year. An informational meeting about a drawing for who will receive the program’s 43rd house next year will take place at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, May 10, in the Building Construction classroom at the Herkimer BOCES William E. Busacker Complex at 352 Gros Blvd. in Herkimer.