Greater Lawrence Technical School students are constructing a new home in Lawrence that will be sold at market rate this spring. (Courtesy photographs)
Nearly 100 students at Andover’s Greater Lawrence Technical School are hard at work building a new home from the ground up as part of their latest hands-on project.
High schoolers from the carpentry, electrical and plumbing programs are currently working on the property at 47 Norris St. in Lawrence as the school’s building program completes construction on the two-story wood frame home.
Junior carpentry student Adelina Vargas of Lawrence cuts wood to build a wall for the home.
Since November, students have laid plywood on the roof, installed temporary lighting and ran wire to the sump pump, among other tasks. Windows will be installed in the coming weeks, allowing the project’s pace to pick up significantly.
“This is a great experience for students,” electrical instructor Charlie Kennedy said. “They’re learning real world skills and how to work with different trades—it’s all part of the job and all things a contractor would do.”
The project is an annual undertaking made possible through a partnership with the Greater Lawrence Revolving Loan Fund, which has provided the school with upfront money to purchase lots and building materials every year since 1973.
Once the Norris Street home is completed later this spring, it will be sold for market value and profits used to purchase a lot of land for the 2019 project.