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Perspective Newsletters
Summer 2003
LEARY SCHOOL JOB SITE
Page 5
 As
the year has progressed, so has the work on the job site's newest project. This school
year is year one of a two year project - a new two story home on Holyoke Drive. This
house will be similar to the house we completed two years ago and is directly across
the street from that home. There are some changes to the house so that it has its
own look, including a second story porch.
The students worked very hard to construct the first and second floors of the house
as the school year drew to a close. This included laying out all the wall sections
with the openings for the doors and windows, assembling the walls, installing the
plywood on the exterior walls. After the walls were constructed, the exterior walls
were wrapped in Tybek, which is a vapor barrier that helps reduce moisture and drafts.
 After
this, work began on the roof. Particularly challenging for the students was installing
the roof trusses, the plywood on the roof trusses and the roof shingles. This extraordinary
challenge came as a result of the height of the roof - the peak of the house is approximately
28 feet from the ground, which is a new experience for all the students.
After the trusses are up, plywood was laid to cover the whole roof to provide a smooth
surface on which to lay the shingles. A layer of felt paper goes down next; this
is a protective covering for the plywood. Finally, the asphalt roof shingles, which
provide the finished protective layer for the roof, were installed. This section
of the house took nearly three weeks for the staff and students to complete. This
took a little longer than it normally does because of the heavy spring rains but
the work we do is accomplished in such a way that students learn from the process
so it is never as fast as a home builder would take.
After the roof was complete and the spring rains stopped, we then installed 18 Anderson
windows. Students learned how to install windows and how to keep them them plumb
and level.
During the project, students worked in the community helping to clean up the street,
clean out trash from the storm gutters and assisted one of the neighbors on the street
with some general home improvements in their kitchen. One of the goals for the JobSite
is to help students learn the value of community and being part of a neighborhood.
During the years we have been on this street, the neighbors have learned that we
are more than happy to help them in whatever way we can.
The end of the year is a time when tasks - inventorying the equipment, securing the
tools, cleaning the trailer, cleanup of the house and property and helping the students
get ready for the summer - takes priority. The students learn the importance of maintaining
the equipment they are working with and making sure that everything is secure.
In the fall, the students will begin getting the plumbing installed for the basement
bathroom and getting the concrete basement floor poured, followed by work on the
two front porches and putting the exterior siding on. Now that we are "under roof",
on rain days, we can work on the interior of the house.
Alan Peck, M.S.
Vocational Coordinator
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