AUSTIN DAILY HERALD
TUESDAY, JANUARY 31, 2012
Tom Wilker, Riverland Carpentry instructor, explains the process his students will perform to remodel this Austin home. RIGHT: Riverland carpentry students work on remodeling a home Monday morning in northwest Austin.
One family’s dream Home renovation key learning project for students ustin’s Housing & Redevelopment Authority and Community Riverland College are busy making someone’s dream home come to life. The HRA and Riverland’s Carpentry and Electrician Programs have partnered to renovate a onelevel home at 1003 Eighth Ave. NW, which until last summer had been Mower County property. “It’s not the largest house in the world, but it’s a very nice house,” said Karen Mattson, Family Housing Manager. Mattson fell in love with the circa-1915 Arts and Crafts home after looking at vacant lots last spring. Leaning Tree LLC bought two HRA homes east of The Hormel Institute last year when the company began purchasing land for a proposed Institute expansion and Mattson was looking for available lots to replace the lost houses. After obtaining a list of county property, she found the house and immediately fell in love with it. Mattson convinced parttime Executive Director Jim Hurm and Riverland instructors to invest in the house. The last hurdle before construction began was buying the home from the Mower County Board of Commissioners, which the HRA did for a little more than $1,500 last summer. Riverland students have worked on the home since December, which means they’ve created new floor plans, tore out existing plumbing and some walls, and rewired everything. In fact, there’s little that isn’t being reworked or replaced in the home. “This is a project that we cannot duplicate in our shop,” said Dan Rayman,
Story by Trey Mewes • Photos by Matt Peterson Riverland Electrical dents are working through subcontractors, such as Fox instructor. Many starting electri- Electric, in order to legally cians will work on renova- complete the job – though tions similar to this home Riverland students are during their first few years, doing the work and the subcontractors are according to providing the R a y m a n . “This is a parts. Riverland students have Once the home project already had is finished, it will that we be a two-bedroom, plenty of practice climbing one-bathroom can’t into the attic and home perfect for a down through duplicate young family, wood and plasaccording to in our ter walls Mattson. There rewiring the will be a wideshop.” home, even redoopen space perfect ing the wiring for a living room -Dan along the ceiling and dining room Rayman at one point. along with a Riverland “I like it,” kitchen on the electrical said Cory main floor, with a instructor Monson, secondsmall storage year Riverland space in the attic. student. “I was a carpenter The basement will have before so I’ve done a lot of enough space for a family this kind of work.” room, though Riverland Riverland students have students will leave much of plenty of work to go before the basement work up to the home is ready, however. the next homeowner. Aside Mattson said students hope from putting in plumbing to put up a new roof by May for a bathroom and an and the front porch will egress window in case the have to be redone at some owners want to add anothpoint as well. Riverland stu- er bedroom, the home’s
Riverland Community College carpentry students are remodeling this home at 1008 Eighth Ave. NW in Austin. The Housing and Redevelopment Authority purchased the home from the county and will resell it when the remodel is complete.
basement will go unfinished. Once construction is done, the home will be ready for market. The HRA and Riverland will put on an open house and list it for sale, presumably to a moderate income family, according to Mattson. In addition to massive renovations, the house has a spacious backyard and is located close to Sumner Elementary School, a plus for prospective homeowners. “This is such a goshdarn nice neighborhood,” Mattson said.
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