Homeschooled Teen and Worcester Think Tank Team Up to Host a Tiny House Building Workshop

WORCESTER, Mass. - March 25, 2015 - PRLog -- This spring a local sixteen year old, Hannah Wnuk will be building her own tiny house with the help of Worcester Think Tank (http://www.worcesterthinktank.com/), a local educational resource center, and the experienced tiny house building team of Ian Anderson and Dermott Morley. The three parties have joined together to create a Tiny House Building Workshop which will run June 1- June 12, 2015 in the Worcester, MA area. This two week, hands-on workshop is open to six participants who will learn the art and science of tiny house building including topics like tiny house design, choosing a trailer, framing, sheathing, windows and doors and environmentally friendly internal systems. The group will start with Hannah’s empty trailer and at the end of week two, sixteen year old Hannah will have a tiny house on that trailer. Attendees can sign up for a single week or both weeks. Week One will focus on tool safety, and structural components including framing, sheathing, roofing, windows and doors. Week Two will focus on sustainable internal systems and finish work including insulation, interior and exterior finish details, wiring, plumbing, heating, etc. Other tiny house dwellers and experts will visit during the workshop and participants will get to tour Ian’s tiny home which he built himself. The cost is $850 a week or $1575 for both weeks. The workshop price includes farmhouse style lunches and opportunities to camp on site. Participants can expect to come away with a wealth of knowledge, experience and new skills that they can draw upon to build again in the future.

The term “Tiny House” generally refers to a house that is 400 square feet or less. They are often built on trailers, and can be moved. They are inexpensive to live in, and generally have a low environmental impact. The Tiny House trend has been making a push to get more people into smaller, more environmentally friendly homes, and to simplify their lives.

Sixteen year old Hannah Wnuk (https://life.indiegogo.com/fundraisers/trailer-for-dream-...), of Lunenburg, MA enthusiastically embraces those ideas and plans to build a 144 square foot home on wheels, using a plan from Tumbleweed Tiny Houses (http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/). Building a small, sustainable home is a biggest homeschool project to date.   “I’ve always loved small spaces and actually slept in my closet for a month when I was a kid. Living small, reducing my impact on the earth, and having a low cost of living makes a tiny house perfect for me,” said Hannah.

Lauren Monroe, founder of Worcester Think Tank (http://www.worcesterthinktank.com/) also has a passion for tiny houses, and she lives in one. Think Tank has run a tiny house building workshop in the past and demand has grown for more of them. When Hannah came along with her desire to build this summer, it seemed like the right time for the next workshop. The upcoming tiny house workshop is open to anyone sixteen years and older.

“Students signing up for our tiny house building workshop will learn math, physics, creative thinking, and collaboration skills along with traditional building skills,” said Lauren. “It’s interest driven learning with immediate application. This is the best way of retaining new knowledge and truly embodying the skills that you have been introduced to.”

For more details on this tiny house workshop or to sign up, visit http://www.worcesterthinktank.com/content/tiny-house-building-workshop-june-2015-ages-16. Participation is limited to 6 attendees and everyone will be involved in the entire building process.

Worcester Think Tank is an educational resource center offering alternative education in science and art to homeschoolers and the general community. Think Tank's mission is to provide an academic resource center where youth and adults can come together for personal, social and intellectual growth. It offers concentrations of study from a passionate, patient and talented staff, sensitive to the values of diverse backgrounds and unique learning styles.

Hannah Wnuk is a self-directed learner who is homeschooling high school. She discovered Worcester Think Tank early on and began taking classes there on topics including Creative Writing, Chemistry, and Debate & Rhetoric. Most recently Hannah discovered that she shares a common interest in tiny houses with the Director of Worcester Think Tank, Lauren Monroe. Hannah plans to build her tiny house and travel the country with it.

Local builders Ian Anderson (http://littletimberhouse.blogspot.com/) and Dermott Morley collectively have over 40 years of building experience between them. Recently they’ve combined their passion for sustainability and minimizing environmental impact into a passion for tiny houses.  Ian Anderson is recognized as a regional expert in the tiny house movement and lives in his own tiny house in the woods in Central Massachusetts.

Additional Tiny House resources:

Central MA Tiny House Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/625040800963139/

Greater Boston Tiny House Enthusiasts Meetup Group http://www.meetup.com/GreaterBostonTinyHouseEnthusiasts/

Hannah’s Tiny House blog: hannahstinyhouse.tumblr.com

Hannah’s Fundraiser: https://life.indiegogo.com/fundraisers/trailer-for-dream-tiny-house