The Social > Applied Residential Design and Construction
Applied Residential Design and Construction
Applied Residential Design and Construction
Class Description:
This one-semester high school course introduces students to the fundamental principles of wood construction with a specific focus on one-family residential dwellings. Students explore how houses are designed, framed, and built, gaining an understanding of standard construction methods, materials, and terminology used in the residential building industry.
The course blends direct instruction with hands-on learning. Through lessons, demonstrations, and guided discussions, students study topics such as structural systems, foundations, floor systems, wall framing, roof construction, basic joinery, and safe tool use. Emphasis is placed on reading plans, understanding scale, and recognizing how individual components work together to create a safe and functional structure.
A major component of the class is a hands-on construction project in which students design and build detailed scale models of one-family homes. These models allow students to apply construction concepts in a tangible way, reinforcing problem-solving, spatial reasoning, precision, and craftsmanship.
This course is ideal for students interested in architecture, construction trades, engineering, or hands-on maker learning, and provides a strong foundation for future coursework or career exploration in the building and design fields.
Phil Brummel is a builder, zoning and city planner expert with decades of building infrastructure and township development projects throughout West Michigan. His expertise and experience in city planning, residential construction, mechanical engineering will provide students with a great introduction to the various fields of building, construction and city/residential planning.
Competency Outcomes
Architectural Literacy: Learning how to read professional house plans and blueprints so they can visualize a building before it is even built.
Structural Framing Systems: Understanding the "skeleton" of a house—learning exactly how floors, walls, and roofs are framed to stay strong.
Precision Measurement & Scaling: Using math and specialized rulers to shrink a full-sized house down into a perfectly proportioned, detailed miniature model.
Load-Bearing Analysis: Learning how a house carries its own weight so that floors don't sag and roofs don't collapse.
Joinery & Material Science: Picking the right types of wood and the best ways to connect them so the project is sturdy and lasts a long time.
Envelope & Roof Geometry: Using geometry to figure out the angles of a roof and learning how a house is "sealed" to keep the weather out.
Operational Safety & Tool Management: Developing the discipline and habit of using power tools and hand tools safely and responsibly in a workshop.
Foundation & Site Orientation: Learning how a house is anchored to the ground and why a level, solid base is the most important part of any build.
Program Fee Details:
Yearly fee: $475- Paid upfront with 10% discount: $427.50 Pain in 4 equal monthly payments: $118.75 * All materials are included in the cost of the class
What's the Class Like?
A hands-on class where students will learn about the foundational concepts of residential home construction. This include creating a scaled model that replicates a functioning residential home in many aspects including mechanical load of structure, plumbing and electrical layout and finishing trades involved in turning a slab into home. In addition to creating a residential model, students will also practice building scaled practice structure found within home construction that will provide a solid foundation to understand how a residential home is built and functions.
Students should have an interest in building trades and the ability to use tools and do basic measuring with a ruler.
Aligned with MDE CIP 46.0000 Standards
.5 Career and Technical Education (CTE) credit available. Parents can add this program to their student's transcript to meet Michigan Merit Curriculum guidelines for graduation requirements.
