First cuts for charity house

Carpentry students have helped set the foundation for a charity building project taking shape in Nelson.

The first steps in the Mitre 10 Helping Hands Helicopter home build were taken this week, with 3.7 tonnes of LVL flooring timber donated by Nelson Pine Industries. It was pre-cut by pre-trade students at the Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology workshop.

Mitre 10 Mega Nelson has partnered with the local branch of New Zealand Certified Builders Association to build a three-bedroom, 149-square metre house at Nelson Junction in Annesbrook.

The house will be built by various members of the Nelson Certified Builders Association over eight weekends, assisted by the apprentices and pre-trade NMIT students, commencing on September 2.

Once finished, the house will be auctioned by Summit Real Estate on November 18, with proceeds going to the Nelson Marlborough Rescue Helicopter Endowment Trust.

Nelson Certified Builders’ Garry Nott – himself a former NMIT tutor – said there had been an enthusiastic response from NCBA members to work on the project, driven in part by the fact three of them had been previously rescued by the helicopter.

Senior tutor Huw Morgan said it took the students four hours to cut up 60 12-metre lengths of timber, which would ultimately save a day’s labour on site.

A coloured-coded system used on the planks would also make assembly easier.

The teamwork and life skills gained would serve the students well once they fully entered the industry, Morgan said.

‘‘We’re lucky we’ve got a lot of really good builders in our area, which means we end up get really good apprentices too - it all sort of mingles in with each other.’’

Senior tutor and programme coordinator Eddie Shields said the controlled learning environment enhanced the experience for students while speeding up the building process before materials went on site.

‘‘What nobody sees in projects like this is the work that goes on behind the scenes - it’s those hard hours that go in with the planning and preparation before a single nail is driven in.’’

MARTIN DE RUYTER/NELSON MAIL NMIT students and tutors Richard Shepard, second from left, Andy Waugh, sixth from left and Murray Leaning, Mitre 10 Mega with Nelson Pine Industries LVL timber that will be used in sub-floor construction of the Helicopter House Build project.