Mike Jennesse

Individual Project Blog

The $2000 House Project- Summer 2014

Michael A. Jennesse, Jr.

INDC 7630

21 July 2014

BACKGROUND

As the final project of the MIDC 2013-2014 studio class, this project was an opportunity to blend design and construction roles and responsibilities in ways that other projects may not have accomplished.  A “tiny house” was to be design and built before the end of the semester.  The overall parameters for the home changed as the project progressed, but it started out as a minimum 400 square foot home that was to be built, ready for occupancy, for a sum no greater than $2000.  Through the initial research and design portions of this project, it was realized that the task may have been slightly ambitious and some alterations to the project were made.  This home is intended to be used as a prototype for Alabama Rural Ministries as a quick-delivery, temporary home for victims of tornados or other natural disasters.

The final result of the project built is an 8’x20’ home that is completely dried-in.  The inside of the home is left unfinished with the hope that future courses, in this program or others, may utilize the structure for both hands-on training and service.  Some of the assembly research done on other studio projects was put to action on this home (i.e., rigid foam insulation).

PRIMARY DUTIES

I had several primary roles and responsibilities on this project.  During preconstruction, I help the design teams understand constructability issues with the means and methods that were being chosen.  If other products, materials, or sequences were available for construction, it was part of my role to influence the design of the home towards those things.  As well during the preconstruction of the project, I put together all necessary safety protocol for the construction portion of the job.  This included the necessary paperwork, site assessment/hazard abatement, and training topics among other things.

During the construction portion of the project, I continued with the role of the safety coordinator for the job.  Every morning, a safety briefing took place prior to work.  Topics were discussed that related to the tasks being performed that day in an effort to minimize the possibility of injury and illness.  Also during construction, I was able to help with the coordination of execution plans and procedures, scheduling, budgetary concerns, team structures, and general labor.

RELEVANT ISSUE- VOLUNTEER LABOR

By far, the most important aspect of constructing a home like ours at a budget like ours is the utilization of volunteer labor.  Volunteer labor is a tricky subject to be able to analyze because the skill level or availability of volunteer labor can be different dependent on location, time of year, and many other variables.  Using very conservative numbers, we can estimate that we had an average of 10 workers per day. Some days had as little as 2, and others had as many as 15.  If the average work day was 4 hours long and we worked 10 days that means there were 400 man-hours contributed to the construction portion of this project.  Keep in mind this does not take in to account any of the design process.  Based on research from a survey conducted asking nonprofit staff how much they would pay their volunteers for their time, the national average was $20/hour.  This means that the assumed labor cost for the construction alone cost this job approximately $8000, 4x the maximum budget for the home.  The real reason for this high assumed cost of labor is the fact that with unskilled labor and poor volunteer labor management, much time can be wasted.

According to “The New Volunteer Workforce,” there are several issues with most nonprofit systems that are inherently decreasing the return rate of volunteer labor.  The problems listed are as follows; not matching the volunteer’s skills with assignments, failing to recognize volunteers’ contributions, not measuring the value of the volunteer, failing to train and invest in volunteers and staff, and failing to provide strong leadership.  Focusing on eliminating the above stated issues helps gives volunteers a stronger sense of purpose and satisfaction with the tasks they are performing while also increasing productivity, efficiency, and return rates.

Therefore several goals must be in place in order to utilize volunteer labor as efficiently as possible, often times requiring an added investment in time and money to the staff.  The same article lists ways they think management can capitalize on volunteer talent; rethinking work roles, assigning appropriate tasks, creating bonding experiences, using new technology, and developing strategic plans.  All of these things, partnered with the elimination of the listed problems, can help volunteer labor become a thriving part of a nonprofit’s goals.  In our case, a strong sense of training, purpose, and responsibility are all crucial to optimizing productivity. 

http://www.ssireview.org/articles/entry/the_new_volunteer_workforce

REFLECTION 

WHEN WERE YOU MOST ENGAGE?

I was most engaged in the construction portion of the project.  This was heavily weighted towards managing the process, teams, materials, and equipment needed to complete the tasks at hand.  Making sure the proper materials and equipment is in place and that the teams are split up accomplishing productive tasks is essential.  As well, I spent a great deal of time as labor for production.

WHEN WERE YOU LEAST ENGAGED AND WHY?

I was least engaged during the initial design and research portions of the project.  At this point in time, Team 1 was analyzing precedent studies of low budget “tiny homes” and this is an area that I was not involved in to a great degree.

WHAT SURPRISED YOU ABOUT THIS PROJECT?

My biggest surprise on this project was the amount of time it took to complete the job.  I was anticipating that it would be done in almost half the time.  The reason for the slow progress was the project became a platform for hands on education and training.  Also, it was a new experience for many of the well versed construction hands on the job.

WHO/WHAT CONTRIBUTED TO YOUR LEARNING ON THIS PROJECT AND WHY?

Lisa Pierce, the founder and director of Alabama Rural Ministries (ARM), was a strong source of learning the day we spoke with her.  Her insight into the needs of the people ARM supports as well as the process in which these types of situations get handled opened up great insight as to how we could build the home with the end user in mind.

WHAT WOULD YOU SUGGEST FOR ADDITONAL PROJECTS OF THIS TYPE?

I think it is very important for a program like ours to have a hands on element at some point in the year.  I think the timing worked well at the end of the year, as it gave us a change of pace going into the finish line.  One strong suggestion I would make is to have a distinct and enforced level of accountability to all students working.  When roles and responsibilities are delegated to the class, the classmates expect their peers to perform their assigned duties.  It occurs much too often when certain people have to carry the weight of others.