Tower_Winter_17 - 11

TSCT Home
Construction Dinner
O

n Thursday, September 21, 2017, Thaddeus
Stevens College of Technology held the Annual
Home Construction Dinner to thank partners for all
their assistance in winning this year's Parade of Homes.

"Once

Thaddeus Stevens students have been building homes in
Lancaster City as part of their curriculum since 1953. But
the 2017 home made history. It's the first Stevens-built
home to be entered into the BIA's Parade of Homes, and
it wowed the industry association, bringing home six
awards-best of show, best exterior, best interior design,
best kitchen and best bath in its townhome division
and the prestigious Fulton Bank Award for top overall
townhome at any price point. "We had the students who
took ownership from day one," says carpentry instructor
Dan McCord. "Once I saw their work ethic, I wasn't
surprised how it turned out. I'm
very proud of the students."

I saw their work ethic,
I wasn't surprised how it
turned out. I'm very proud
of the students."
Dan McCord.

McCord took the lead in
designing the home and
pushed to enter it into the
Parade,
which
happened
thanks to support from PPL.
"We want to put students out
there who builders are going
to want to hire," he says. "What better way to do that
than to be a part of their showcase?" At the Parade gala,
recent grads Carissa Resch Diorio, carpentry, and Josh
Huneke, masonry, accepted the awards on behalf of the
college.
"When we won all those awards, it just hit me, and they
just kept calling us and calling us," says Resch-Diorio,
who's now employed by Heck Construction. "I kind of

think, for once, I felt speechless. I know that I tried so
hard all year to make that little bit of difference in the
work I contributed."
In all, more than 80 students in six programs-
carpentry, masonry, plumbing, construction electric,
cabinetmaking, and HVAC-participated in the build.
The home features a custom kitchen with island and
hand-crafted sold cherry cabinets with soft-close
drawers, custom milled staircase, a master suite with
cathedral ceiling and a spacious finished basement.
And it's the little details that add up. Students hand cut
and placed tile in the master bath laid Dakota pavers
in a herringbone pattern with boarder in the front
walkway and added brick accents to the corner of the
home. "I think it is a spectacular build," judges Rich
McGowen, a 2017 plumbing graduate who is now
working for Frey Lutz, where he is installing plumbing
in Lancaster General Hospital's new tower along Lime
Street. "Everything from the final finishes to the highend features." The build is made possible by numerous
donations and in-kind contributions of raw materials.
"We knew to win the Parade, we had to flex our muscles,
and that means using the best materials," McCord said.
"We're thankful for so many donations." The property,
located off route 741 in Lancaster Township, is the first
home Stevens students have built outside the city. But the
Foundation owns additional lots in the neighborhood,
so it will be the location of projects for the next several
years-and McCord says he's already designing next
year's house for the Parade. It may serve as a motivator
to future classes, as well. "There's always a lot of pride
going to Thaddeus Stevens," McGowen says. "We always
want to leave our mark and make it a good one."
The Tower * 2017 Fall 11

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