NEOSHO, Mo. — A local college is auctioning off fully-functional cabins, built entirely by students.

The tiny-house movement is back in Neosho, as part of the “Crowder Technical Education Center Building Trades Program” annual year-long project.

It involves high school juniors and seniors from across Southwest Missouri that have an interest in pursuing a career in construction.

“We have five sending schools, that would be Neosho, McDonald County, East Newton, Seneca, and Diamond. So, high school juniors and seniors that are interested in construction can take part in these programs. We are standing in the afternoon house right now but the other house was built by the morning program, so each group builds a house. They start in the fall with blueprints and floor plans, all the way to the finished product,” said Cindy Brown, Crowder College Director of Public Information.

Crowder has been doing this “Tiny House Project” for eight years now, getting more creative each time around.

This year’s houses feature a kitchen, toilet and shower, washer and dryer hookups, as well as an 11-by-11 loft sleeping quarters.

Brown says the big draw of these small homes has to do with all of the possibilities.

“A lot of people are looking, maybe they have vacant property that they want to put these on. You can move them anywhere because they are on 12×24 skids. They are ready to be hooked up to water, sewer, and electric, so they are ready to go. And maybe they just need a place for guests to stay or a mother-in-law’s little getaway or something. We see a lot of people using them for those things,” said Brown.

All the work on these tiny homes was done entirely by students, from creating blueprints to installing windows, providing students a wide range of experience.

Some of the work even dates back to the fall of 2022.

“They’re learning everything from measurements, cuts, blueprints, and then the finishing works, flooring, cabinetry, windows, plumbing, electrical, everything you would need to know in construction, getting a little taste of everything,” said Brown.

An open house event will be held at the “Dell Reed Technical Education Center” on Wednesday, May 31st at 8 a.m.

The bidding will start at $25,000.