By Morgan Mescal
Silver Creek High School senior Sierra Stern has taken on a tiny personal project with huge repercussions. And, with help from the community, she hopes to be enjoying tiny-house living by the end of the school year.
Every year, high school seniors are to complete personal projects in which they explore a topic of their choosing, displaying a product or event to show what they have learned. These projects can be research-based or hands-on.
Wanting to learn more about architecture and design, Stern decided to build the currently trendy, environmentally conscious tiny house.
Building a tiny house will be a learning experience and a childhood dream of a cottage-in-the-woods-come-true at the same time.
“Not only is it a test of my strength and skill as a project manager, but when it is finished, I know I’ll be over the moon with a newfound energy to take on the world as I know it,” Stern said. “If I can build a house from nothing, what can’t I do?”
In the popular tradition of naming tiny houses, Stern took the first steps and has chosen the name “Kintsugi” for her home. The name comes from the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery.
“It is meant to show the power of resilience—something to be remembered and shared instead of covered and forgotten,” Stern said of the name. “I believe in that philosophy with the whole of my heart, and want to show others that, regardless of their past and present struggles, they can rise up and work hard to make their lives better than they were without erasing who they are.”
With help and mentorship from the local community, Stern’s personal project plans are coming to reality and moving along.
“Already, in the first few months of this project, I have learned more about architecture and construction than I thought I’d ever know in my whole life,” Stern said.
Jolyon Sawrey, of Vital ink Environmental Architecture, is Stern’s mentor and is also lending a hand with helping to obtain donations and making connections with other contractors.
Levi Sali, of L.W. Builders LLC, is also giving his time as construction manager of the project.
“I am extremely grateful to my mentors for helping me so extensively in my project, and giving me the knowledge and confidence to push forward with my dreams,” Stern said.
Some of Stern’s current goals for the project include learning and exploring the different skills and crafts needed in a tiny-house build. She will be hands-on through the entirety of the project. She plans to live in the tiny house throughout the summer before leaving for college.
When asked about her future, Stern said, “I’m not sure where my life is headed quite yet, but the knowledge of my experience and determination on such a project, as well as the finished product, is proof enough that, sooner or later, I’ll have an even bigger, more ambitious project to tackle.”
Construction of the tiny house is set to begin in the next few weeks, with a completion date by the end of the school year, possibly sooner.
To follow Stern’s tiny-house build, you can follow
@Kintsugitinyhouse on Instagram. To help raise funds and support her build, go to gofundme.com/building-kintsugi-tiny-home.
