Ribbon cut on Kingsport home renovated by TCAT students

KINGSPORT, Tenn. (WJHL) — Officials celebrated the completion of renovations at a house in Kingsport done by Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TCAT) students.

On Monday, leaders of the Home Builders Association of Greater Kingsport (HBA) and TCAT cut the ribbon on the remodeled home at 2208 Ashwood Avenue in the Highland neighborhood.

Students in TCAT’s Building Construction Technology Program have spent the last six months remodeling the home.

“TCAT has been incredible this entire way,” HBA President James Phillips said. “They’ve just said yes to everything. We had this idea about six months ago, can we partner because the homebuilder industry is in desperate need of skilled labor and their students are in need of on-the-job training? And so just this partnership made sense.”

TCAT students were directly involved in the remodel. Students took part in demolition work, wall framing, insulation installation, electrical work, plumbing and more.

“Most of us learn how to do our job by doing our job,” TCAT Elizabethton President Heath McMillian said. “So if you’re going to learn how to be in the construction trade, you have to go out and do the work, and this has provided exactly what our students needed.”

While on the job, TCAT students also were able to shadow plumbers, electricians and HVAC workers with the HBA for on-site training.

“This not only gives a student hands-on experience, but it also gives them the opportunity to interact with customers, future employers, and learn the communication portion of construction technology as well,” McMillian said.

The HBA purchased the 1,000-square-foot home earlier in 2024. The renovation tore the house down to its skeleton and allowed students to see all that goes into making a home livable.

“When the house started, it was totally gutted,” Phillips said. “The only things in it were two by fours. It did have a new roof and some new windows on it. And since then, the students have come in and worked with our local builders and subcontractors. The students have worked and [been] doing everything inside the house.”

Materials for the project were supplied by the HBA. The house will now be sold by the organization. The HBA plans to use most the proceeds from the sale to buy another house that will also be donated back to TCAT for further training.

Phillips said the HBA plans to use the rest of the proceeds to make a donation to TCAT and help the HBA as well.

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