Four students at Lone Star College-Cy-Fair are excited at the possibility of their floor plan designs being built in homes in a new Habitat for Humanity northwest area neighborhood.

The past partnership between Habitat for Humanity Northwest Harris County and students of Bill Arnold’s LSC-Cy-Fair Construction Methods and Materials class expanded to include students with his other drafting classes.

Last fall, Arnold invited his students to participate in a two-month new Habitat Home design competition. More than 50 students with varying skill levels took on the challenge to design three- and four-bedroom home floor plans.

In the end, four students were recognized “for outstanding achievement in creation of a new home design plan being considered for construction for future Habitat for Humanity homes.”

Competition winners, who received certificates from LSC-Cy-Fair and Habitat included Wesley Byrd, Basic AutoCAD student, Michael Didion and Carolyn Hardy, AutoCAD Intermediate students, and Mary Tang, Advanced Architectural student.

“It’s our belief that a family deserves the opportunity to live in a simple decent home,” said Carla Ehlers with Habitat for Humanity. “This partnership not only gave students some real life work experience but benefits us with new design plans.” 

Having used the same floor plans for some time, such as in Habitat neighborhoods in Tomball and West Mount Houston, Ehlers said they wanted to provide homeowners with design options inside and out in the new Bammel North Houston neighborhood planned for construction this May.

“It’s awesome to think my design may be used,” said Didion. “If it is, I want to help build it, too.”

For information on Habitat for Humanity Northwest Harris County, go to habitatnwhc.org or call Rachael Wright at 281-820-2307.