Tumwater’s Andrew Dellsite and Andrea Senior Shine in the Olympia Master Builders Design Contest

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Andrea Senior (left) and Andrew Dellsite hold up the home models they designed for the Olympia Master Builders' design contest.
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By Gail Wood

tagsOne day, Andrew Dellsite and Andrea Senior both want to be involved in architecture design and construction.

Except Dellsite’s pursuit will bring him to aerospace engineering and design – rockets and spaceship stuff. Senior is thinking about pursuing physical therapy, which is a different kind of reconstruction.

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Andrea Senior (left) and Andrew Dellsite hold up the home models they designed for the Olympia Master Builders’ design contest.

Both Tumwater High School students recently showed their knack for designing homes. Dellsite won the annual Olympia Master Builders design contest, which was on display at the Home and Garden Show at Saint Martin’s University. Senior placed second after winning the contest last year.

“It’s fun to do,” Dellsite said. “It definitely helps me with the design process.”

The four-month project, which includes a printed layout design and a small, 2 foot cardboard model of their house, began in January. The primary rule on the project was size. The house had to be under 2,000 square feet. The style, shape or design concept was all up to the contestants.

Dellsite’s first step was coming up with a style and a theme that he liked. Should it be a rambler, split level, townhouse or colonial? No matter what design Dellsite considered, there was one factor that trumped everything else.

“I wanted to focus on curb appeal,” Dellsite said.

Choosing a two-story floorplan, Dellsite included some big, bay windows in the front.

“I originally had this set out more,” Dellsite said, pointing to the front corner of the house by the two-car garage. “The entry was more inset.”

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Andrew Dellsite placed first in the Olympia Master Builders home design contest with his 2,000 square foot open concept home.

Both Dellsite and Senior went with an open floor plan, a contemporary style that’s in contrast to the boxy, enclosed style that was once so popular.

Dellsite said his model home’s floor plan was somewhat similar to the style of his own home.  Then he went into a lengthy description of how it’s different. Dellsite said the home he’s grown up in is one story and “more closed concept.” He’s so pleased by his the looks of his floor plan with his school project he’s had a “discussion” with his parents.

“I said to my parents we need to remodel,” Dellsite said with a smile. “I nagged my parents about it.”

Dellsite received a $1,000 scholarship for finishing first and Senior earned $500. Last year, Senior won the contest and Dellsite finished second. Eleven students entered this year’s Olympia Master Builders design contest that was judged and on display at the annual Home and Garden Show at Saint Martin’s University.

The only restriction in design was the size. There were many different styles of floor plans entered.

“They leave it pretty open for the design part of it,” said Jim Click, a Tumwater High School teacher. “You can get all different kinds of styles. You can get kind of a craftsman home or a modern contemporary, or an international kind of home.”

Both Dellsite and Senior enjoyed taking Click’s architecture class – Tech Draw. One of Click’s students enter a floor plan that was a three-story home that was on a narrow hillside.

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Here are the floor plan designs of Andrew Dellsite and Andrea Senior.

“He didn’t win, but he had a fun design,” said Click.

The students do their architecture design plan on a computer. As ninth graders in their first year doing the contest, they had to draw their floor plan with pen and paper.

The objective of the OMB design contest for high school students is to provide scholarship opportunities and a chance for students to learn more about the industry. It’s also a chance to possibly spark a career interest, pointing a student in the direction of architecture and design.

“We also offer the contest as a way to get kids interested in doing this kind of work,” said Olympia Master Builders’ Angela White, who oversaw the contest.

All the projects are judged by professionals in the industry, providing students with some constructive feedback.

“More than anything it’s a chance to have their work looked at by actual builders in the industry,” White said. “To have someone say you’re on point. This is workable. This can actually be built in the real world.”

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Tumwater High School’s Andrea Senior placed second in the Olympia Master Builders home design contest.

Senior, who is a high school senior and has taken Click’s Tech Draw class since her freshman year, was spurred to enroll by her father’s interest in construction.

“My dad built our own house,” Senior said. “That really drove me. Once I grow up and learn more about architecture I want to build my own house.”

Senior got her design contest ideas by looking at pictures of home designs online. She said what appealed to her most about her design was the open concept and a nice open porch.

“It was a porch that the parents or the children could play around on,” Senior said. “And I liked the open concept of the house. Personally, I don’t like to be in a cocoon.”

To learn more about Olympia Master Builders events, click here.

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