18-year-old who spent 3 years building a house from scratch in class ends up owning it

For any creator, owning their project is a profound joy—a sentiment Victoria Turner knows well after spending three years building a house with her classmates. Turner can now proudly say that she helped build her house from the ground up. The high school grad shared her story with PEOPLE. “Four years ago, when I realized I could be a part of a class where we build a house, I thought it'd be a good idea. So I applied.” Little did she know she was in for a surprise after completing the 1200-square-foot house as a part of Liberty High School’s construction class.

Inspired by her brother, she has been drawn to construction since she was seven or eight. Before her parents purchased the home, Turner, her classmates, and students from other high schools dedicated countless hours to its construction. She mostly helped with carpentry. She also did most of the plumbing and helped with the exterior of the house. Each week, the class devoted six to nine hours to the project. She overheard her student liaison officer Mr. Hernandez discussing that someone was interested in it. At that moment, the teen joked with her friends, “I made a joke about how if my mom bought it, it would be the biggest take-home project ever." Turns out that her mom was actually interested in buying the humble abode. Once she came to know about it, Turner discussed it with her liaison officer who was more than happy to sell it to her parents.

The house will soon be relocated to the property of the high school graduate's parents. It’s also right on time, as the teen is planning to move out. She will share the place with her sister. With rising property prices and rents, this house couldn't have been a better gift to mark her transition to adulthood. To make the moment even more joyful, Victoria Turner was presented with the house keys during her high school graduation ceremony. Victoria echoes the sentiment of not worrying about rent price. She added, "It's really nice to have our own little place." The house that Victoria will now call home has marked the beginning of several other projects that she will take up. She proudly told KRDO NewsChannel 13, "I like that I know exactly where the beams are if I want to hang stuff up."

Turner is about to start another home-building project the next year. Currently, she’s working at a local roofing company. One of her colleagues with 30 years of experience in construction told her that she’s only the second female in construction he has come across. Victoria Turner is proud to be a significant wave of change happening in the industry. Her father shared with the outlet, “I think it's wonderful that District 20 allows this opportunity for people that don't want to go on to college, to have an opportunity to maybe get some trade experience to actually make a living.”

Editor's note: This article was originally published on December 29, 2023. It has since been updated.