Product Proposal – Senior Project
Student Name: Seth Tye
Senior Project English teacher: Angela Chambers Date 8/13/13
Designated Timeline: Yearlong
1. What skills will you develop during the course of your Senior Project?
My Senior Project will help me to learn many skills such as contracting and construction
skills. Contracting skills I will learn are how to design a floor to allow water drainage,
allow for maximum usable space and how to create a waterproof sealing while still
maintaining cosmetic appeal. I will learn how to properly poor concrete within an area to
avoid “cold joints”. I will learn how to seal sheets of plastic to house siding to avoid
leakage. I also am looking for a productive way to apply my creativity and artistic ability;
this will help me build on that.
2. How will you use these skills in the future? You must explain how these skills will serve you
in a future career and/or endeavor.
I plan to, as an adult, buy land and design and build my own house. The more I learn about
architecture and contracting, the better quality house I can have. I have also thought about a
career as an architectural engineer or private contractor.
3. What will be the end result of the application of the skills you acquire? (Name your product
in the first sentence of your response.) Will you produce a tangible product, such as a piece of
furniture or a set of blueprints? Will you use your skills to produce an intangible product, such
as an event, a performance, a certification, a donation (include the name of the charity), service
to the community, or a combination of these?
I will end up creating a usable, concrete patio under the deck of my house. I will
waterproof the floor of the deck so that underneath will stay dry and usable. I will also
make a concrete floor so that it is more cosmetically appealing and usable. This will be a
tangible product, but I will not be able to bring it in to Senior Boards. My project will
consist of the following steps. I will first create a wooden form around the area to be
cemented, where I would put an inch of gravel. I will then make modular dividers (a two
foot by two foot wooden form). Then I will mix the concrete and pour the concrete into the
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forms. For the ceiling, I will secure wooden 2x4’s on the wall of the house, near the bottom
of the deck, and on the far side, I will place wooden 2x4s three inches below the deck level
in order to make a grade to make rain flow away from the house. I will secure the
corrugated PVC onto these 2x4s, and seal it will caulking. I will attach a gutter to the
downhill side of this, and attach a downspout to the gutter. The cost of the concrete will be
close to $200 including delivery costs. The corrugated PVC will cost $160. The gutter will
cost $18. The caulking will cost $5. The downspout will cost $14. The wood will cost $10.
The gravel will cost $50. Screws, nails, bits, etc will cost $10. The dividers will cost $20.
The mixer would cost $50. The total estimated cost for my project would be $537.
4. Why have you chosen this product?
I enjoy building and creating things, and I have a very artistic personality. I would very
much like to put my skills to the test with a small-scale contracting project. I also have no
real experience in this area, and I would like to tackle something new.
5. What previous experience or prior knowledge do you have that relates to your Senior Project?
I have done small things such as making stands at a tennis court, redoing benches or
assisting in building a pavilion over a play ground, all volunteering at eagle scout projects.
I did all this along with my eagle project; laying 26 tons of gravel along a quarter mile
nature trail. However, I would like to work on something larger and on my own.
6. How will you acquire the skills necessary to produce your product?
Choose one of the following prompts.
B. Will your project facilitator meet with you on a regular basis to help you develop
these skills? What activities will you do with your project facilitator, and what
activities will you do on your own? When, where, and how often will you meet
with your project facilitator?
My project facilitator will meet with me. We will meet biweekly, usually on a Saturday
mornings. When we meet, he will walk me through the process and steps of contracting. He
will assist me in figuring out what materials and tools needed, and additional labor needed
for the project.
7. Who is your project facilitator? What education and/or experience does he or she have that
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will help you acquire the skills you intend to develop through your Senior Project? (If you
are taking classes or lessons, the instructor will be your project facilitator.) If your project
facilitator has a business card, please attach it to the proposal.
My facilitator is George House. He has an electronics degree; he was once a certified air
and heating technician. He has worked as a contractor and a subcontractor. He has 25+ years of
experience. And he was a business owner for seven years with his own construction company,
House 2 Home.
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