THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, July 15, 1995 TAG: 9507150328
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY JENNIFER CHRISTMAN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: MANTEO LENGTH: Medium: 62 lines
Chris Notarthomas celebrated his 33rd birthday Friday by buying a house - not for himself, but for his parents.
At an auction Friday, Notarthomas made the highest bid - $39,900 - for a house built by Manteo High School students.
Notarthomas' parents, Judy and John Notarthomas of Syracuse, N.Y., will live in the 1,444-square-foot, one-story house when they move to Manteo.
``I came here for one reason and one only - to buy that,'' Notarthomas said, pointing to the wood-paneled house.
This year's house is the 20th that Manteo students have built under the direction of carpentry teacher Tom Edwards. Proceeds from the sale will buy materials, tools and equipment to build future houses.
Notarthomas said his parents, who have vacationed on the Outer Banks since the 1970s, took an interest in the student house project when they heard about it five years ago. This year they decided to buy one and sent Notarthomas to be their broker.
``My parents like the idea of helping the school,'' Notarthomas said. ``They've been thinking of moving down here, and they thought the student house would be a nice place to move into.''
When the bidding opened at $35,000, two men raised each other's offer by $100. Notarthomas waited until a silent pause when the bidding reached $38,500 to raise his hand.
``I knew I was going to buy the house,'' Notarthomas said, smiling. ``I just thought I'd let those guys go at it for a while before making my move.''
But waiting was stressful.
``My heart was beating pretty hard,'' Notarthomas said. ``We were hoping for less than what we paid. We were getting pretty close to our ceiling.''
In addition to the cost of the house, Notarthomas' parents will pay about $4,500 to have the house moved from behind Manteo High School to a plot of land they purchased.
While plumbing and electrical work has been installed in the three-bedroom, two-bath house, the owners will need to install a heating and cooling system.
Edwards would not disclose the building cost of the house, but he said the high school made out well.
``Let's just say that we are very, very pleased,'' Edwards said.
Edwards supervised 18 students who built the house as part of their classwork. The students spent about an hour and 15 minutes each school day on the project, doing everything from constructing walls to fitting windows and doors to painting and finishing. Edwards and two students worked into the summer on the project to make last-minute touches.
Edwards said teaching the carpentry class is rewarding.
``I've always enjoyed working with students - I would not have done it this long if I didn't,'' Edwards said. ``It's fulfilling to watch them develop skills that they can use later on.''
Johnie Flowers, a Manteo High School senior who worked on the house, attended the auction to see how much his labor was worth. He called the project ``fun.''
``It's a lot more fun working with your hands than sitting in a classroom,'' Flowers said. by CNB