Unique Home Built by Skilled Tradeswomen From Around the Country Inspires New Children’s Book
Proceeds of book to support skilled workforce development and diversity and inclusion in the construction industry.
Two stories, 4 bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms, and 3,200 square feet of gorgeous, thoughtfully designed living space — every inch of The House That She Built was designed and built by a team of masterfully skilled women.
The Project
Led by the Utah Professional Women in Building Council, The House That She Built is a new construction project in Sarasota Springs, Utah that is making headlines and breaking barriers. Engaging more than 100 women professionals, skilled tradeswomen, and women-owned companies, the project is a new concept, but one that’s long overdue. While women have always had a presence in the housing industry, they only make up 3% of skilled workers. Through education and awareness, The House That She Built aims to change this.
What began as an idea within the local PWB has grown into a nationally supported initiative to highlight opportunities for skilled tradeswomen in the home building industry. Women from around the country — including construction company owners, engineers, designers, architects, and skilled labor teams — are celebrating this important milestone for diversity and inclusion in home building.
The Mission
For years, the housing industry has faced a labor shortage that has only been exacerbated by the pandemic. The challenge is that skilled workers, particularly women, are often unaware of the opportunities, or there is a cost barrier to enter the field.
To help bridge the gap, The House That She Built is showcasing and actively promoting the accomplishments of the talented women who designed and built this house. The women involved in the project have generated a significant following and have developed a series of videos, podcasts, and blog posts that will be distributed via email, social media, and in cooperation with local and national media outlets.
The project has already been highlighted in local news outlets, on ProBuilder.com, on #Offsite Construction with Dave Cooper, among other places.
The Book
Group Two’s Mollie Elkman and Georgia Castellano were proud participants in The House That She Built project. They created the overall branding and marketing for the project, which helped secure donations, labor, and media coverage. They were so inspired by the mission that they created The House That She Built – a book for young readers ages 5-7 that educates them about the people and skills that go into building a home.
One by one, readers learn about the architect, framer, roofer, and many more as these tradeswomen contribute their individual skills needed to complete the collective project — a new home. With illustrations that connect and empower and words that build upon each other with each page, this book will leave all kids (she, he, and they) excited about their own skills and interested in learning new ones.
How to Get Involved
The House That She Built (the children’s book) is published by NAHB BuilderBooks and is available for pre-order now at SheBuiltBook.com. Proceeds from the book will support skilled workforce development and diversity and inclusion in the construction industry.
The House That She Built (the home) will be available for the public to see June 3rd-19th during the 2021 Utah Valley Parade of Homes. Proceeds from the sale of the home will be divided between scholarships for women pursuing construction management or trade programs, women-run charities, and educational events to help teach young girls about opportunities in home building.
The national groundswell of attention on this project is only the beginning of inspiring diversity and inclusion as we continue to develop future generations of the skilled workforce for the housing industry. With The House That She Built, and hopefully many more to come, we have the opportunity to not only demonstrate the impact that women can have on housing, but to develop the programs and education to make it happen.
To learn more about The House That She Built, or donate to any of the project-supported initiatives, please visit the official website and follow along on Instagram or Facebook.
