A three-bedroom home with a basement and hardwood floors soon will be on the market for those looking to move to a quiet subdivision in Jackson Township. What makes this $296,000 house unique is not merely that it was built using energy-efficient and environment friendly techniques.

Rather, it’s that a group of Chesterton High School students built it from scratch, starting with the blueprint.

“It’s a full year … (the students) are responsible for a lot of things,” said Jeff Larson, instructor of the school’s vocational building-trades class.

On Wednesday, about a dozen vocational building-trades students were busy at the site in High Meadows West, making final touches like installing toilets, tiles and sinks.

A school bus takes the students to the house,which has more than 2,000 square feet of living space.

“It beats being in the classroom,” said Jeff Wilkinson, 18, of Chesterton.

The class received a loan from the Kankakee Valley REMC utility, which has a partnership with the Duneland school district.

After the house, which is in REMC’s service area, is sold, the money is paid back to the utility for the amount it loaned.

Anything above the loan amount goes to the school, said Amanda Leek, spokeswoman for the utility.

The idea began with REMC’s power supplier Touchstone Energy with the purpose of educating the next generation of builders, Leek said.

The construction took two years with textbook schoolwork in the classroom.

“I think people looking for homes don’t often understand what the overall concept of energy efficiency is, that it incorporates a lot of things,” Larson said.

From using recycled materials for insulation to fluorescent lighting throughout the house, the students learned about the variety of environment-friendly options.

They also installed an air source heat pump that uses electricity, not natural gas, and meticulously sealed and caulked to ward off outdoor drafts.

“It gives you a better understanding of what goes into building (a home), said Brian Katzmarek, 18, of Chesterton.

“It helps you learn how to fix things around your own home,” said Rashad Williams, 18, of Valparaiso.

Most of the students began the project last year after they designed a blueprint of the home, considering factors such as what an average family would move into and the marketability.

Before getting their hands dirty, students review safety issues and plan out the project just as if they were professional builders.

They survey areas, select a site and figure out what has to be done not to disturb the environment.

They also talk to subcontractors to learn about the processes the professionals go through.

The students say they are likely to seek a career in building construction.

“We’re just thankful that they actually give us classes like this,” said Chad Passarelli, 18, of Porter.