Shed the old: How Emilee Remodeled her Band's Storage Area

Gold Award Girls

The following entry was written by Emilee Ward, who took on the task of remodeling the band for the Lake Travis Cavaliers. She wanted to improve her high school campus and help the band and that she did! Read about her Gold Award project below:

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I choose this project because I love being a member of the Lake Travis Cavalier band – it is like a family to me.  The shed was definitely a project that someone needed to tackle because it was an eye sore for our campus and it was a complete mess.  I knew that with help from my fellow troop member, Ashley, we could turn the shed into great project that would give us pride, help the band, and improve our school.

At first, we wanted to replace the building with a new one, but after researching the cost to take down the old building, prepare the land, deal with the electrical and plumbing and the cost of a new building, it was out of our budget.  So we decided to remodel the building instead.  When we decided this, it was like having to start planning a whole new project.

We also faced a challenge when our band our director stepped down and left working for Lake Travis. This put a pause in our plans, because we had to wait for a new director and start all over with getting approval from him and the school district.

Another obstacle we had to overcome was the bases of our awnings. We initially thought that we could dig holes and sink the wood supports in the hole and fill it in with concrete. But when we called the city, using the 311 system, we found there here were electric and water lines underground – so we had to revise our plan.  It is important when digging to make sure there are no plumbing or electrical lines in the path of the hole!

Our budget given to us from the LT Band Parents, Inc. was budgeted at $500. Because we had decided to remodel, we needed more financial help.  Our parents visited several businesses around the community (Lowe’s, Muller, All Seasons Landscaping, The Home Depot, Sherwin Williams and The Brown Paint Company).  We were given materials such as wood, hardware, sheet metal, paint, copper tubing (for the faucets), concrete blocks and many other items.  We were lucky to have such generous businesses in our area.

I believe I have learned a lot from this project!

Working together:  being able to work with Ashley really taught me to keep up my end of the project and the importance of working together as a team to get things done.

Responsibility:  this was really important because I kept up with everything I was responsible for, like keeping track of the budget and the time log. 

Meeting Deadlines:   this year we really had to be done with the shed and done with building and painting by band camp that way it was fully functioning to benefit the band. 

Communication:  I really learned how important communication through setting up meetings and emailing the Principal and other band parents who used the shed for storage of food, water and other supplies.  

Select a project that is important to you, and that you know you will be proud to be a part of, because it makes the project so much more fun and keeps you motivated.  Definitely keep a time log of your work while you work, because you will forget what and when did it!  Finally, take lots of pictures because the before and after is so fun to look and helps show how much you project really contributes.