It's not a little house on the prairie - more like a little shed in a Kavanagh College classroom.
And it's one of many that year 12 technology pupils at the Dunedin secondary school are making as part of their NCEA level 2 and national certificate in elementary building and construction training courses.
Technology teacher David Dougherty said about four sheds were built by pupils every year to give them real-life learning opportunities, and they were popping up in backyards all over Otago.
The sheds were built for clients - usually friends of the college, parents or staff - and were used as garden sheds, workshops and, sometimes, man-caves, Mr Dougherty said.
For the cost of materials only, the sheds are prefabricated in the school workshop, and because they are buildings with floor areas of less than 10sq m, they do not require a building permit, he said.
The most recent shed was commissioned by the school's caretaker and will be dismantled this week and then reassembled by the pupils in his backyard.
''Our school caretaker enjoys making craft items in his spare time.
''This shed will be taken to the caretaker's home next week and reassembled in his back garden to be his new craft workshop/man cave.''
The completed sheds were the ''pride and joy'' of the pupils building them, and working as a team on the projects developed their confidence and ability to actively contribute and achieve ''amazing'' outcomes, Mr Dougherty said.
The shed-building project was included in his curriculum because he believed builders were in short supply and he wanted to help get more young people into the trade, he said.
Up to 10 pupils from the school would go to Otago Polytechnic next year to study and become ''tradies'' such as plumbers, electricians, roofers, builders and joiners because of the school's focus on the career options, he said.
