A concrete plan for the summer

SANDPONT — Not everyone's summer job involves helping bring a historic home back to life.

Jonah Bernier's did.

The local youth helped his dad Justin with concrete work at the Church Street home Monday as the Sandpoint resident worked on the home owned by Ethan Davis.

Needing a little help with finishing work on the concrete for the entryway at the home, Justin Bernier asked his son Jonah, 13, if he wanted to help. Eager to earn a little money to put toward paying off his dirt bike, the teen was happy to say yes.

"I have to pay off my dirt bike and that's pretty much it," Jonah said. "And then learning (concrete work). It's a good trade to know if I ever need work."

Pushing down, holding his trowel at the right angle, Jonah said finishing concrete can be a high-demand career because it requires time and experience.

"It's fun but it's definitely a pretty hard job that I don't exactly want to do it when I grow up, but it's good to know it," the teen said with a grin.

Jonah said he likes the challenge of the work, adding it's just one of the construction skills his dad is teaching him. Among the others: setting up panels, snapping ties and general assistance.

The home, thought to have been built in 1908, is owned by Davis who is working to restore the home, adding in a modern touch or two where needed but working to keep the historic feel and character of the home, Justin Bernier said.

After he was asked if he could fit the project into his schedule, Bernier asked if Jonah could help out and was told that that was OK.

"I figured this was a perfect job for Jonah to practice on because he really can't mess it up because it all gets covered up," he said of what will be a brick-covered entryway.

Bernier said when Jonah asked if he could help with some jobs, he loved the idea of teaching him a skill that he can use as a trade or for a job if he ever needs it. Monday's work allowed him to pass on how to properly trowel concrete.

"It all just time," Bernier said. "You just got to put the time into it and then it's all about as the concrete gets hardest, it's all about the pressure you use and the angle of your trowels. It's just something you have to learn and do."

While he loves to help his dad on job sites, his passion lies in racing dirt bikes.

"I'm a pretty competitive racer," Jonah said with a grin.

The teen said he races around the region, competing in a variety of categories. The teen has been racing for the past few years and would love to go pro someday. 

"I hope I go far," Jonah said. "I'm pretty good for a kid right now."

    Justin Bernier watches as his son Jonah, 13, works to finish concrete at a Church Street home.