Nick Desjardins started building giant sculptures outside of his Brampton home as a way of challenging himself, and through the years, they’ve become a must-see attraction around his neighbourhood come Halloween.

Since he started building these sculptures, families have flocked toward Peterson Court in the Heart Lake area to get a glimpse of his creations, first a Transformer, then a fire-breathing dragon and now, a 17-foot-tall Iron Man.

“Since (Friday, Oct. 20), when I put it up, so many people have been coming and taking pictures,” Desjardins said as neighbours gathered to see the work of art on Saturday, Oct. 21. “So many people I haven’t seen in years are popping up. It really brings everyone together, which is cool.”

Desjardins is a construction worker during the day and has an extensive background in structural engineering.

He had a number of friends and business help him out with the project.

The Iron Man was built in three sections and Desjardins estimates he put a full week’s worth of work into it, but because he was only able to work on it primarily over weekends, the workload has been spread out since August.

“There’s a lot of knowledge (that goes into it), but when it comes down to it, you have to have the visual mind and be an artist,” he said.

This year Desjardins’ project will benefit a worthwhile cause. Both of his good friend Lyndsay Wilfred’s children were born with epilepsy, so Wilfred and Desjardins worked together to put together a fundraising event on Oct. 21.

Funds are going toward Epilepsy South Central Ontario and on Halloween night, Desjardins will have a grand set up surrounding his house complete with lighting, a DJ, scaffolding and a picture taking area around the Iron Man.

He’ll be raising funds through that to go toward the Hospital for Sick Children.