DIY Classes

[CreditRules]

I'm a homeowner, but I have very little experience fixing things around the house. When things break, my husband is reluctant to let me try fixing them because he thinks I'll just make it worse. I thought it would be great to take a class that gives the basics on household fixes: plumbing, drywall repair, HVAC, etc. Is there something like that out there? I looked at my local continuing education places, but they only give professional-level classes in those things. Any ideas where I should be looking?

[mom-from-missouri]

Most Lowe's stores have DIY classes. Some other home improvement or hardware stores do as well.

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

Home Depot does as well. Our community college has non-credit has some such classes on weekends and evenings.

There are also some really good, well illustrated books out there. Reader's Digest used to have a great one. Look in your library.

[susie michelle]

Yes! Home Depot and Lowes have great classes in a variety of topics. They even have kids' classes where the kids can do a little make 'n take. One tip that has worked for me in the past...if you have something very specific around the house that needs fixing, look up the repair on youtube. I've fixed my dryer and my washing machine that way. You might need to do a little internet searching to diagnose the problem first. Then search for diy videos for the repair on youtube. Typically, the more specific you can be the better. (ie. replace heating element for kenmore dryer.) Use model numbers and part numbers if you have them.

[thesimplemoneyblog]

As the others said, Home Depot is a great option. I took a tile setting class there one time. You will just have to check with your local Home Depot to see when they do their classes. The time I went on a Saturday morning, it was just me, so it was a great one-on-one learning session to address the particular DIY I was working on.

[siggy_freud]

Big hardware stores, community colleges, YouTube, and Books are all great ways to learn to do things. I self-taught for most of my home remodels, and then just used code books to ensure I was doing things to spec. A lot depends on how handy you naturally are, and how good you are at reverse-engineering processes.

[cypher1]

When I first got my home I bought a great Black and Decker book on home maintenance-repairs, along with using YouTube - be careful since there can be a lot of misinformation posted. For me, it started with replacing a bathroom faucet, and then garbage disposal unit, toilet wax ring, water softener, water heater, and that was just plumbing. Start small and once you get more comfortable and confident researching and troubleshooting, expand out.

[Bades]

Holmes on Homes! Love that show! I've actually learned quite a lot from watching these kind of shows.

As with anything you want to learn, you obviously need to have an interest in it.

A great idea is to volunteer at places like Habitat for Humanity - you build houses, learn a lot, and get to help people out!

But other than that, DIY forums, Google, YouTube, Lowes/Home Depot, Friends/Family.

Lots of resources out there!

[CreditRules]

You guys are amazing! Thanks for all the suggestions. I found the Reader's Digest "Complete Do-it-yourself Manual" at a used book store here. I'm not sure how out of date some of the stuff is, but I'm sure I'll find lots of good tips in there. Also, I'll be hitting my local Home Depot and Lowe's for some workshops. Thanks for all your help; I get the feeling this will save us a lot of money.

[snafu]

Before taking things apart to replace a part, it's a good idea to take a couple of digital pictures of your project. It helps in putting things back together in the correct order. I've found it helpful to put all the tools I think will be needed on an old cookie tray; it also holds all the parts removed. I glued a strip of magnet tape across the top to corral bits.