Former NHS Home Repair Students
I know some Brownstoners have taken the course in the past. Were you able to put your skills to good use this summer? Did you team up with a class member and assisted them in doing more repairs? The Fall 2010 class begins in September, what do you think should be improved?
I know some Brownstoners have taken the course in the past. Were you able to put your skills to good use this summer?
Did you team up with a class member and assisted them in doing more repairs?
The Fall 2010 class begins in September, what do you think should be improved?
Forgive my ignorance, but what is NHS? Where are the classes, how much do they cost, and how do you sign up? Are there other type courses available? Thanks!
I took both the basic and then the advanced courses a few years ago when I bought my house and have told my neighbors to sign up as well. I was already pretty familiar with tools and home repair but as I’d been a renter for so long felt like I needed a refresher/confidence booster and there were some things I’d never had the opportunity to do before.
1. The instructor was amazing!
2. The class sizes were small, allowing for everyone to get hands-on learning.
3. We covered everything that MM mentioned, though I too would have liked to have spent a little more time on electric as MM said. That is the one thing I fear. (and I’ve done pretty much everything else to my house in the past three years).
4. I met some really great, fellow homeowners that I still keep in touch with!
Tyrone, NHS offers an invaluable program, and I’d like to do another, more intensive course (perhaps you could offer one beyond the advanced course that covers electrical in more depth as well as focuses on a longer construction project?) thank you!
If union guys can do electrical, you can too, MM. Afterall, it’s not brain surgery.
lol, all good points MM.
Dave, that wasn’t my instructor. Mine was a charming Jamaican guy.
I could also learn about brain surgery, too, but I wouldn’t want to operate on anyone. I have all those books. Electricity is scary stuff to me. I have switched out fixtures, but I still would like a hands-on course explaining everything step by step. It would make me feel more confident that I wasn’t going to either turn into a crispy critter or burn the house down, or both. I would especially like advice on houses with older wiring, as many of my connections do not look like the illustrations in the books. I can’t afford to have the place rewired right now, so would like to have more of a clue as to what I can safely do myself. I have no intention of doing anything fancy, just basic upkeep.
MM…you can learn a lot from a good book on electicals that you can pick up at any HD or any hardware store.
I took the class way back when they first started, so I’m sure a lot has changed, that was around 12 years ago or more, but I remember it fondly, as I learned a lot. To go with Ken’s excellent format:
Pros..
1. Great instructors.
2. Great space for learning. (back then – Roosevelt Savings Bank, Bushwick)
3. Learned how to use all kinds of power tools.
4. Learned framing and drywalling.
5. Learned tiling basics.
6. Learned plumbing basics, like sweating a pipe and installing a toilet.
7. Most important to average person – learned how to estimate materials, how to accurately measure sq footage, and know what would be needed for a job.
8. How to talk the talk to contractors, and not be intimidated by unfamiliar lingo and technical terms. Women in the group found this especially helpful.
Cons…
1. Our instructor was not an electrician, and didn’t spend enough time on this. He did tell funny stories though. I would take a separate course just on electricity if I could, as it still scares me. My only complaint.
What was very amusing about the course was that it was about 60/40 women to men. Most of the women didn’t know which end of a nail to use when they got there. All of the men thought they knew everything already. The women took too it like ducks to water, and by the end of the course, were much better than the men, some of whom often refused to do it the way the instructor wanted, preferring to do it “their way”. It was all quite funny. It was a great learning experience, and I still have the level given to me at graduation.
Is that the instructor????
Tyrone, thanks for asking. First of all, the instructor is REALLY good and overall class experience was great. I highly recommend this class to others.
The pros…
1. Learn ins and outs of construction
2. Hands on experience
3. Good timing of class (6-9pm)
4. Great instructor
5. Great price for the class ($150 for 10 classes)
6. Most useful things are basic plumbing and electric (let’s face it, how many here would actually take it upon themselves to built walls/closets or put up shingles but replacing a faucet or changing a lighting fixture can save a bunch of money and it’s a fairly simple task after you are shown how to do it and how it works)
The cons…
1. Too much time spent on talking about houses meanwhile I would say about 50% of the people taking this class have apartments so more time should be spent on interiors and not so much on exteriors. (Maybe there should be another class that just deals with exterior of a house).
2. Not really organized or goes according to syllabus (that’s also understandable as sometimes it takes longer to go over one subject than originally scheduled)
3. Not enough time teaching cosmetic reno like spackling since that would most likely be one of the most important things homeowners want to know as this would be a chance to save a lot of money for fairly expensive work that one can practice and do themselves.
Can’t think of anything more currently. Hopefully other will weigh in as well.