Saturday, September 18, 9:30-12:30
Window Replacement
Location: Center for Sustainable Practice, White River Junction
Cost: $20-$40 Sliding scale, financial aid available
Replacing windows can add a great deal of value to your home as well as enhancing its overall appearance. Removing loose or leaky windows has been proven to reduce energy bills – dramatically in some cases – and many homeowners find that lower heating and cooling costs mean that their new windows pay for themselves in just a few years. In this class you will learn how to decide whether it is worth replacing your old windows with new, and how to go about it if you do choose this route. Participants will learn about measuring, cutting out the old window, how to choose replacement windows, and if applicable, lead safety when replacing windows. Tools and materials will be discussed, and class members will get hands on practice.
Saturday, September 18, 1:00-4:00
Door Hanging
Location: Center for Sustainable Practice, White River Junction
Cost: $20-$40 Sliding scale, financial aid available
Are doors really all that tricky and mysterious? Yes, they are very tricky and mysterious. But with just a few tricks (and a little patience) door hanging can actually be fun. Join Simon, one of the founders of COVER, as we learn all of the nuances of preparing and installing an interior residential door both into a finished opening (into an existing frame) and into a rough opening (as a unit with a new door frame). We will also learn a LOT of cool door jargon.
Learning modules will include:
- What is a door, really?
- What is the difference between a door and a window?
- How to cut down a door to fit an existing opening.
- How to mortise hinges like an amateur. (We don't need no stinking jig and router.)
- Strike plates and door knobs 101.
- Doors, why we need them.
- Fashion a door jamb like you mean business.
- How to avoid getting hinge-bound and what to do when you get hinge-bound anyway. (Besides enjoy the feeling of frustration)
- Left and right handed doors, how to tell them apart
- How to install a door in a frame.
Saturday, September 18, 9:30-12:30
Hands on Car Care for Women
Location: COVER Home Repair, White River Junction
Cost: $20-$40 Sliding scale, financial aid available
Tired of driving a car but knowing nothing about taking care of it? This is the class for you! In this supportive and non-intimidating class, taught by a woman mechanic, there will plenty of time for hands-on practice and questions. The class will cover tire care and changing, spark plug maintenance, air filter quality, electrical connections, oil level and cleanliness, transmission fluid, coolant levels, and windshield wiper fluid. You will leave this class feeling confident in your basic knowledge of how your car works, and how to take care of it.
Saturday, September 25, 9:30-12:30
Weatherization: Button up for Winter
Location: TBA
Cost: $20-$40 Sliding scale, financial aid available
Learn how to make your home more comfortable and more energy-efficient. Join Molly, COVER’s weatherization guru, for this fun and informative class. Participants will receive how-to demonstrations and hands-on practice on the skills needed to help make your home more comfortable, reduce your fuel bills, and save you money. Some of the topics we will cover will include:
- Installing door gaskets and sweeps
- Sealing windows and cracks
- Insulating hot water pipes
- Insulating electrical outlets
Wednesday, September 29, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Basic Bicycle Repair and Maintenance
Location: COVER Home Repair, 158 South Main St.
Cost: $20-$40 Sliding scale, financial aid available
Learn basic bicycle maintenance and repair skills, so that your rides can be more fun and trouble free. Gain the skills and confidence you need to do our own basic repairs and upkeep on your bike. Our objective is to help you deal with those pesky roadside/trailside emergencies that can spoil your ride.
Topics covered will include the simple art of patching a flat, to booting the tire to help you get home. You will also get hands-on practice in chain/link replacement, brake and derailleur adjustment, and emergency wheel truing. These basic skills will put you back in control of your ride.
Saturday, October 2, 9:30-12:30
Basic Carpentry for All
Location: COVER Home Repair
Cost: $20-$40 Sliding scale, financial aid available
This fun and informative class will give students a basic overview of the general terms, tools, and techniques used in the field of carpentry, in a friendly, supportive, and non-intimidating environment, with lots of space to ask questions. You’ll learn how to safely use (or at least be able to identify!) a wide range of hand and power tools, and will leave class with a completed carpentry project.
Saturday, October 2 & Sunday, October 3, 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Build a Treehouse!
Location: TBA
Cost: TBA
Who doesn’t dream of having their very own treehouse, a place to think and dream and be in touch with the child within? Or maybe you have actual children in your life who would love a playhouse in the sky. In this exciting class, students will learn the fundamentals of safe and sustainable treehouse design and structure. We will discuss treehouse design issues, site suitability, tree physiology and species, safety, and especially – beauty and fun! Students will work hands-on to construct a platform while learning construction techniques, suitable materials, safety considerations, and structural fundamentals. Students will leave this course with a good understanding of how to design and build their own treehouse.
Saturday, October 16, 9:30-12:30
Reduce, Reuse & Recycle: Build Something New out of Something Old
Location: COVER Home Repair
Cost: $20-$40 Sliding scale, financial aid available
Did you ever wonder what you could do with those scraps of wood that are lying in the basement full of nails, but you just can’t bring yourself to throw them away? Or the broken chairs that you never seem to get around to fixing? Come and join Peter and Molly, COVER staff and re-users extraordinaire for this creative and inspiring class. You will learn tricks and techniques like how to de-nail a board without tearing it apart, how to rip boards to make them different sizes, and how to look around your home or shop with a new vision of how to turn your junk into useable, practical, and even beautiful items.
Saturday, November 6, 9:30-12:30
Interior Painting Skills: Prep to Finish
Location: TBA
Cost: $20-$40 Sliding scale, financial aid available
Are you ready for a change of color in the rooms in your house, but just don’t feel you have the skills or confidence to tackle the job? This class will help you learn everything you need to know, from how to choose the best paint for the job, to the materials and tools you’ll need, cleaning and prep work, tips and techniques for a neat finish and line, covering problem areas, and how to clean up in the end. Painting can be a fun, relaxing, and very doable home project with big results for a relatively minor output of money and time. This will be a hand’s on class, so come prepared in paint clothes.
Saturday, November 6, 9:30-12:30
Intermediate Electricity for the Homeowner
Location: TBA
Cost: $20-$40 Sliding scale, financial aid available
This class is a great choice for those who took the Basic Electric Class (or those with a bit of experience and comfort with electrical work) and who are ready to put their new skills and knowledge to work. Using all we’ve learned about how an electric circuit works, basic electrical safety rules, and how to make tight and correct electrical connections, we will actually do some re-wiring in a home situation. Again, this course will be taught by a licensed electrician, with attention given to safety and information about which projects are safe for homeowners to tackle alone, and when it’s time to call in a pro.
Saturday, November 13, 9:30-12:30
Basic Home Repair Skills for Women
Location: TBA
Cost: $20-$40 Sliding scale, financial aid available
This class is for women who want to learn the skills, techniques, tools, language and confidence needed to begin to tackle home repairs on their own. Working on your house can be intimidating and overwhelming. Learning how to do even small maintenance projects can be an incredibly empowering experience, and as skills are gained you can begin to tackle larger and more complicated projects. In this class you will learn the basics about all of the systems in your house: plumbing, electric, heating, structure, and how they work, and typical issues that may arise. You will also learn about basic maintenance that you can do on your own, as well as which problems require calling a professional. Come prepared for hand’s on practice, as well as with the questions that you’ve always wanted to ask but didn’t. This is the place!
Saturday, November 13
Basic Tiling
Location: COVER Home Repair, 158 S. Main St. WRJ
Cost: $20-$40 Sliding scale, financial aid available
Class participants will learn the basics of tiling, whether they want to work on floors, walls, or showers. Materials, layout, cutting, sub-floor, grout, and installation will be discussed. Hands-on training and practice will help participants learn tile-setting techniques. Whether you already have a project in mind, or just want a basic understanding of what makes tiles stay up, this is the class for you!
Ever
“Round Robin” Home Repair Class
Dates: To be determined by class participants.
Do you have a home repair project you’ve been wanting to tackle, but just don't feel you have the skills or confidence to go it alone? Join with a group of other enthusiastic learners and skilled instructors to learn a variety of home repair skills.
Each week (for 4-5 weeks) we will visit the home of a different class participant, and learn about the skills, techniques, materials and tools needed to address each individual home repair challenge.
By the end of the class, participants will have gained a whole new level of confidence and learned a number of new skills, plus will have connected with a group of fellow project enthusiasts who may later be called upon for advice, support, or even project assistance.
If you are interested in this unique community- based learning opportunity, please call the COVER Education program; groups are forming now!
(please call to discuss your home repair idea, to see if it is an appropriate fit for the class)
Nancy Theriault
COVER Home Repair
Education Coordinator
802-296-7241 x 103
nancyt@coverhomerepair.org
|
