Practical Skills Club

[sottopassaggio]

Hi all,

I'm not sure if this is the right place for this posting, but here goes.  I'd like to learn some home improvement skills, and I don't know where to start.  I know that some things can be learned on YouTube, but for things like building a house foundation, or welding, I'm not sure that I should attempt that on my own without an instructor.  I should mention I'm not mechanically inclined at all, just that I think I should learn some of these things so I can capitalize on the real estate opportunities my city has.  Being just a desk jockey is getting kind of boring.

If I wanted to start, say, a Meetup, or some other sort of club dedicated to learning things with practical value, how would you go about doing it? Would you have multiple instructors? Would we tackle projects as a team? Is this even a good idea? I was considering volunteering with Habitat for Humanity, but I'm not too keen about the idea of religion. I'd also like to make some new friends, so turning this into a social aspect would really be beneficial for me.  Thanks!

[KarefulKactus15]

Go to habitat for humanity first.  Religion aside you will learn very much.  IDK about your area but my local chapter is VERY strict on best practices and building guidelines.   Set your nail at the wrong angle /location? They will politely suggest you try again lol.

Another bonus, Before I went I pictured a bunch of poor people for some reason ...  it was very much the opposite group of people that showed up.    Real estate agents , investors and builders   mixed in with random other people that seemed well off.  If you want to capitalize on your local market it wouldn't hurt to network with some of the folks there.

Worst case scenario, you learn how to build a house.   This (in addition to books for the theoretical knowledge) gave me the hands on experience I needed to be semi confident in the real estate investing that I do on the side. 

[HipGnosis]

The big hardware stores have (free?) classes on many things.  Home Depot calls theirs 'workshops'.  How to use the tools and products they sell.  Basic carpentry to landscaping.

[lthenderson]

I would stay away from "get together" group learning. In my experience the "expert" doesn't know how to effectively teach somebody and got his information by "sleeping at a Holiday Inn Express last night."

Like someone mentioned above, for general house building skills, I would volunteer for your local Habitat for Humanity project. The leaders there are leaders chosen for a reason. For a skill like welding, I would take a class at my local community college by a trained instructor. It is a world of difference versus looking over the shoulder of neighbor Jim who has always done it this way. For specific skills, the internet is a wealth of information especially with Youtube videos. There are also many good programs on general house building on television where they take you through the process from start to finish.

[sottopassaggio]

Thanks for the great advice, everyone. 

I think I will check out Habitat for Humanity and definitely find some TV shows to educate myself tonight!