Build-it-yourself know-how now easier to get
April 30, 2010
Steve Maxwell
SPECIAL TO THE STAR
In 1985, I bought all the back issues of Fine Homebuilding magazine I could find, and ordered a small library of home building books in my quest to expand my construction knowledge to include every facet of building houses the right way.
I also spent the next several years shadowing framers, trim carpenters, electricians, plumbers, masons, roofers and every other trade involved in homebuilding as I gained hands-on experience and technical know-how. I asked questions, studied buildings and visited constructions sites, and though I did end up with the skills to build houses from the bottom up, this learning process wasn’t nearly as quick and easy as it can be now.
Jim Caruk’s Build-It-Yourself Learning Centers (www.biyworkshops.com, 866-964-7188) are the reason for the change, and the first of more than half a dozen centres open today for the first time.
Most everyone knows Caruk from his appearances on HGTV, showcasing the world of renovations from a contractor’s perspective. The BiY learning centres leverage Jim’s 30 years of construction and communications experience to equip others to learn hands-on skills from accredited, professional instructors in workshop and seminar situations.
“Everyone wants to be able to build and create”, explains Caruk, “but many don’t have the skills or confidence to handle even straightforward jobs. My vision is to empower people to tackle jobs correctly. The need for interactive, hands-on workshops will fuel our growth in more than five provinces over the next three or four years.”
At the moment, there are two BiY centres, both in the Toronto area. The main 5,000-square-foot facility is on King St. The second is a 10,000-square-foot facility at the north end of the city, near Highway 400, set up for teaching hands-on construction workshops on roofing, deck building and other large projects. Corporate sponsors American Standard, Bosch, Stanley, and Dynamic Paints have all helped make these centres happen. Plans to add five more facilities around the country are also in the works.
There are more than 35 different courses on the BiY roster right now, including The Helpless Homeowner, Women in the Workshop, Build it Yourself Deck, Custom Kitchen from a Box, Tile-It Yourself, The Faucet Doctor, Home Wiring Essentials, Retro Reno, Upholster-it Yourself and Container Gardening. Workshop costs range from $59 to $499 per course, depending on length. Evening classes, weekend sessions and intensive five-day boot camps are all part of the curriculum, though this alone doesn’t count for everything. What it really comes down to is the kind of people designing and delivering the technical content.
Ian Burns is education director of the BiY Learning Centers, and he’s the kind of guy who gives me confidence that the venture’s going to succeed. Burns is a Red Seal carpenter, which means he’s officially accredited by Human Resources and Skills Development Canada to work in all provinces. He’s also won awards for excellence in his 10 years of teaching at George Brown College and Sir Sandford Fleming College.
“Whether it’s a task-oriented or skills training workshop,” explains Burns, “you’ll gain essential theory, health and safety information and practical experience under the supervision of our instructors. You’ll finish with the confidence to work on your own projects at home correctly and safely.”
Taking courses at the BiY Centers also includes access to the information database and interactive opportunities being built on their website.
If you’re determined to learn renovation and building skills, somehow you’ll get there. That said, some ways of learning are definitely more direct than pouring over a big stack of magazines and working alongside tradespeople, like I did. Although it’s too early to guarantee the quality of experience at the BiY centres, from everything I see, this looks like a long overdue winner.
Steve Maxwell is Canada’s award-winning home improvement expert, and technical editor of Canadian Home Workshop magazine. Sign up for his free homeowner newsletter at www.stevemaxwell.ca.