New home improvement classes give students DIY confidence
A new business is hoping to empower homeowners through the art of do-it-yourself.
The recently opened DIY Training Centre offers in-person home renovation and repair training for people who want to tackle more on their own.
Classes include framing, flooring, finishing carpentry and electrical. Students can also learn about renovations, maintenance and interior design.
The goal, said one teacher, is to put practical industry knowledge into the hands of homeowners.
"People that have homes don't want to pay big dollars out to contractors and that, so they come here so that they can learn how to do a lot of that stuff themselves," Gerald May said.
Wendy Lien has taken multiple classes at the centre since it opened.
She said the skills she's learned, and plans to learn in the future, will help her be more independent and save money.
"I've been looking for years to find somewhere like this [so] that I am able to do home improvements on my own and not have to call family or friends," Lien said.
Teacher Susan Ward-Cornish said the classes also help students gain confidence.
"It really helps them a lot and it's really nice to see them flourishing," Ward-Cornish said. "And they're going out of here empowered. It's amazing."
Helen Scheper signed up for the Women's Only DIY. She said she loves the feeling of accomplishment from tackling home repairs.
"I want to be handy," Scheper said. "I want to be someone who doesn't have to rely on someone else to do bits and pieces around the house."
Unlike a YouTube video, Scheper said the hands-on in-person classes beat learning from a YouTube video, since students can ask questions and get help when needed.
"I'm loving it," she added. "I just feel more confident."
In addition to the DIY classes, the training centre offers renovation mentoring, where an expert will come to your house and help guide you on your DIY journey.
For more information on classes, you can visit the centre's website here.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec man who threatened Trudeau, Legault online sentenced to 20 months in jail
A Quebec man who pleaded guilty to threatening Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier François Legault has been sentenced to 20 months in jail.
Suter scores late goal, clinches series for Canucks
Pius Suter scored with 1:39 left and the Vancouver Canucks advanced to the second round of the NHL playoffs with a 1-0 victory over the Nashville Predators on Friday night in Game 6.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
The kids from 'Mrs. Doubtfire are all SUPER grown up now, and we're not OK
The adorable trio of child actors from the 1993 classic comedy 'Mrs. Doubtfire,' which starred the late and great Robin Williams, are all grown up and looking back on their seminal time together.
Hulk Hogan, hurricanes and a blockbuster recording: A week in review of the Trump hush money trial
Crucial witnesses took the stand in the second week of testimony in Donald Trump's hush money trial, including a California lawyer who negotiated deals at the center of the case and a longtime adviser to the former president.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
Drone footage shows Ukrainian village battered to ruins as residents flee Russian advance
The Ukrainian village of Ocheretyne has been battered by fighting, drone footage obtained by The Associated Press shows. The village has been a target for Russian forces in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine.
Police arrest 3 Indian nationals in killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar
Three people have been arrested and charged in the killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar – as authorities continue investigating potential connections to the Indian government.
Parliamentary report on Emergencies Act decision is 18 months past due — and counting
The erstwhile group of senators and MPs studying the federal government's invocation of the Emergencies Act over the "Freedom Convoy" was supposed to present its findings in December. December of 2022, that is.