• Three Part Carpentry Class
• Anatomy of a House
• Everything You Need to Know About Power Tools But Were Afraid to Ask
• Weatherization: Button up for Winter
• Basic Carpentry for Women
• Interior Painting Skills
• Building Interior Storm Windows
• Hands on Car Care for Everyone
• Bicycle Repair/Maintenance Class
• Parent/Child Carpentry Class
• Plaster Repair

Fall 2011 Class Descriptions

Three Part Carpentry Class

Thursdays, Sept. 15, 22, 29, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

This fun and informative class will build on students’ basic knowledge 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 gain practice in  how to safely use a wide range of hand and power tools,  and will also discuss and practice planning, measuring, cutting, and building a completed carpentry project. This class is for those who have had at least some prior experience, but have not quite had the confidence to begin tackling projects on their own.

Anatomy of a House

Saturday, Sept. 17, 9:00-12:00

Location: TBA

In this repeat of a popular and incredibly informative class, participants will be given a tour of chosen house, from, literally, bottom to top. Our houses provide us many things: shelter, comfort, a place to showcase our individual style, and a place to live our lives with the people we care about. Yet, many of us know so little about the actual workings of a house. In this class you will learn about the major systems of a house; shelter (including insulation and roofing), heating/cooling, electric, water, and plumbing. This is a great first class for those wanting to learn how to take care of their own homes, or to just feel more comfortable with the inner workings of your house. This is not an actual hands-on skill class, but more an open ended question/answer discussion class. This will fill quickly – sign up today!

Everything You Need to Know About Power Tools But Were Afraid to Ask

Saturday, Sept. 17, 9:00-12:00

Location: COVER Home Repair

In this class, Diane Reinhardt, builder and carpenter, will give a basic overview of must-have tools and equipment for many basic home repairs. This is a class for those who have little or no experience, but want to begin to learn how to tackle their own projects. You will learn names and uses of tools, which tools to use for which projects, will learn tips for buying tools, and will practice using them in this friendly, non-intimidating, safety-minded and fun session.

Basic Carpentry for Women

Saturday, October 1, 9:30-12:30

Location: COVER Home Repair

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. For women with little or now prior carpentry experience.

Interior Painting Skills

Saturday, Oct. 8, 9:00-12:00

Upper Valley Food Coop

Tired of the same old one color flat walls? Come to this class and learn to let your creativity flow throughout your living space. Participants will learn to create useful and interactive spaces using chalkboard paint, painting effects with depth and texture, and other fun techniques. We will discuss processing design ideas and the use of color in spaces. We will also receive a hands-on demonstration and instruction on the steps involved in bringing a project to completion.

Hands on Car Care for Everyone

Wednesday, Oct 12, 6-9 p.m.

Location: Hartford Career and Technology Center

If you missed this class before, you have another opportunity - sign up now for this popular, fun, and amazingly informative repeat class. If you drive a car, you need this class! In this supportive and non-intimidating class, taught by several mechanics, 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.  

Bicycle Repair/Maintenance Class

Wednesday, Oct. 19, 6:00-8:00 p.m.

The Bike Hub, Norwich

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.

Parent/Child Carpentry Class

Saturday, Oct. 22, 9:00-12:00

COVER Home Repair

Parents, or other significant adults, and children age 8+.

Come and spend a fun morning together learning basic carpentry skills, using hand tools and working together to build a useful project to take home with you. Work together with your parent/child to learn new skills, gain confidence, and build something really cool! Open to both boys and girls, and an accompanying adult.

 

Stop the Draft! Window and Door Sealing

Wednesday, Oct. 26, 6:00-8:00

COVER Home Repair

Leaky doors and windows are the biggest heat loss areas in most houses. If you're going to one thing to help prevent heat loss, this would be it. Come to this quick and easy class and learn how to effectively seal air leaks in your windows and doors to help keep the heat inside. For more weatherization information and practice, see the next class.

Building Interior Storm Windows (Date Postponed to Oct. 29)

Saturday, Oct. 8, 9:00-12:00

Location: COVER Home Repair

Are you starting to feel that bit of wind and cold blowing in around the edges of your windows? In this class, participants will learn to build attractive, simple, and very functional interior storm windows. Using lathe strips, clear plastic, packing tape and a few other tools and tricks, you will learn how to measure for, design, and build these surprisingly attractive and effective windows to help cut down on the cold and draft. Simply pop them out and store them during the warmer months, and put them back up when it gets cold.

 Weatherization: Button up for Winter

Saturday, Oct. 29, 9:00-12:00

Location: COVER Home Repair

Learn how to make your home more comfortable and more energy-efficient. Join COVER’s new weatherization expert 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

Plaster Repair

Saturday, November 5, 9:00-12:00

Location: Center for Sustainable Practice, WRJ

Do you live in an old house with plaster walls? Tired of looking at crumbling, cracking walls? In this class you will learn how to repair many types of plaster problems; holes, cracks, crumbling. Learn about sanding, filling, painting over, and which products work for different walls and techniques. If there is time, we will also learn some decorative plastering techniques. This will be a hands-on class with lots of practice.

In addition...we are trying to organize a welding class and a basic plumbing class. If you know someone who might be interested in teaching a 3 hour (paid!) class in either of these topics, please contact Nancy at nancyt@coverhomerepair.org. If you are interested in either teaching or taking a class in a particular topic, and you don’t see it here, please contact me and we’ll see what we can do!

Nancy Theriault

COVER Home Repair

Education Coordinator

802-296-7241 x 103

nancyt@coverhomerepair.org