Evening courses?

[climbinggeorge]

After (a very long feeling) couple of years back and forward we should start building in the new year.
It's a 2 storey detached timber frame house, we're getting it built to shell then handed over for 1st fix towards the end of 2020.

 

So my question is if anyone has taken evening courses and if so what they felt they gained/any recommendations?

 

For context this is the 1st house so renting has limited my DIY experience, and whilst I like to think I'm relatively practical I work in IT using databases all day
For budget reasons I'd like help with as much as possible in weekends/evenings/holiday but I need to be realistic

[Adam E]

Depending on your physical fitness,I would consider a plastering Ames taping course even if you don’t master it you will learn enough to tape and fill ready for the plasterers the lecturer use to work with,   or when he and his mate come in for a cash job

 

same for wall and floor tiling course gives you good products knowledge adhesive etc  and the preparation before you start, then it’s patience and a good eye

 

if you can get a local one man plumber and electrician you can labour to them 

 

once you you master one thing it’s amazing how quick you can pick something else up as you are comfortable holding tools etc

But remember  plaster ,tiles, 2nd fix joinery are all on show so have to be to a good Finnish 

 

things like installing the insulation are worth doing yourself as it’s time consuming and you will be more diligent filling all the small gaps installers won’t bother with 

 

and allow a hour every night to clean up the mess the professionals left. 

 

If if you are supplying all the materials yourself use the skills you have getting prices online a Hour online can pay a tradesman wage for a half day compared to him just picking them up from the local merchants 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[nod]

If your going down the route of individual trades there are lots you can do and save lots of money 

My wife is a office manager and helped slate wiring plumbing boarding All the insulation Lots of paving and tiling 

Trades will be happy to point you in the right direction So that you can do some of the prep work while they are not there 

Evenings and weekends 

Dont underestimate the amount of money you will save 

 

pictured is my wife in her element 

[Onoff]

48 minutes ago, nod said:

pictured is my wife in her element 

 

You mean "out in the elements"! ?

 

Good on her.

[Alexphd1]

@nod not been funny but you are a trade person (thank you for the help you have given me and I am ex trade person aswell) you are able and can keep a eye on labourers wether you married to them or not! 

 

Just to clear up, are you getting a finished shell?

 

I am a bit skeptical of evening class courses because they are normally of the tighter margins trades ie brick laying and end of day not worth it (you wont grudge paying a decent brickie). A 1 night evening class on ashp installation could save you many £k's or mvhr course but better you will get better info/help on here!

 

Might not sound exciting but why not take the bulk of your holidays off and paint? 

 

You know your weak points and strong points and work from there if you honestly think you can learn plastering which is a different job from taping in a night course then I will take my hat of! 

 

Dont underestimate shopping 4 material and pays to be on the ball. Any saving quickly wiped if trades sitting on site and no material. Get a list of items with a target price minus vat then hunt fleebay and gumtree. 

 

Bit of topic but a small bonus to us BA avios air miles credit card with build merchants and paypal. Will be flying flat in a bed when I can afford to stay in hotel when I arrive there! 

 

[ToughButterCup]

11 hours ago, climbinggeorge said:

...

So my question is if anyone has taken [...] courses and if so what they felt they gained/any recommendations?

...

• First Aider
• Chainsaw proficiency
• Gym club membership and Courses  (fitness Courses)
• ICF basic competence ( Durisol)
• Shower tray installation
• Many many hours of YouTube self- directed study: all of @constructionchannel's videos,  Peter Millard, SkillBuilder,  and many German training videos
• On line SketchUp courses
• Several hours watching scaffolders erect Kwik Stage scaffolding ( yes: I got a good few old fashioned looks for doing that)
• A good few hours walking round building sites - with permission.

 All in all- over 4 years - about 3 months work.

[nod]

9 hours ago, Alexphd1 said:

@nod not been funny but you are a trade person (thank you for the help you have given me and I am ex trade person aswell) you are able and can keep a eye on labourers wether you married to them or not! 

 

Just to clear up, are you getting a finished shell?

 

I am a bit skeptical of evening class courses because they are normally of the tighter margins trades ie brick laying and end of day not worth it (you wont grudge paying a decent brickie). A 1 night evening class on ashp installation could save you many £k's or mvhr course but better you will get better info/help on here!

 

Might not sound exciting but why not take the bulk of your holidays off and paint? 

 

You know your weak points and strong points and work from there if you honestly think you can learn plastering which is a different job from taping in a night course then I will take my hat of! 

 

Dont underestimate shopping 4 material and pays to be on the ball. Any saving quickly wiped if trades sitting on site and no material. Get a list of items with a target price minus vat then hunt fleebay and gumtree. 

 

Bit of topic but a small bonus to us BA avios air miles credit card with build merchants and paypal. Will be flying flat in a bed when I can afford to stay in hotel when I arrive there! 

 

I run a plastering and tiling - framing business 

I brought a gang of Brickies in at the beginning and the rest my wife and myself have done 

and come in at 830m2 due to the small amount we have paid on labour Other than my son spending 4 days on the 350 m2 of rendering I’ve had no help from our business It would have sort of defeated the point 

Plastering is something I would advise all to stay away from A short courses are ok if you are going up an old cottage You dont want to be looking at a terrible finish Aims isn’t ideal for houses but isn’t easy to get right 

Tiling can look really good if you take your time 

We did most of the wiring and plumbing but had an Eletrician terminate and test same with plumbing 

We hadn’t done slating before but found it easy to do 300 plus m2 

I pay loaders £1.50 a board to load in 

Myself and my wife loaded six packs So when you get your plastering quote that’s what you can nock off 

Even things like attaching a membrane to the high load dpc Then laying the king-span My wife did all that 155m2 £3.50 

You can save a small fortune 

All while working full time 

 

people have said why don’t you get a couple of guys that work for to do some of the work 

They still would cost me a couple of hundred per day Soon adds up

 

We are in the process of rendering 3 self builds The three couples have no building experience But are lugging bags of render up Doing all the masking for us and frost sheeting at night 

They are saving themselves two wages each day that we are there 

 

 

[Russell griffiths]

Here’s an idea there’s s house in Cirencester that has loads of odd jobs that need doing, you could come and practice on it. 

 No college fees. 

Free tea and biscuits 

staff a bit grumpy

 

[Declan52]

2 hours ago, AnonymousBosch said:

•  
• Several hours watching scaffolders erect Kwik Stage scaffolding ( yes: I got a good few old fashioned looks for doing that

That's the weirdest bit of perving I have ever heard of. Bet they kind of liked it though.

[Onoff]

3 hours ago, nod said:

Plastering is something I would advise all to stay away

 

I wouldn't be told (to get a pro in) and am pretty happy with how my attempt at a ceiling and half wall came out. I'd do it again. I just followed this bloke's 4 parter on YouTube:

 

 

[SteamyTea]

How about evening classes in a totally unrelated thing.

Something to take the mind off the build.

I had a good laugh learning British Sign Language.

Now I can get approving looks from a few people when I call someone a noisy wanker.

Suspect most if use can do that, but I can finger spell it as well.

Edited December 31, 2019 by SteamyTea

[ProDave]

I generally champion this free country that we live in.  There is an awful lot you are allowed to do here without "qualifications" compared to most other countries.

 

Take my relatives in Australia, they could not get a building permit to renovate a derelict old Queenslander, until they had both attended college to get a self builders permit.

 

It is a shame that courses like that are not run here on a voluntary basis though.

[nod]

2 hours ago, Onoff said:

 

I wouldn't be told (to get a pro in) and am pretty happy with how my attempt at a ceiling and half wall came out. I'd do it again. I just followed this bloke's 4 parter on YouTube:

 

 

Your fine on bits I wouldn’t advise anyone to tackle a full house 

It’s one of those jobs The quicker you are the better end result 

With three to four days for a gang of two to skim a five bed house 

Its not worth the hassle 

[Russell griffiths]

3 hours ago, ProDave said:

I generally champion this free country that we live in.  There is an awful lot you are allowed to do here without "qualifications" compared to most other countries.

 

Take my relatives in Australia, they could not get a building permit to renovate a derelict old Queenslander, until they had both attended college to get a self builders permit.

 

It is a shame that courses like that are not run here on a voluntary basis though.

That’s not as bad as it would seam.

its a day course and covers lots on insurance and the things you are not allowed to do like the electrics, it basically points you in the right direction before you start your build. 

[climbinggeorge]

Thanks all, it looks like prep work and smart buying will be the way forward