Learning Carpentry - How to learn basic electrical, plumbing, carpentry for DIY use in my home?

How to learn basic electrical, plumbing, carpentry for DIY use in my home?

Please, serious answers only. I'd love to hear from professionals in these fields - and not sarcastic 14 year olds giving advice. :) I DO NOT want a career in any of these fields - I have a successful career as a marketing executive. However, as a single fearless woman who just bought her second house, I want to enhance my limited DIY skills so that I can tackle more projects myself (saving money and gaining satisfaction of doing it myself!) Again, I work full time and am NOT looking for a career or to be licensed, so I dont have the flexibility or time to do apprenticeships, journeymen positions, or working in the trade (unless this is the only wait to gain the experience I am looking for). So, is trail and error the only way? Is book learning and trying things hands on in my home enough? Thanks for any good advice. And any advice for the must have tools in each area would be great, as well. Thanks! Wow...great answers...thanks guys! I'll look for some geneal books, use the wealth of the internet, and use good old trial and error. The idea of night classes is a great idea as well... Thanks again! Jules

Public Comments

You can get DIY books at Lowe's and Home Depot. They have them for what your looking for.
These are the kinds of courses usually run by your local college in exactly the situation and for the purposes you want...in fact your question sounds exactly like the current national publicity for these courses (in Britain)! ;) Study in the evenings for a relatively small payment...
I was in your situation. But the internet has a wealth of information. No book can come close to giving the wide variety of what the internet has to offer. Just search for whatever project you are approaching with and without + DIY in the search terms. Even just searching for DIY is going to give you a bunch of useful sites, I imagine. As for the tools you need, popular mechanics put out a list of 50 tools "everyone should own". Buying all of them at once might be expensive, but you can use it as a guide (link in source). Honestly, I like reading popular mechanics on the john (my boss has it at work) reading the DIY section (they respond to projects readers have) as it gives you a lot of ideas. Let me tell you tho, it isn't easy. You are going to make mistakes and you are going to get frustrated. However, it is rewarding doing it yourself, you learn a lot and it is far more satisfying when it is fixed/made not to mention it is fixed to your liking (normally). Not to mention that you save money often even when you factor in buying the tool.
Buy some of the (Do it yourself) books. They are full of information on many home problems. I know they are available for plumbing and electrical problems. Carpentry might be a little difficult to find. These books will give you an idea of what to do and what to expect when doing a repair. It is good to see that someone wants to learn how on there own. I learned a lot from my father and a lot more just by trying.
My suggestion is as follows: Go to your nearest Home Depot and see what the next class is on. Then, buy a booklet or book on the subject. Skim through the book, you don't have to read it, just become familiar with the subject. The idea is be able to ask meaningful questions during the class. When the day of the class arrives; attend and don't be afraid to ask the questions. If you do this 6 or 8 times you will start getting a feel for what is happening from a DIY perspective. I suggested Home Depot for a number of reasons but primarily because I know they do the classes and they are free. They actually do the task in front of the audience so it is as close to hands on as you are apt to get without shelling out money for schooling. There may be other home improvement stores that offer the same training; I’m just not familiar with any others that do it. If you can't get to a Home Depot or their schedule is impossible for you there are DVDs that teach all sorts of things. Check out the Internet and just buy one at a time until you have a nice library. I would strongly suggest you save anything electrical or gas for the pros until you really feel confident to do so without injuring yourself during the repair or burning the house down later as a result. The only advice I have on tools is to say, you may not get what you pay for but you will pay for what you get. Cheap tools will let you down at the most inopportune time. I have been doing handyman work for decades. I accept email at my profile. If you have any specific questions I would be glad to answer or get you an answer.
i don't no where u live but in oz a lot of the big hard where shops run a lot of diy that cover most of what your looking 4 also there r books that cover it all about 7 years ago i did a owner builder house my self n was able 2 track down a book that showed step by step how 2 do most plumbing carpentry n a small amount of electrical work do keep in mind depending where u live there r laws on what electrical work u can do your self n 240v will bite hard n u just might not get a 2nd go at it i don't remember the name of the book i used but it was not hard 2 find n today the house still stands n not had 1 problem with it and have been through a few large storms that just about flattened houses in the st hope it helps a lil
Thi is a broad range requiring a lot of tools of considerable expence...if you are to have god results...but the net is full of all the info you need if you are willing to type a search , for example, I typed (do it yourself electrical wiring) and checked 1 http://www.electrical-online.com/lightsandswitches.htm and it has info galore...do the same for framing etc and take little advice from all the want to be's from this site. Hope this helps...I have done it all and could spend months detailing step by step.. Good Luck!!! Myrna
Ah, well, I'm not a licensed trade but did spend quite a few years using tools at work. I'm a single (fairly) fearless woman too and I do most of my own home maintenance/repair/building. I learned by trial and error, by asking questions from anyone who knew more than I did, by reading. These days you can learn a lot on the net and occasionally by watching home improvement shows but most of them are all sizzle and no steak when it comes to know-how. People even post how-to videos on youtube, along with some how-not-to stuff. Home improvement stores often run Saturday and evening seminars, and schools and rec centres have classes(full of men, too, if you're looking, though sadly you'll find many of them are married but maybe they have single brothers, or maybe you can make some work buddies out of them) What you do is start simple. Do things it's hard to screw up and work up to more complicated stuff. Always consider the worst case scenario before trying something. You don't want to do something that you'll have to call in a pro to fix later. Tackle things as they come up. Learn what you can about how things around your house are set up or how they work. I often found that just sitting and looking at things and trying to imagine how they were done or how they work was a big help. Simple observation can tell you a lot if you use your head. Learn basic safety precautions and get the right tools to check for live wires so you don't electrocute yourself or flood the house. Never start something like replacing a faucet late in the day. Start in the morning so you have time to go back to the store twice for tools and parts. If you can find a way to visit a house construction site, do so, to learn what's behind your walls and how pipes and wires are installed. Offer to help friends and neighbours, especially ones with more experience than you. Know what your limitations are and when calling in a pro is the better choice. Read every single page of instructions that come with power tools or get a demo from someone who has used them. There are a few that could send you to the hospital very easily. Map out a job before you start, make lists and go through the steps mentally. As for tools, you can purchase tools almost endlessly and always find there's one more you could use. It's really best to buy things as you need them for the job you're about to do, and before you know it you'll have more than you ever dreamed. As for basic tools, the ones I wouldn't want to be without? Here's a basic list off the top of my head. Cordless screw gun, at least 14v, larger if it's comfortable in your hand, medium quality Corded drill, cheap is fine. Hand screwdriver, PicQuic is a very good choice, comes with six screwdriver bits in the handle Box of wood drill bits, buy other wood drilling accessories and metal bits as needed Sidecutters Wire strippers Linesman pliers Socket set, metric and imperial, buy one of those "has everything" kits. Needlenose pliers, straight and bent nose Utility knife with extra blades. Olfa is a good make but cheap ones are okay too. LLB blades really last and are very sharp Vice grips, curved and straight jaws. Scissors Hammer. Choice is endless, basic framing hammer is fine for general purpose Cat's paw for removing nails Level. 4 foot ones are indispensable at times, smaller ones have their place Crescent wrenches, 10 inch, you very often need 2 at the same time so buy 2 Pipe wrench, the self-adjusting kind with a floppy head. Hand saws. Swede saw for rough cuts, crosscut saw for finer cuts. A reciprocating saw(power) is very useful sometimes too. A right angle thing to set up straight cuts with a handsaw, there are a number of types available Stepladder Buy a good one, fiberglass, they're worth it. Six step is best unless you have very tall ceilings. Jigsaw A really good headlamp, so you can see while working under a sink Toolboxes, so you can find stuff when you need it. Like I said, that's very basic. My tools now would fill my van. It can be very rewarding to do your own stuff. I still remember the good feeling I had the first time, 25 years or so ago, that a project went off the way I planned with no snags, though there will be times when you'll be tempted to use the hammer on your own head. Patience goes a long way here.
There are a LOT of home repair books out there, many of them are very good. I'd recommend that you get one or two general books, and then perhaps some to cover specific topics of interest. Your local public library is a good place to get a look at some of these types of books, before you purchase them. There are a number of places you can go on the 'net'... eHow articles, This Old House, even You Tube has a selection of home repair videos (This Old house is my favorite). Yahoo Answers is a good place to ask specific questions - ya just gotta weed out the nonsense answers, hehehe. Building supply stores, like Lowe's, or Home Depot, also run short project sessions, usually on the weekends - they keep a board out front showing when the next project is, and what it is about. Lowe's also has several 'how to' articles on their website, and project plans. Many stores have a few individuals that are very good in particular types of work - ask around. And don't be afraid to ask an expert. Save 'trial and error' for last - with some projects you can do more harm than good, hehehe. As for tools - well that really depends upon the project, but a good general purpose toolset should include - A set of screwdrivers (at least 2 different sizes of phillips, and flat head) - note - not only do they come in different lengths, but the actual tip of the screwdriver comes in different sizes - #2 phillips is the most common around a house. A comfortable hammer - 16 oz is pretty common, straight or curved claw - if you find its too heavy, then go for a lighter one. 22 oz hammers are common for roofing work. A couple of different types of pliers - its easy to buy a packaged set with 3 or 4 versions of pliers. Pliers with a 'side cutter' are good for cutting wire. Get something with a vinyl, or rubber coated handles to provide better grip. A crescent wrench (aka adjustable wrench). Get one that is at least as long as your pliers, preferably just a bit longer in the handle. A measuring tape - lots of variety here... but get one that is at least 16 feet, with a 1" wide blade. A square of some sort (combination, carpenter's, etc) A torpedo level (at least 9 inches long). A multimeter (these can be found for less than $20, and are a very important tool when doing anything with electricity - I prefer the digital readout). A caulk gun A variety of putty knives. I keep some cheap plastic putty knives on hand for scraping when I don't want to risk scratching a surface, but I also have a variety of stiff or flexible putty knives for general work. A good utility knife - you want something comfortable to use, that won't slip, etc. A prybar (I like the Stanley WonderBar for general purpose work) That's a good start on a basic tool set. From there, you're going to be buying tools based on the project... putty knives, scrapers and brushes/rollers for painting, trowels for flooring tile, drywall taping knives, saws for woodworking, etc. A good set of socket wrenches comes in handy too. You'll want to invest in a cordless screw gun eventually, and possibly a few other power tools. Don't forget you can rent many types of power tools. Try to avoid buying the cheapest tools - not only will you not get your money's worth, but in some cases, they can be dangerous to use. Some brands to look for - Stanley, Vermont American, Kobalt, etc - tho some manufacturers specialize in certain types of tools. I avoid buying (big sets) of general tools because of the quality. I prefer to get a good toolbox, and start adding to it. Get one kind of tool a month, or per project, etc.. and you'll quickly have a decent set of tools. By the way, many tools are available in smaller sizes now, to more comfortably fit the typically smaller hand, and are still of good quality. (That wasn't always the case in the past). Feel free to email if you have any questions Have Fun