Recommendations for online DIY courses (framing, electrical, etc)?
mapnerd
| Posted in General Discussion on
Hello
I’m looking for any online training resources that would help me learn some basic residential construction skills like framing, electrical, plumbing, etc. I’ve watched many of the videos and read many of the articles on the FH site, which are great. However, I’m looking for even more in-depth training. My local community college doesn’t offer much at this time. I have some basic skills and tools and have built some outdoor projects (shed, coop, fence, etc). Hoping to learn more about interior work. Any resources you folks would recommend would be appreciated. Thanks
Mike in Omaha
Replies
Hi Mike,
As an alternative to on-line training, I highly recommend these reference books from Taunton Press. "Renovation 5th Edition" is my favorite, as it covers framing, electrical, plumbing, etc. I also like "The Complete Visual Guide to Building a House", and "The Visual Handbook of Building and Remodeling, 4th Edition". I prefer books, which probably gives away my age, but you can also get pdf's as well. There are numerous other publications by Taunton Press that I've collected over the years, so I've have a full shelf of books. Also, the "Code Check" references are very helpful, and 1,000x more readable than the actual code books. (I recently built a sauna/3-piece bathroom for a friend, and the "Code Check" books were a great asset, and I passed every inspection with flying colors.)
You mentioned that your local community college doesn't offer much, but does the local public school system offer adult or continuing education courses on the trades? Here, in NY, counties have what is called BOCES, an organization that provides training in the trades for high school students to all the school districts located in that county. In addition, the continuing education programs offer evening courses in the trades. In the past, I've take two levels of machine shop courses, and one course in welding.
I also subscribe to Fine Homebuilding magazine and The Journal of Light Construction to keep up with the latest in methods, materials, tools, and techniques.
Thanks for the book references. I’ll try checking those out this week from the local library.