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Among young people, in particular, DIY is something that has become a bit of a lost art form. In days gone by, these were the type of skills which were passed down from generation to generation. This lack of basic home improvement knowledge means that many people have to pay for expensive professional work rather than doing tasks themselves. This is a pretty big incentive to at least learn a few basic tips and tricks which will undoubtedly come in handy.
But now you may be asking where you can go to learn these home improvement skills. Well, this guide is here to give you a helping hand and some more information about how you can obtain the DIY home improvement skills you have always dreamed about!
A Guide To Learning Home Improvement Skills
Use Technology to Help
It may seem like a pretty obvious one, but as the internet provides such a wealth of information, it makes sense for this to be your first port of call. Not only can you read through a host of how-to guides, but you can also watch videos of other people completing the jobs you are looking to do yourself. Of course, there are a lot of people out there who will not be showing you good techniques, so make sure that you use reputable websites or watch videos from people who have high ratings.
You can also use the internet when you are comparing all the tools to buy from a claw hammer to an 8-inch dado blade. Major hardware stores also tend to have reputable advice listed on their websites so they are usually reliable sources to turn to. The major disadvantage of the internet is that it doesn’t give you any practical experience, but in terms of theoretical knowledge, it is certainly a great place to turn to.
Take a Trip to Your Local Hardware Store
Speaking of hardware stores, taking a trip down to your local center in person is a good way of getting additional information about how to properly use the tools and equipment you find there. Some places will even host their own classes or workshops as a way of helping out their customers. After all, they have a vested interest in ensuring that people continue to learn good DIY skills.
Though you can find helpful staff members at the big home improvement chain stores as well, many local places are much more willing to give you the detailed advice that you need. Speaking to people who have real, first-hand experience is always going to be a useful activity.
Work Alongside Friends and Family
If you have a friend or relative who is a particular whiz when it comes to DIY, it makes sense that you go to them directly. Instead of just getting theoretical advice, if you can help them out with their next home improvement task, this is the perfect way that you can learn on the job. Not only this, but they will also appreciate the free labor that you are providing them with!
Make sure that you are confident that they know what they are doing as there are no point learning techniques that are incorrect or potentially dangerous! And when it comes to doing jobs around your home, your friend or relative may be willing to come along to cast an appraising eye over your handy work!
Volunteer on a Home Improvement Building Project
As well as gaining some first-hand experience, volunteering on a home-building project is also a wonderful opportunity to give something back to the local community. You may even find yourself building a property from the foundation up. In this case, you will learn a whole host of useful skills which you could take to your own property.
Even if you don’t decide to get involved in a project of this scale, you can still learn a few basic tips and tricks. And this could be a way of accomplishing two goals at the same time; learning how to do some basic DIY and giving something back to the local community.
Learn from Your Home Improvement Contractors
Even if you do decide to hire a contractor, there is no reason why you can’t learn from them while they are completing some home improvement tasks. Watching a professional at work is always going to help you out when it comes to learning skills, and you could then use the techniques you learn in the future. All it takes is for you to ask a few questions and show interest in what they are doing.
You can also observe how technically difficult each job is to complete, so you know that you are not overstretching yourself if you decide to do it yourself. After all, the whole purpose of DIY is to make your life easier and save money. The last thing you want to do is cause more damage and end up needing to complete expensive repair work!
Here’s to Your Best Home Improvement Ever!
These five places are some of the top ones you can go to in order to learn some home improvement skills. If you are completely inexperienced in this area, it makes sense that you start off with the basics and that you don’t bite off more than you can chew. The internet is great as the first port of call – just make sure the information you are reading or the videos you are watching are from a reputable source.
You can also get some great advice from your local DIY or home improvement center. Often, you learn the quickest by actually completing some jobs first-hand, and this is where working alongside friends and family or volunteering at a home building project can give you the vital skills that you are looking for.
Finally, if you do decide to hire a contractor, you can still learn from them so that maybe you can tackle the job yourself in the future. Hopefully, this article has provided you with some inspiration and you feel ready to tackle all manner of jobs around the home!
Images Courtesy of Canva.
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About the Author: Patricia Davis Brown
