Half own houses and want to fix them up, and half want to build. One finish carpenter has come to round out his education. The Heartwood School is geared to teaching owner-builders, most of whom have little or no building experience. The instruction is basic, says Frank, the finish carpenter, but he has learned some new techniques nevertheless. He s also been generous in sharing his experience with the class.
Every day begins with a classroom session incorporating slides and a lecture.
Will passes out estimating tables, lumber and nail references, glossaries of building terms, and assigns nightly readings. During the mid-morning break, we look through the large library of books and video tapes or buy tools from Heartwood s tool store. After the mid-morning break, we go to the shop for instruction, or on tours of a nearby lumberyard and a couple of the job sites we ll be working on. In the afternoon, we split into groups for hands-on instruction from Will, Michele, and Andy Inganni, a furniture designer and builder. This day, one group goes to the old house to hang the batten door, add trim and finish off the temporary railing that my group had started earlier in the week.