Learning the trades...

[jonni_c]

Well not completely!!....... currently have a career in IT but have decided to get serious with DIY and dabble in property renovation (added advantage of having friends in the business).

Been looking around the colleges etc for any training on trowel trades, carpentry, plumbing etc and discovered these DVDs - anyone know anything about these guys? I might go for the £45 DVD which includes all the plastering\rendering videos. I never one to shy away from getting the books out and learning the basics from scratch but I do beleive that somethings need to backed up with visual demonstration so to that end......

Thanks Jonni

[jonni_c]

...hate it when I forget to add the link!!

[G&M]

Just get on and do the stuff for real. Plastering, bricklaying and the like require lots of practice.

[Toby]

Unfortunately this is rather different territory to an MCSE. Hard graft & hands on experience are the best ways to learn, so go work for one of your friends. Check out the local college for C&G courses for any particular speciality you may consider.

(It doesn't seem such a good idea on a cold wet November morning)

[Graham Wilson]

It also depends on whether you have a talent in this particular direction.

I recall when I was a kid that my parents had a new expensive bathroom fitted. The tiling was done by a so called professional tiler who did nothing but tiling for a living and had been doing the job for 20 years.

My partner recently decided to have a go at tiling. They had never done any tiling before in their life and had no 3rd party guidance.

I have to say that the standard of my partner's tiling was much better than that of the so called expert tiler

Graham

[jacob]

Only part true. There is a great deal to actually learn from experienced and trained practitioners. I did a Carpentry&Joinery C&G equivalent ('tops' course) and was amazed at how little I knew even though I was working as a self employed builder previously. It was an excellent course. There are hundreds of self taught 'tradesmen' who know f-all about what they are doing but have developed ways of bodging and making do over the years. They may have picked up ideas from magazines but these in turn are written by DIYers and retired teachers who also know FA. This might apply to your DVDs perhaps. The problem is that they don't know what it is that they don't know , so they can't remedy it. Many (most?) don't even know the absolute basics such as the use of face&edge marks or how to do a rod. I'd go for City &Guilds and also try and get a job with top class tradesman if you can, by way of an apprenticeship.

cheers

Jacob

[G&M]

Agreed. And being an apprentice to these people is the correct way to learn the trade.

Afriad I don't see how a DVD will impart the same information.