HomeUpgrades

Here are 10 free options for DIY home improvement advice and training:

Volunteer with Habitat for Humanity. Volunteering with Habitat for Humanity or a similar program is one of the best ways to get training in home construction and repair. I volunteered with a program with my church and learned everything I needed to know about how to use a crowbar. The next week I was tearing out hideous wooden paneling in my basement like a pro.

Help a handy neighbor. If you have a neighbor who is great at do-it-yourself work, agree to help with some projects. In return you get to learn how to install a skylight or replace a light fixture.

Get free training at a big-box store. Many home improvement stores like Home Depot, Lowe's, and Menards all have free classes that give you basic information about various projects. My spouse went to a tiling class at Home Depot and found the information to be good for beginners.

Inquire at your local hardware store. Big-box home improvement stores have good prices and great variety. But no one knows more about the home repair challenges of old Craftsman bungalow homes than the owner of my local hardware store. I always walk out of there with exactly what I need for my weekend project.

Visit a home fair. Many communities have yearly home fairs. The city provides information about building permits, and professionals give free mini classes about plumbing or electrical work. Watch your local paper for news about these fairs.

Sign up for community classes. For more in-depth instruction than a home fair might provide, check out your community adult enrichment program. Ours has a three-part course on home improvement for women and instruction about dry walling and electrical work.

Check out books from the library. While the Internet has a wealth of information (see below), books are still the best non-hands-on source of DIY home repair knowledge. If I'm looking for information about a particular project, I'll search Amazon.com for reviews of the best books related to that topic and then check them out from my library.

Watch home improvement TV shows and movies. Our library also has some great DVDs on various home improvement projects. And HGTV is always fun to watch for inspiration. (It also serves as a warning of what can go wrong if you don't know what you're doing.)
Watch home improvement YouTube videos. Expert Village and Bob Vila both offer great YouTube channels with short DIY home improvement clips. You can also check out Wise Bread's very own home improvement video section for hundreds of DIY videos.

Read DIY online forums and blogs. Luckily a huge number of online forums, websites and blogs are available to help you with your DIY home improvement project. One of my favorites is DIYorNot, which helps you decide, based on project difficulty and costs, whether or not to do it yourself. Following personal blogs of people with similar housing styles is another great online source for advice, photos and ideas.