The School of Living · everyday skills for a whole life
Home Repair & DIY
Shutoff valves, spackle, and a well-chosen toolbox — fixing what drips, sticks, or wobbles before it gets expensive.
Twenty tools, the fasteners to drive with them, and the wall repairs that cover most of what goes wrong.
Syllabus · 3 units · ~8 hours
Unit I — The Tools
The twenty tools that handle most household jobs · Drill and driver: bits, torque, and pilot holes · Levels, studs, and finding what is behind the wall
Unit II — Fasteners and Walls
Screws, nails, and bolts: which and when · Drywall anchors by weight rating · Hanging shelves, mirrors, and the heavy things
Unit III — The Common Fixes
Patching drywall from nail hole to fist-sized · Doors that stick, hinges that squeak, knobs that wobble · Drawer slides, cabinet hinges, and loose chair joints
Find the shutoff first, then fix the running toilet, the dripping faucet, and the slow drain yourself.
Syllabus · 4 units · ~10 hours
Unit I — How Water Moves Through a House
Supply, drain, and vent: the three systems · Every shutoff valve in the house, found today · Water pressure, water heaters, and the main
Unit II — The Classic Repairs
The running toilet: flapper, fill valve, and float · The dripping faucet: cartridges and washers · Replacing a showerhead and a toilet seat without drama
Unit III — Clogs and Drains
Plunger technique for sinks and toilets · The drain snake and the P-trap · What never goes down a drain, and why chemical openers disappoint
Unit IV — Knowing Your Limits
Leaks that mean call-a-plumber-now · Getting fair quotes and describing the problem precisely · Winter: preventing frozen and burst pipes
Breakers, testers, and the swap-out jobs a careful amateur can do — plus the hard line you never cross.
Syllabus · 4 units · ~10 hours
Unit I — The Panel and the Circuit
Volts, amps, and watts in household terms · The breaker panel: mapping every circuit · Why breakers trip and what tripping tells you
Unit II — Testing for Dead
The non-contact voltage tester ritual: every time, no exceptions · Breaker off, test, test again · Wire colors, wire nuts, and grounding
Unit III — The Swap-Outs
Replacing an outlet and a light switch · Replacing a light fixture and a ceiling-fan-rated box · GFCI outlets: where code requires them and how to wire one
Unit IV — The Hard Line
Work that legally and sensibly belongs to a licensed electrician · Aluminum wiring, knob-and-tube, and other stop signs · Permits, inspections, and why they protect you
Prep is most of the job: patch, sand, tape, prime, then cut in and roll walls that look professional.
Syllabus · 3 units · ~8 hours
Unit I — Prep Is the Job
Cleaning, degreasing, and patching before anything else · Sanding and when to skip it · Taping edges and masking floors properly
Unit II — Paint and Primer
Sheens: flat to gloss, room by room · When primer is required and when it is a upsell · Estimating quantity and choosing rollers and brushes
Unit III — The Work
Cutting in: the steady hand at the edges · Rolling in a W: even coats without lap marks · Trim, doors, and the second coat · Cleanup, storage, and labeling leftovers for touch-ups
Gutters, filters, caulk, and a yearly inspection walk — the small calendar that prevents the big repairs.
Syllabus · 3 units · ~8 hours
Unit I — Water Is the Enemy
Gutters, downspouts, and grading away from the foundation · Roof checks from the ground: shingles, flashing, moss · Caulk and weatherstripping: finding the gaps
Unit II — Systems on a Schedule
HVAC filters and the seasonal switchover · Water heater flush and anode check · Smoke and CO detectors: batteries and expiry dates · Dryer vents and the fires they cause
Unit III — The Yearly Walk
A room-by-room inspection checklist · Winterizing: hoses, spigots, and vacation settings · The maintenance log that raises resale value