Knowing Your Home Renovation Class

With Dave Cooke

This class serves as an intro to our Knowing Your Home Series. It is designed to give a foundational understanding of how a house works and is suited those who are beginning their home renovation journey. To go deeper into a house’s many parts, check out the rest of our classes in the Knowing Your Home Series.

Dave Cooke and Tim Lubbert will give brief explanations of a house’s various systems from the shingles on the roof to the sump pump in the basement and everything in between. They will discuss how all of these systems interact with each other to keep your lights on, water running, and climate controlled. You will leave class with a basic understanding of how your house works, what tools to carry so you can perform simple fixes, and when to call a contractor (and how to find the right one!) This discussion style class will be interactive, so come with lots of questions.

This class will discuss…

  • Electrical Systems: service entrance panel, 110v/220v, single phase/three phase circuit breakers, amps vs volts, GFI breakers, lighting, and ceiling fans.

  • HVAC Systems: heating, cooling, air humidification, filtration.

  • Plumbing Systems: water supply, faucets, toilets, water heaters, garbage disposals, drains.

  • Kitchens: countertops, cabinets, tile.

  • Roofs: repellant, leaks, ventilation.

  • Walls: structural frame, windows, doors, what walls are made of, and why paint matters.

  • Foundations: structure, moisture issues, drains, sump pump.

  • Structures: decks/porches.

  • Bonus!: how to find the right contractor, basic tools that won’t break the budget.

There will be time for Q&A during class.

  • Prerequisites: None. No Experience Required.

  • Class Capacity: 16 maximum, 6 minimum

  • Materials Provided?: Yes

  • Age Limit: All Ages (guardian required if under 18)

  • Partner Ticket Available?: No

  • Available for a Private Class?: Yes (info)

  • Clothing/Equipment Requirements?: None

About the Teachers

David Cooke has taught home repair classes for thirteen years. He’s written articles on home repair and improvement for a local magazine and appeared weekly on a television program in Boston as the "Resident Home Repair Guy" for two years. David ran his own home repair and improvement business for most of the last 30 years. Dave also plays in a band, was a comedian, and is a retired judge / attorney.

Tim Lubbert’s career for the last 2 decades has centered on quality assurance of single-family to large multi-family construction and development projects. Tim’s job on behalf of owners, builders, and/or insurers is to guarantee that the building “envelope” has been constructed according to plans and specifications and that in particular, every roof, wall, door, window, foundation will be resistant to moisture, whether driven by weather or sub-soil conditions. Tim is the homebuyer’s guardian angel.

What People Say about Dave’s Classes….

"David was hilarious. Also I feel much more confident."

"Incredible amount of information and practice for 3 hours without feeling overwhelming."

"Instructor was fantastic, kept the jokes coming and made the time fly by!"