Brandon Neighbourhood Renewal Corp. offering do-it-yourself home repair course

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This article was published 14/12/2017 (3083 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

With 35 years of carpentry experience in his back pocket, Dennis Drummond is keen to share what he has learned with others.

“Knowledge is empowerment,” he said. “If you take on even the simplest knowledge, it empowers you to take on things.”

The Brandon Neighbourhood Renewal Corp. is currently accepting registrations for a 10-week DIY Home Repair Course Drummond is teaching through the organization.

It’s being targeted toward lower-income households, with the $50 registration fee including the purchase of a textbook on home repair basics that Drummond describes as being written in “layman’s terms.”

This program has not run for a few years, and Drummond said that he’s enthused to see the BNRC throw their support behind it, again.

“There are a lot of people out there who aren’t willing to take on repair jobs in their home because of the scare factor,” he said. “Once you become comfortable with the fact that most people, if they research a little bit and have the basic tools, can do the job.”

One example he said comes to mind was an older woman on a fixed income whose son knocked a doorknob into a wall, leaving a hole in the drywall.

It had bothered her for 15 years before she took part in the DIY Home Repair course and gained the knowledge to fix the problem.

Issues such as these might be simple to those with the knowledge base, but can appear insurmountable to those who don’t know the basics, Drummond said.

“I think a lot of people, because they’re afraid to take on any of those jobs, just leave things be,” he said. “If you leave things long enough, they can become a big problem.”

The program is open to Brandonites who own a home within the BNRC zone, whose boundaries are 24th Street to the west, Park Avenue to the south, Franklin Street to the east and the Assiniboine River to the north.

This program has been “tried and true,” BNRC Affordable Housing Programs co-ordinator Leanne Petrin said, adding that it has proven to improve people’s confidence in tackling home renovation projects.

She said it’s important that Brandonites maintain the affordable housing that the community presently has, and that programs such as these lay a foundation for things to move forward.

This renewed program’s intake is only for 10 people, and while Drummond said that he hopes to see the program continue, Petrin said that it’s something that would have to be evaluated.

In the meantime, Drummond said he encourages those who are unable to gain an open spot in this course to reach out and learn things on their own, through online or literary sources.

While he said there’s a time and place for contractors, Drummond said that he also recognizes how expensive hiring them can be, and with tools available for rent through companies in Brandon, doing things on one’s own has become more affordable.

“Any time that you can do something yourself, there’s self-gratification for that person,” he said. “Plus, they’ve saved money.”

The 10-week program is open to those with a household income of no greater than $53,441 if the household includes no children or dependents, or $71,255 if the household includes children or dependants. Registrations are being accepted through the bnrc.ca website and by calling 204-729-2496.

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