About 4 hours
The accent wall
Board-and-batten or a bold color. The cheapest way to make a room look custom.
Home projects with a coach
You can do it yourself.
We'll show you how.
A skilled tradesman comes to your home with the right tools. He shows you each step, hands you the drill and coaches you while you do the work. Around the house or in the driveway, you end the day with a finished project and a skill you keep.
- $75 an hour
- 4-hour visits
- Tools included
- For men and women
- DMV & Baltimore
We're not a handyman service. We're your coach. A handyman leaves you with a fixed faucet. We leave you knowing how to fix the next one.
How it works
Four steps from "I wish I knew how" to "I did that!"
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1
Pick your projects
Choose from the list below. Put several in one visit. Most people fit two to four small projects into four hours.
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2
Talk with us, free
A 20-minute call. Send us a few photos, and we'll confirm the job fits, plan the time and tell you which parts to buy.
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3
Get your materials
You buy the parts from our shopping list, so you get the right one the first time. We bring every tool.
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4
Do it, with a coach
He shows you a step, then you do it. He checks your work before you move on. Safety first, every time. Everyone working signs our participant agreement first.
Finish it today
Add one or two apprentices and the work goes faster. You still lead. They carry, hold, cut and clean so the whole project gets done the same day.
Start it with us, finish it yourself
Bigger job? We teach you the hard parts and get it started. You leave with a written plan for the rest and finish on your own time.
The project list
Pick what you want to learn.
We keep to the projects most homeowners actually want to do, so every visit ends with something finished. Tap a project to add it to your visit. Times are for you doing the work with coaching.
Not sure? Start with a ready-made visit.
What we don't coach
These jobs need a licensed pro or a permit. We'll gladly point you to someone we trust.
Have something that isn't on either list? Ask on the booking form. If it fits, we'll add it.
Fun upgrades
Big change. One afternoon. Your hands.
These are the projects people tell their friends about. Each one fits in a single visit, and every one of them is something you'll walk past every day and think, "I built that."
About 1 hour
Floating shelves
Find the studs, level it once, hang it right. Learn it here and you'll hang every shelf after this.
2 to 3 hours
A new backsplash
Peel-and-stick in an afternoon, or real tile over two visits. Either way, the kitchen changes.
2 to 3 hours
Ceiling fan swap
Trade the old dome light for a fan. Cooler summers, and the job that makes people say "you did that?"
About 1 hour each
Statement lighting
A new fixture over the table and a dimmer to go with it. Same wires, whole new mood.
About 1 hour each
Smart home starter
Thermostat, video doorbell and a smart lock. Know who's at the door and lower the heat from your phone.
1½ to 2 hours
The new faucet
The most-asked-for project we teach. You'll never pay someone to do it again.
2 to 3 hours
Garage wall makeover
Pegboard, rails and shelves. Every tool gets a home, and you can find the tape measure on the first try.
Car care in your driveway
Learn the car you drive every day.
Shop labor is the expensive part. A mechanic comes to your driveway with the jack stands, the sockets and the know-how, and coaches you through the job. You learn what's under the hood, and you stop guessing at what the shop tells you.
Work happens in your driveway or garage. If you rent or have an HOA, check that car repairs are allowed there. Brakes always end with a check of every bolt and a slow test drive together.
Make it a family day
Your kids are watching how you fix things.
Let them help. A child who holds the level today is a teenager who can change an outlet, and an adult who isn't afraid of a toolbox. Our tradesman starts every family visit with a safety talk and gives each child a real job for their age.
Ages 4 to 7
Little helpers
- Safety glasses on, first thing
- Sanding and brushing on paint
- Holding the tape measure
- Handing over the right tool
Ages 8 to 12
Builders
- Measuring and marking a cut
- Driving screws with a drill, hands on theirs
- Checking a shelf with the level
- Building a birdhouse or toolbox they keep
Ages 13 and up
Apprentices at home
- Running the drill and stud finder
- Swapping an outlet with a parent, breaker off
- Rolling an accent wall
- Finding the water shut-off and breaker panel
Family projects to choose from
Children work with a parent or guardian beside them the whole time. Power tools are for older kids, with an adult's hands on theirs.
Add an apprentice
Get it done today. Help a young person learn a trade.
Our apprentices are young people in training with The Carpenter's Son. Add one or two to your visit and they carry, hold, cut and clean so you can finish the whole project the same day.
You still do the learning. They get hours on a real job, next to a real tradesman, in a real home. That's how a trade gets passed on.
$50 program fee per apprentice, per visit
Apprentices are trainees in our program, not workers you hire. The program pays each apprentice a training stipend for the day.
Pricing
One flat rate. No surprises.
Your coach
$75/hour
4-hour minimum, so a visit starts at $300.
- A skilled tradesman in your home
- Every tool the job needs
- As many projects as fit in your time
- Your shopping list before the visit
- Need more time? $75 for each hour after four
Add-on
$50/apprentice
Program fee, per visit. Add one or two.
- Extra hands to finish the same day
- Funds a training stipend for a young person in the program
Before your visit
Freeconsult
A 20-minute call to plan it right.
- We confirm your projects fit
- We tell you what to buy
- You pay for materials yourself, at the store
Questions
Good questions. Straight answers.
I've never done anything like this. Is that okay?
That's who this is for. Most people book us because they've never picked up a drill, or they tried once and it went wrong. We start with safety and with why each step matters.
Will you do the work for me?
No. We show you, then you do it. That's the whole point. If one step isn't safe for a beginner, your tradesman will do that step and explain what he's doing.
Can I do more than one project in a visit?
Yes. Your four hours can hold as many projects as fit. The booking form adds up the time for you, and we'll confirm it on the call.
What if we don't finish?
You choose. Book another visit, or finish it yourself with the step-by-step plan we leave you. Adding an apprentice up front helps you finish the same day.
Who buys the materials?
You do. After the consult we send you a shopping list with exactly what to buy, so you get the right part the first time and keep the receipts in your name.
Can my kids help?
Please let them. Each child works next to a parent or guardian, and our tradesman gives them a job that's right for their age. See the family ideas above.
Where do you work on my car?
In your driveway or garage, on level ground. We bring the jack stands and tools. If you rent or have an HOA, make sure car repairs are allowed there first. Jobs that need a lift or a tire machine go to a shop.
I rent. Can I still book?
Yes, with your landlord's okay in writing for anything you change or install.
What is an apprentice, and who pays them?
Apprentices are young people in training with The Carpenter's Son. You pay a $50 program fee for each one on your visit, and the program pays them a training stipend. They help with the work and learn alongside you. They aren't your employees, and you don't pay them directly.
Where do you work?
Washington, DC, Maryland and Virginia (the DMV), plus Baltimore. Put your ZIP code on the form and we'll confirm.
Who are the tradesmen?
Experienced tradesmen and mechanics who teach with The Carpenter's Son, a faith-based trades program of Thirty Mighty Men Ministries. They train young men in the trades, and now they'll train you.
Book a free consult
Tell us what you want to learn.
Send this and we'll set up your free 20-minute call. Then you pick a time on our calendar. No payment today.
Your visit
No projects picked yet. Choose from the list, or tell us below.
- Estimated time
- Visits
- Estimate
An estimate only. We'll confirm the time on your call.