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This content was published: July 18, 2019. Phone numbers, email addresses, and other information may have changed.

Do it Yourself Classes from Community Ed

PCC Community Ed

Do it yourself upholstery class

Not long ago, it was considered best to hire experts for seemingly everything. The notion was led by family members patiently observing the well-intentioned-yet-befuddled uncles, brothers, fathers, boyfriends of the world – and their fruitless efforts to solve common problems around the household. Now, that rationale is being shifted on a massive level, leading to an entire culture of doing it yourself, or DIY. People are fixing their own houses, making their own household furnishings, and more. PCC Community Ed offers a variety of DIY classes on popular topics. In some, you even get to reupholster your furniture under the watchful eye of a skilled instructor. Be sure to keep checking back, as our offerings may expand in the future.

The problem is that many people are not achieving the desired results from their DIY efforts. They go into projects with little or no advance knowledge, and when the project is complete, it shows. Fortunately, it is easy to fix this problem and improve your DIY skills. Our Do It Yourself (DIY) classes will help you to gain the competence needed to produce good results – without having to fumble through several important projects to gain the needed experience.

What is DIY?

DIY stands for “do it yourself.” It can involve construction and other building, repairing existing things, or even designing old items into new creations through some sort of remodeling or renovation. These processes all involve learning about and gaining the skills that are ordinarily held by professionals.

Most DIY projects involve household objects, like tables, benches and even bookcases. While there are endless online tutorials that show everything from crafts to large-scale DIY projects, they often gloss over the difficulties that can be encountered.

Fixing things on your own also allows you to avoid paying someone else to do it, but doing it well can involve learning a range of skills and techniques. For example, if you own a boat, it’s important to understand certain processes and procedures to maintain its life span. If it has a diesel engine, you can learn how to analyze and diagnose each supporting system of the engine to keep it in top shot. Doing it yourself keeps you from outsourcing these routine tasks to outside professionals.

The DIY Movement

The idea of DIY as a lifestyle or “movement” started in the 1950s, but it didn’t catch steam until the 60s and 70s, when a number of books and TV shows came into the mainstream. At that time, it was a recognized phenomenon, but still on the fringes. In the 90s, the Internet shifted the movement by making it easy to gain the needed information. The advent of YouTube really bolstered the DIY concept since it allowed people to watch skilled demonstrators do everything from making slime to constructing heated seats.

Learn How to DIY

Now, there are several options for picking up the skills needed to DIY a project. There are books, videos, and websites available for free or at a low cost. If you’re a hands-on learner, and need to develop more advanced skills, classroom instruction is the best option.

To get started with a PCC DIY course, check our upcoming schedule. Then register for the next available course to ensure that your next project is completed with pro-grade results!