It's a learning frenzy!

So it's been a while (actually forever) since we've reported on the actual progress of the workshops. I confess, posting on the blog is something I will have to train myself to do weekly because somehow it always comes up as the last thing to do on my list...

Here's a quick, no frills added update of the past month of workshops:

The first workshop we held at 153 Eaton was on floor sanding. And wow. It went SO well! Attendance was great, people were really enthusiastic about trying the two different types of sanders and we got some helpful feedback. Our floors are now sanded, but we need to clean them up a bit, stain them and then refinish them. I'm thinking future workshop, anyone?

The second weekend was not really a hands-on workshop, more of a learning experience. We had Joe Sievert come in and conduct a very basic energy audit, explaining the procedure to folks. Also what you can do to reduce your utility bills and which options are the most cost effective.

Trivia: Which energy saving technique gives you the quickest return on your investment?
a) insulating your walls
b)replacing all your old bulbs with CFLs
c)replacing windows

If you thought that replacing windows would give you the most return for your investment...WRONG. Actually, it takes more than a few decades for windows to pay for themselves. Of the three choices, b gives you the quickest bang for your buck! Although I would highly suggest insulation. Keeps your body warmer and your toes snuggly (and reduces heating bills)!

The third weekend of workshops tried a new approach: DIFFERENT subjects on different days! Subfloor replacement and window glazing. Saturday's subfloor replacement was very exciting--a woman tried using the circular saw for the first time! All were laughing while learning; it's fun to try new things and it's great to have people wanting to learn.

So far, conducting these workshops has been an amazing experience. The successes of the workshops every weekend are a constant reminder why I am doing this, why I took a semester off for it and why I am choosing to continue! The variety of workshops keeps things interesting...it's never a dull day at 153 Eaton. This weekend was workshops titled Painting Like a Pro, taught by Whitney and her father. Since I'm taking a vacation in sunny (warm!) California to visit my brother, I'll leave it up to Whitney to talk about how they went!