Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
HEARTWOOD SCHOOL FOR THE HOMEBUILDING CRAFTS
build yourself a house in the berkshire hills
WASHINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS
I wanted to show my kids that a dream can come true…. Also, I was get-
ting a divorce and pounding nails got the frustration out.
—Jennifer Lee, participant in a Heartwood School workshop
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According to Will and Michele Beemer, owners of the Heartwood School, building your
own home can feed your soul, empower your hands, train your eye, and allow you to live more
honestly with the planet. Plus, savings in the old pocketbook doesn't hurt either. The Beemers
estimate that people who build their own homes pay a mere 40 percent of what they'd pay for
a commercially built house. Even those who don't actually pound the nails but act as their own
contractor can save as much as 20 percent.
“Who wants to settle for somebody else's prestamped plans?” Michele asks. “Building
your own home makes it more affordable and more interesting.”
Heartwood, which opened in 1978 and offers classes from summer through fall, is one
of a handful of schools in the United States that teach laypeople (plus the odd architect or
contractor) the skills they need to build their own homes. Although Heartwood's mainstay is
the two-week homebuilding course, they also offer shorter seminars on such topics as timber
framing, cabinetmaking, scribing, compound joining, and the fundamentals of woodworking.
A current favorite is “Carpentry for Women,” which encourages self-sufficiency in home re-
pair and remodeling. Classes average ten people, so there's lots of opportunity for personal
attention.
More than 3,000 people have completed the Heartwood homebuilding program or shorter
seminars. Students have ranged in age from 12 to 72, divided equally among men and women,
and have traveled from as far away as Scotland, Hawaii, and Japan to take a course. The ma-
jority have little or no construction experience. Just so you know, once you have the know-
how doesn't mean you'll have a house right away…it takes anywere from two to five years to
build your new residence, depending on the time and help you have.
