Low-cost home-repair courses

To attach the drywall to the wall stud, Monique Summers drilled the screws in deep, perhaps too deep on a couple, but, hey, it wasn't her house.

This was part of the practically free home repair and maintenance course the Community Development Corp. of Long Island has been teaching for about 10 years. There, in a basement room in the agency's Centereach office, mock walls, a bathtub, detached toilet and bathroom sink cabinet wait to be worked on. One night a week for eight weeks, students young and gray-haired, homeowners and renters, unclog water pipes, touch different types of nails, tile the walls and make mistakes.

"I tell them, 'It's not your house. It's a great place to play and experiment and take it step by step,'" said instructor Joanie LaFemina, who also manages homeowner services at the nonprofit group.

People take the course, then pretty up their homes afterward. Some want the know-how to make sure their contractors do the right thing. Others do it because they will be getting homes from Habitat for Humanity, which requires such courses.

There, people find love - power tools - and conquer fears - getting electrocuted while replacing light fixtures.

In the past three years, LaFemina said, she's seen a 20 percent increase in the number of people taking the course to save money. Future courses will have a green component, with lessons on energy-savers, such as insulation.

"You want to be able to do as much home maintenance in this economy as you can," said Summers of Bay Shore, who wants to be prepared for future repairs on her Habitat home in Bellport.

Maggie Williams of Brentwood has a big hole in the wall caused by her dog scratching it. In fact, it was about the size of the one in the drywall in class, so when the instructor asked for help to cut a replacement piece of wall, Williams quickly stepped forward.

"That's really easy," she said, then took the drywall square with her, mistakenly thinking that was for her to patch the hole at home. The class laughed, and LaFemina promised to give Williams drywall to take home.

"Maggie would save approximately $100 to $150 doing it herself," LaFemina said. "The challenge is getting someone willing to come to the house. Contractors often feel that type of job is too small for them."

Two years ago, Robert Nalewajk and Monica Bermudez bought an old house in Deer Park. They had been like armchair repairers, courtesy of home and garden TV programs, but no more. They've been in the tub together in class, taking turns spackling the wall corners.

Doing it themselves means they'll have more money to bankroll more repairs.

"It also allows us a little bit of freedom," said Nalewajk, a computer mapping engineer. "We can't afford to get all the work done right away. You can't always trust the contractor to get it done right."

The program started in 2001 with funding from the Roslyn Savings Bank Foundation. Then, the New York Community Bank Foundation bought the institution in 2003 and continued the funding, donating about $50,000 each year.

"You give home buyers their first home, and they're tight on the budget as it is," said Marian Conway, the foundation's executive director. "They don't know how to keep it up and make repairs that can save them money. We were concerned about that."

LaFemina said homeowners in the class have found out they've made serious mistakes in their past home repair jobs, but by the end of the course, many who were "timid" the first night feel empowered.

"I tell them if they value friendships," she joked, "they won't walk into people's homes and point out all their mistakes."

THE DETAILS

WHAT The Community Development Corp. of Long Island's Home Maintenance Training Program

WHERE|WHEN Wednesdays March 9 to April 27, May 4 to June 29 (skipping June 8) and Sept. 14 to Nov. 11 at 54 Merrick Rd., Freeport; and Thursdays March 10 to April 28, May 5 to June 30 (skipping June 9) and Sept. 15 to Nov. 3 at 2100 Middle Country Rd. in Centereach

INFO $25 to $80 materials cost; 631-471-1215 or cdcli.org/services/homeownership-center