Home Improvement Workshops

The Dauphin Co-op Building Division partnered with Dauphin Neighbourhood Renewal for a series of Free Home Improvement Workshops with the goal of giving homeowners and tenants the skills to complete small projects to repair or update their homes on their own – saving them money.

Within a few weeks of promoting these workshops - the registration was full and we had a waiting list. Some people in the community offered up their spaces if they were unable to attend at the last minute, by posting it on 'Dauphin Talk', a community Facebook Group. It was great to see the community taking it upon themselves to take care that the spaces were utilized.

These workshops were a great fit with our Building Division and our commitment to the community. We have a good relationship with the Dauphin Regional Comprehensive Secondary School and they have been very gracious to let us use the high school as our venue for the workshops. Vocational teacher, Don Sheldon, carpentry, along with MVSD employees - plumber, Josh Hockridge and electrician, Joseph Schwitzer volunteered to lead the workshops and lend their expertise to the groups in attendance.

We have partnered with the high school for a few years by providing the lumber and material for the carpentry students to build sheds, ice shacks, dog houses, etc. We then sell the sheds and ice shacks and provide a $1,000 scholarship to the graduating carpentry students.

The response was so great we are planning ahead to offer more workshops in the future. Below is a list of the workshops:

• March 1 - Basic framing, hanging drywall, drywall repair, subfloor
• March 8 - Basic plumbing, electrical, hanging a door
• March 15 - Basic deck