The fix is in: DIY home repair classes

'My name is Hanna," the young woman announced in front of her peers, "and I'm really excited about toilets."

Thankfully, Hanna Brandt was not 'fessing up at a Latrine Lovers Anonymous meeting, but rather explaining why she was attending a three-part class on home repairs for women. Brandt and others who expressed an ardor for learning about commodes would have to wait another week, as Session one covered sinks and faucets.

The St. Paul Community Education class, which includes electrical basics, had been sold out for weeks, reflecting an increasing interest in do-it-yourself lessons. Classes providing hands-on how-to advice on windows, drywall, tiling, stucco repair, reupholstering and especially plumbing and electricity are on the rise, officials say.

They're particularly popular in the two core cities and inner-ring suburbs such as Robbinsdale, where older homes and a tough economy -- not to mention having to pay 100 bucks just to get a repairman to show up -- have provided a perfect storm of incentive. Another factor: Flagging home sales -- down 4.3 percent in August from the same period last year, according to the Minneapolis Area Association of Realtors -- mean homeowners are hanging onto what they have.

"We're seeing a lot more interest in that type of class at South High School, which would indicate that people in that area are not selling their homes, but are staying and fixing them up," said Colleen Sanders, manager of Minneapolis' Adult Enrichment program, echoing a scenario heard from several community-education officials. "We haven't seen that on the North Side, because people are just trying to hang onto their houses there."

Besides the home repair for women class, St. Paul's Amy Moser said lessons in drywall and window refinishing were increasingly popular, and a roofing class sold out last spring. Robbinsdale's Donna Comer reported that along with electrical and plumbing sessions, a floor-to-wall tile class, basic car maintenance ("mostly so you know if you take your car in, you're not going to get taken") and sewing are proving popular. In Minneapolis, reupholstery is especially hot, community-ed coordinator Jean Dutcher noted.

Perhaps the most coveted class in many communities also reflects the state of the economy. "Bicycle repair filled up in a heartbeat," Moser said.

In some more affluent or newer suburbs, however, there's little interest in these topics. The community-education programs in Minnetonka, Lakeville and South Washington/Woodbury offer up plenty of yoga, pottery and ballroom-dancing lessons, but nary a fix-it-oriented class. Edina has one two-part home-repair class in November.

And in some suburbs there's slight interest, but by and large just a different mind-set around community ed.

"You'd think people would want to learn more about recession-proofing, but we just had to cancel a class called 'Confront Your Credit Score,'" said Betsy Hedding, adult-programs coordinator for Hopkins Community Education. "People still want to take art and fitness and yoga. We have found that people here come to community education because they want to have fun."

Taking direction

Try telling that to the 15 women of all ages at the home repairs class in St. Paul -- who actually were having some fun while learning. "We're women. We actually read the directions," quipped Lari Anne Mazzitello in midsession.

Not only were the students raptly attentive, but instructor Paul Schwartz was as engaging as he was informative. Clipping along at just the right pace, the burly Schwartz worked his way through everything from whether to put the rubber washer or the paper washer on first, to the pros and cons of plastic pipes, to what prevents sewer gas from coming up your pipes.

His presentation covered a slew of shopping tips, including which types of pliers to buy (and which to avoid), why getting touchy-feely is important when purchasing a faucet and when having "that Ginsu knife you bought at the fair" can come in handy. Perhaps the sagest advice of all: "When you go to the hardware store, get the old codger, not the high-school kid."

Not surprisingly, Nancy Straude, who said she had come looking for "basic mechanical knowledge for a first-time homeowner," left with a satisfied smile.

Mazzitello was even happier. "We're on our fifth home, and all of them have had plumbing problems, and our little handy guy who came over to fix 'em, he says, 'Ya know, 80 percent of the problems with homes is plumbing,'" she said. "The new house we bought has a lot of switched outlets, but we don't have any ceiling lights, so the fact that plumbing and electrical [classes are offered] is like a super bonus to me."

Perhaps most important, she added, "I have a little 3-year-old girl, and I want her to know that as a girl, you can do whatever you need to to repair your own home."

Bill Ward • 612-673-7643