Welcome
Welcome to The DIY School. The Northwest’s leading provider of Building Courses and DIY Courses. Based at the National Training Centre in Stockport, Cheshire near Manchester.
The DIY School on BBC Radio and Television
You can listen to The DIY School most Thursday afternoons on BBC Radio Manchester's Becky Want show on 95.1 FM. A light hearted look at DIY as well useful tips and listner phone ins. LISTEN HERE to what Kate, one of our multi course students, said when recently on the show with us.
The DIY School also appeared on BBC Homes Live recently looking at the merits of DIY against the GSI (Get Someone In ).
About The DIY School's Construction and DIY Courses
The DIY School construction courses and DIY courses cover Plastering, Tiling, Bricklaying, Decorating, Home Maintenance and Tool Use. The courses are specifically designed to enable our students to quickly achieve high standards of work and finish. The skills covered on each course enable you to address the most common tasks that someone new to the construction industry is likely to tackle or that the DIY enthusiast will face in a home improvement or property development project as well as day to day maintenance tasks.
"Fab teaching just the right balance between information and fun. Very very good. I would recommend it to anyone"
Dave Stanier - Plastering Essentials - Jan 08
For the absolute beginner, The DIY School’s Learning Ladder courses give everybody the chance to learn the very basics of DIY, Tools Use and Essential Home and Property Maintenance. Our novice students tell of their new found independence and confidence to tackle home maintenance and improvement tasks.
The construction and project type courses that we run are:-
- Essential Plastering Courses.
- Essential Tiling Courses.
- Essential Bricklaying Courses.
- Advanced Plastering Courses.
- Advanced Tiling Courses.(Available in Mid 2008)
- Advanced Bricklaying Courses.
The DIY Courses that we run are:-
- Essential DIY Home & Property Repairs Courses.
- Beginners DIY Tool Use Courses.
No Experience Required
The DIY Essentials Courses assume that students have absolutely no previous experience. The Advanced courses follow on from the Essentials Courses enabling students to develop their new comprehensive skill set to an even more expert level.
The courses are purely practical, working with the tools and materials as soon as the course starts and for its full duration.
"Excellent. I can't explain how good it is."
Andy Wyatt - Plastering Essentials - Jan 08
Courses that pay for themselves!
One of the common comments that we hear from our past students is either how much money they have saved or how much money they are now earning from their new skills. We find that everybody who applies their new skills either commercially or in their own homes has the ability to more than recover the initial costs of their courses.
Customer Satisfaction
We see it as a testament to the quality of our courses and training that so many customers return to do 4 or even 5 of our courses becoming true friends of The DIY School.
Your Course Certificate
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Your course certificate confirms your attendance and the skills that you have covered potentially serving as a useful reminder or reference when applying for jobs.
Typical Customers
Our students come from every walk of life, with the widest range of objectives and from every corner of the UK including Aberdeen, London, Jersey, Northampton and Southampton.
- First time buyers saving money on renovation work keeping their deposit as big as possible to get on to the property leader.
- Live-alone home owners and single parents with no DIY experience needing to know how to complete simple repairs or improvements attend our courses.
- Disillusioned office workers, people facing redundancy or nervous about their job security use The DIY School courses as a foundation to start a new careers in plastering, tiling, decorating or even general handy man services.
- An insight in to a trade can make working with trades people in your home much easier.
- Established trades people such as Plumbers, Electricians and Tilers wanting to increase their range of skills in order to win bigger jobs or keep more of the money from a job attend our construction courses.
- Young people preparing themselves to apply for apprenticeships posts or interviews.
- Corporate and Government customers including The Post Office, The Prison Service, Local Authorities, Youth Groups, Local Builders and Housing Associations.
Our Facilities
The DIY School construction courses are run from our National Training Centre in Stockport, Cheshire near Manchester. This 5000sq ft facility has been carefully fitted out to ensure your training experience is rewarding and enjoyable.
You will work in your own training bay which is one of the largest in the country using good quality tools and materials. The courses are all run indoors in a warm, dry and comfortable environment. Finally, with the exception of bricklaying, you are never asked to rip down either your work or the work of the other students. You time is spent learning. If in doubt, come and pay us a visit. We are confident that you will see how we are leagues ahead of the competition!
"Great, we can do the little things that cost the most ourselves now"
Ashley and Daniel Greenwood - Home Maintenance - Jan 08.
Trainers and course structure
Our courses are run and designed by a combination of time served tradesmen, property developers & professinal trainers. With an understanding of our student’s starting points and typical objectives 
we have been able to develop teaching methods and exercises that enable the beginner to learn quickly and to a high standard with methods that are easily remembered and re-applied even when not used for some time after the initial course.
The course structures are flexible allowing support for the slower student without impeding the faster student ensuring that every student starts each day at the same point.
Employment and Project Advice
Throughout the course you will be able to ask our trainers questions about the trade that you are considering pursuing or about projects that you have in mind. Advice on estimating & quoting is available as well as our experiences with various tools and materials that you may be considering using or buying.
How to book.
You can book on line using credit card or e-cheques. Go the course page, the course dates and on line booking can be found there.
Call us on 0161 477 4270 and we can take your credit or debit card booking over the phone.
Call in to The National Training Centre where we can accept Cash, Cheque or Cards.
Print off a booking form and send a cheque to us.
More customer feedback
Very good. I couldn't even spell DIY this morning. Now I know what is in a tool box and why!
Simon Bate - DIY Tool Use - April 08
Basic enough but comprehensive enough. Alot learned in 6 hours. Should be taught in schools!
Sybil Leeman and her teenage son - DIY Tool Use - April 08
Very Usefull and valuable course from beginners.
Alison Vasey - DIY Tool Use - April 08
Really good intro and demystifies the basics.
Anon - DIY Tool Use - April 08
You walk in having no idea and leave saying " I will be able to do that now"
Richard Leeman - DIY Tool Use - April 08
Good Instruction
Kendon Macdonald - DIY Tool Use - April 08
Excellent.
Warren Fields - Advanced Bricklaying Course - Mar 08
Super. Made me confident in brickwork
Peter Gaines - Advanced Bricklaying Course - Mar 08
A very challenging course but immensely rewarding.
Terry Wiggins - Essential Plastering Course - Mar 08
The course is intensive but in a fun and relaxed atmosphere
Terry Hill - Essential Plastering Course - Mar 08
Very Good
Imran Ghani - Essential Plastering Course - Feb 08
Brillinat. Would use & recommend to all.
Martin Hulme - Essential Plastering Course - Feb 08
Very Enjoyable. Very Informative
Neil Rankine - Essential Plastering Course - Feb 08
Excellent! Throughly enjoyed & will recommend to anyone interested in doing a course.
Trevor Marchington- Essential Plastering Course - Feb 08
Thoroughly enjoyable learning. Want to do more. Amazed how much content in the couse.
Jude Neli - Essential Decorating Course - Mar 08
Good fun, informative and very easily absorbed training.
Rachel Lakeland-Fox - Essential Decorating Course - Mar 08
First Class. Coming Back for the tiling course.
Howard Lockwood - Essential Decorating Course - Mar 08
Good fun.
Sue Ryder - Essential Decorating Course - Mar 08
All the essentials in a relaxed atmosphere.
Gill Davidson - Essential Decorating Course - Feb 08
Lots to do. Well organised and worked out
Paul Doherty - Essential Decorating Course - Feb 08
Very informative, taught the basics required to create a professional job. -
Andy Warner- Essential Tiling Course - Feb 08
Totally relevant to my need - property renovation. Course content and delivery were spot on. -
Colin Ardron- Essential Tiling Course - Feb 08
I feel more independent now -
Donna Rees- DIY Home Maintenance - Feb 08
Good atmosphere, easy going, very informative. -
Pete Davies- Essential Bricklaying Course - Feb 08
Suprised at the quality of my work after 4 days -
Anon- Essential Bricklaying Course - Feb 08
Started as a novice, ended up a professional! -
Mark Husband- Essential Plastering Course - Feb 08
Excellent course, superb trainer. Would recommend to anyone. -
Stephen Lyth - Essential Plastering Course - Feb 08
Excellent, learned how to plaster and be confident doing it -
Anon - Essential Plastering Course - Feb 08
Couldn't believe how good you get in such a short length of time -
Jonathan Mills - Essential Plastering Course - Feb 08
Excellent 4 days of Training -
Gwyn Owens - Essential Plastering Course - Feb 08
"A brilliant mother and daughter experience. Both Emma ( 12 years old ) and I thoroughly enjoyed the learning curve"
Dee and Emma Hamilton - Tiling Course - Oct 07.
"Best learning experience I have had in years"
Zeeshan Jameel - Tiling Course - Oct 07.
"Worth every penny. Demystifies trade skills"
Phil Elsey- Essential Bricklaying Course - Nov 07.
"Very useful and great fun too. Could hardly believe how the time flew by"
Vivien Walsh - Home Maintenance Course - Dec 07.
"Great, really enjoyed it"
Kate Threadgold - Advanced Plastering Course - Jan 08.
"Here are some pictures of my first paid tiling job."
Paul Pearson - Tiling Course - Dec 07