A real, hands-on build — timber frame, brickwork, a window, a door, a roof — a weathertight room finished in a single week, under cover. AI can't lay a block. This is a skill that's yours for life. Open to all adults (18+) — total beginners welcome. Stop saying "next week" — get stuck in.
Walk in a beginner. Walk out having built something real.
No theory, no whiteboards. You start the week on a prepared base with a pile of timber and blocks — and finish it with a weathertight garden room you built with your own two hands. The build runs under cover, indoors, so weather never stops the week.
Not a model, not a worksheet — an actual garden room. You leave with the skills, the photos, and the pride of having built it.
AI can't lay a block or hang a door. Learn it once and it's yours forever — for your own home, or as a first step into the trade.
Built for adults who always wanted to learn — whether you're starting from scratch or brushing up. Fully supervised, no experience needed.
"The lads coming up learn off YouTube and fellas who've never run a job. I want to pass on how a build really comes together — the proper way — while I still can."
Based in Co. Cavan, Ken is a blocklayer and builder by trade — 43 years of extensions, brickwork, patios, room builds and insulation behind him, and rated by homeowners with work going back over a decade. The shortcuts, the standards, the way it all fits together — taught by someone who does it for a living.
— Ken · Blocklaying · Extensions · Brickwork · Patios
"Absolutely delighted with the job Ken did for me — top class and very reasonably priced!"
"Delighted with the work — looks great. Very neat, very tidy."
"Very flexible on the site visit, and had the detailed quote ready within 48 hours."
Genuine homeowner reviews of Ken's building work.
Extensions, brickwork, patios and room builds over the years — the same hands, methods and standards you'll learn at the camp.
Garden room & patio
Modern extension
Brick raised beds
Sandstone patio
Bright garden room
Open-plan build
Landscaped garden
Build in progress
Real builds by Ken — tap any photo to enlarge.
Every stage of a real build, in the right order — and you're the one doing the work at each step. You take a prepared base to a weathertight, first-fix-ready room — frame, brick, window, door and roof — built under cover so weather never stops play. The garden room is course one — what we teach next is decided by what you tell us below. No books, no classroom: you leave with a real skill for life.
How a base is formed and set out true. You start on a prepared, cured foundation — so the whole week is spent building.
Measure, cut and raise the frame — the walls and roof structure.
Lay blocks and face it off in brick — the skill that started it all.
Form the opening, then fit and seal a real window.
Hang and trim a door that opens and closes sweet every time.
Felt, batten and finish the roof — water out, room bone dry.
How a room is prepped for first-fix wiring and plumbing — cable routes, noggins and runs. (No live electrics — that's prep, done safely.)
Set a level, free-draining patio at the door of your new room.
Time to spare? Build a brick BBQ for the garden as a bonus.
But the real thing you take home is bigger than any one build. This is more than DIY — it's the knowledge to build, a genuine grounding in working with your hands that pays off in everyday life, and for some, the spark that starts a career in the trade. You'll also leave with a Get Stuck In certificate of completion — proof you've done it — and we'll point you toward your Safe Pass, the standard card for anyone working on an Irish site.
No experience needed — just a bit of interest and a willingness to get stuck in.
Leaving a screen job for something real and hands-on — work that AI can't take off you.
Always wanted to know how it's done? Start here, from scratch, no experience needed.
Garden rooms are booming — and with Ireland's planning exemption set to rise to 45m², more can be built without planning permission. Learn to build your own properly, and know how it all goes together.
A real taste of the trade before committing to an apprenticeship or course.
We're losing skilled tradespeople faster than we're replacing them — just as Ireland needs homes more than ever. This is where it turns around: real skills passed to the next generation, so the people who'll build our future actually know how. Build something today; help build the country tomorrow.
Be part of it →Run as a one-week intensive over the holidays, or spread across evenings and Saturdays. Open to all of Ireland — first camps start in Co. Cavan, and where we go next is decided by the interest you register below.
Mon–Fri intensive over the holidays. From prepared base to weathertight build in five days.
A couple of evenings a week over a few weeks. Around school or work.
One full day a week. Steady progress without taking time off.
Power tools demand respect — so safety isn't bolted on, it's how the whole camp is run. The build runs in a controlled, under-cover space, built to keep every learner safe — and to send you home with all ten fingers and a real skill.
Low instructor-to-learner ratios, with someone experienced beside you at every step.
Safety glasses, gloves and ear defenders are worn whenever the tools are out — no exceptions.
Every power tool is demonstrated and supervised — you only pick one up once you've been shown how, safely.
Built under cover in a controlled indoor space — materials pre-cut where it matters, a tidy work area, and a qualified first-aider on site.
Public-liability insurance will be in place before the first camp, alongside experienced instructors and a clear safety plan for every session.
Every participant completes a short consent and medical form, so we know how to look after you on the day.
The camp is for adults aged 18 and over. Full public-liability insurance will be in place before any camp runs, and our risk assessments are being prepared in line with Health & Safety Authority guidance. Building work involves manual handling and tools, so a consent and assumption-of-risk form is completed by every participant before taking part.
Thirty seconds, no commitment — and once you've sent it, you'll get our email for any questions.