Teaching My Boys & Learning Myself

[A.J.]

Hey everyone. My name is AJ. I have been designing and building websites for about 20 years. My wife and I have 4 sons, and just welcomed our daughter into the world in July. I have been trying to tell the older 2 boys (13 & 12) for a while now that I doubt my line of work will be around - or at the very least, unaffected - when they are looking for a career. Every time a contractor or a plumber or an electrician comes by, I tell them:

"Watch what he does, and I'll show you his invoice when he's done!"

They are still too young to understand $20/hr versus $300/hr aside from the fact that one is bigger. Eventually they'll be able to do the math on the time you save making $600 at $20/hr compared to $300/hr. I had a crazy thought the other day... and it was this: what better way to teach them how to get their hands dirty, than to find a large project (such as a home rehab) that we can work on together? Both my Dad and father in law (who I have a great relationship with) have built homes at one point in their lives, so I will have some guidance - but I have no misconceptions about buying a home and working on rehabbing it with my boys. I don't think this will be "easy money" or something we "do in our free time." I am ready to make the time commitment required, and I know it will be good for them. At the end of the day, I would like to sell said project for some profit and share that with them, to really whet their appetite for hard skills.

I would love to hear any advice, feedback or warnings you all have. And guidance would be extremely appreciated. Thanks!

-AJ

 

[samjg1]

I'm not a builder nor have ever done a home rehab, so I can't give advice there. However I've raised 3 kids (adult now), and can tell you that at 12 and 13, they can quickly lose interest in things, so be prepared to continue the rehab without their help if necessary.
Maybe it would be better to start with a smaller project, such as building a doghouse or a shed, or remodeling a bathroom or kitchen (although those two can be pretty complex). At least you'll be able to see if they or one of them express an interest.