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Tiny House Carpentry School for Women


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I’m excited to tell you about Hammerstone School because it’s a tiny house carpentry school for women in Trumansburg, New York. Best of all, they learn by building tiny houses hands on.

The school offers  workshops and courses including Basic Carpentry Skills 101, Tiny House Framing for Beginners, and more. Below you can see how a group of 13 women who are students at Hammerstone built a tiny house on wheels together starting with an old travel trailer.

So if you’re a woman who is in or near the area, this just seems like a great place to get around the right people and to start learning how to build tiny houses (and more). If you want to help spread the word please enjoy and re-share below. Thank you!

Tiny House Carpentry School for Women

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Images © Maria Klemperer-Johnson

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Images © Maria Klemperer-Johnson

Video: Group of Women Build a Tiny House on Wheels

Learn more:

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Alex

Alex is a contributor and editor for TinyHouseTalk.com and the always free Tiny House Newsletter. He has a passion for exploring and sharing tiny homes (from yurts and RVs to tiny cabins and cottages) and inspiring simple living stories. We invite you to send in your story and tiny home photos too so we can re-share and inspire others towards a simple life too. Thank you!
{ 36 comments… add one }
  • b stein
    February 18, 2015, 12:55 pm
    • Alex
      February 18, 2015, 1:25 pm

      Awesome!

    • Carrie Stone
      February 19, 2015, 9:53 am

      I went to the school website and did not see a course in Tiny House building. Could you send me the exact link? Thanks!

  • Sherry L. Evans
    February 18, 2015, 1:24 pm

    Tiny Houses are amazing…i am excited and planning on building them as soon as i purchase my land in Hawaii!

  • Marcy
    February 18, 2015, 1:24 pm

    I wish there was something like this out west! I don’t really know enough to start building a house, and don’t have the confidence that I could learn enough from books & video.

    • Lisa E.
      February 18, 2015, 2:09 pm

      Exactly, Marcy! I used to live in NY State and would have LOVED to have this there back then. Let’s have one of these schools in Florida and at least one more in Oregon or Washington State. Then we can go for one school in each and every state… I like this idea 😀

      • Marcy
        February 18, 2015, 8:30 pm

        I like it! We could caravan from place to place, see the country and having a tiny house party.

  • Megan
    February 18, 2015, 1:39 pm

    Oh how I wish I was near Ithaca! This sounds great…I think having it just women in some way helps with confidence…that no question is “stupid”.

    • Jill
      February 18, 2015, 6:47 pm

      I so agree with you. I went to an open house event for women in trades. All of us walked away feeling stupid. It was horrible.

  • Lisa
    February 18, 2015, 1:51 pm

    I wish I was near Ithaca quite often… even more so with this program available. Please, you builder-enabled Tiny House aficionados around the rest of the country follow this lead! (especially if you’re in the DC metro area) 😉

  • Nicole
    February 18, 2015, 1:54 pm

    Awesome! Would love to take such a class in San Diego.

  • Lisa E.
    February 18, 2015, 2:12 pm

    Absolutely! I approve of this message!!! 😀 No such thing as too many Tiny Houses! 😀 😀 😀

  • caryl
    February 18, 2015, 2:32 pm

    Any programs like this in the South?

  • Sheryl
    February 18, 2015, 2:45 pm

    Here, here!! If anyone is thinking of doing this in Utah, count me in!

  • k9jayne
    February 18, 2015, 5:32 pm

    This is a SUPER good idea! I wish I lived in the area. I suck at tools and stuff, and can’t measure properly and don’t know my fractions. But I could get a little better if I had someone to ‘babysit’ me through a project. I bet they had TON of fun too! Thanks for brining this to us Alex.

  • Cheryl
    February 18, 2015, 7:42 pm

    I have lovingly looked at tiny homes for over a year and if there is a program for the South, let me in!! I’d love to see a program that would provide the training on building a tiny home and then the students together build a home for each person. The funds would need to be upfront, but it is a smart way for us girls who are single to have our own home.

  • Priscilla
    February 18, 2015, 10:47 pm

    Im in on one in South Florida. I have the land we can use to build one and a guest house for our teacher to stay in.

  • Marjorie
    February 19, 2015, 1:43 am

    Yes! Yes! I too think this is a wonderful idea. I wish they had a tiny house women’s carpentry school in the triangle area of North Carolina.

  • Jenna
    February 19, 2015, 1:56 am

    I love the concept of a tiny house/carpentry program but why must it be a women’s school? Basic carpentry is basic carpentry, beginners are beginners. I’m not an easily offended ultra feminist but I’m a little disappointed that the only beginner’s courses I’ve found thus far are for women. Surely there are men with limited knowledge who would like to participate. What kind of prejudices would potential clients have if I said I received an education at the Hammerstone Carpentry School for Women? Why should I have to make that distinction? I would love to see a program that offers eco friendly building techniques, basic carpentry and etc. for everyone willing to put in the effort and make mistakes. I understand the need to create a safe space for women, who in general are not the majority in a field like this, I just wish the words beginner and woman were not synonymous with regard to these types of courses.

    • August 25, 2017, 8:40 am

      I hear what you are saying but the truth is that we live in a male dominated world. The male brain versus the female brain are different!. Women learn differently than men do and may need more attention for different things. Women only schools offer a different experience than co-ed ones do and some women want to just be around women while some prefer the co-ed way. In male dominated professions some women feel intimidated and may not treated as equals or suffer jokes and ridicule. There are men who do not like women in male dominated professions as they are very competitive. I would be proud to go to this school and share my talents as a builder. namaste’, rachel

      • Kathy in the Wallowas
        August 25, 2017, 7:22 pm

        I could go for either sort. I grew up in a male dominated work place (think 110 men to 2 women) so there is a difference. Once I screamed at a guy to keep his hands off my butt we did all right. That workplace is a little better these days, only 70 sexual harassment complaints the year before last. Ha!

        I don’t mind working with men but I’m just fine with swinging my fire shovel at him if he gets out of line, either. It’s a learned skill.

        Working with women only sounds nice.

    • CG
      August 26, 2017, 12:33 am

      Jenna, I teach carpentry in a technical school, and I agree with you 100%. I have both men and women in my classes, and both do equally well…IF they study, prepare before class, and practice building during the week. I love the idea of this school, however. Give me the idea of opening my own school!!! Love it! I am in Georgia, and I’m sure there is a market for it.
      One problem is that too many people want to learn everything in one weekend. That is actually not possible. You can learn a lot, but not nearly everything you really need to know. Our carpentry program is an intense program spanning more than one year, with classes 2 nights per week for over 4 hours each night. Students have the opportunity to move into our management sequence, but NO ONE may take management courses until they have passed a year of carpentry courses. You cannot effectively estimate, write contacts, draw plans, learn building codes, etc. without a working knowledge of carpentry. (I know someone will reply and tell me they have successfully done that, but I still disagree. There had to be a significant learning period, and I can guarantee there are likely things they either do not know, or had to spend years learning!!)

      Some have stated that the website for the school for women does not list a Tiny House course. That is likely correct, as the info stated the program allows the women to build a tiny house as a part of the program. Their program may be like ours…..spanning a significant period of time….such as a year. Now, if folks want to move on-site, the learning could go on every day….5 days a week, 8 hours a day. That should shorten the instructional period!! 🙂

  • Melissa
    February 20, 2015, 9:33 am

    Please I would love to attend this class if it was out west…let’s plan and travel Ladies!!!

  • Lisa
    February 21, 2015, 11:57 am

    I’ve always wanted to be more comfortable with carpentry! It would be great to learn in an all female environment. Imagine being a woman who could teach other women how to build their own affordable, tiny house! Very exciting indeed.

  • Gord.
    January 10, 2017, 7:06 pm

    I must say that this is a very one of a kind idea.I must say women also need to learn automotive, e.g.; working on their own cars to do simple things as changing oils or general maintaining of their own cars or trucks.Cause not women are equal as I’ve seen many do welding,motorcycle riding,Semi tractor driving, the list never ends.Just because they are Girls,don’t mean they can’t do the job.I love it they do the cooking house keeping but it is nice to see them do other things also.Look at the Queen Elizabeth check her out .I know it was shocking to see,but she did it.MUST SAY IF YOU WANT TO DO SOMETHING,DO IT.

  • Jody
    January 11, 2017, 1:47 am

    I love this idea! I would like to get that going here in Salt Lake City. If anyone is near or in the same area, let me know! 🙂

  • Jessica
    January 11, 2017, 9:27 am

    I would absolutely LOVE a school like this in Canada/NB!!! *Sigh*

  • ZACHARY E. MOHRMANN
    January 11, 2017, 9:46 am

    Here in Tiny House we have had the pleasure of many women builders, and I think it’s awesome… Not only that, they tend to bring that view point that most men would never see when creating and building a Tiny House project.. Those little necessity’s men some times just overlook…! Women builders are a great asset to the industry today, and I applaud them for it…!

    • Natalie
      January 12, 2017, 8:31 am

      Totally agree, but I’m a little biased hehe

  • Joyce
    January 11, 2017, 3:05 pm

    It’s great one state is willing to help women learn carpentry skills. Many other states do not have a specific program. They expect us to enroll in technical programs or colleges to be trained alongside the men and boys. Tiny House has workshops but none are in my state and my spouse may not consent to the drive for a weekend class. Perhaps the future will improve so others will offer more programs for us women wanting to learn.

    • Natalie
      January 12, 2017, 8:15 am

      I don’t think this is a state-run program, it’s just a private group in New York that started this 🙂 They are like technical classes in the sense that you have to pay for them and attend, but I think they are amazing!

  • Amy
    August 24, 2017, 4:02 pm

    Would love to know if there are any available in the VA area, close to Richmond

  • Jerie
    August 24, 2017, 8:12 pm

    Are there facilities on site or closest in Syracuse, NY ?

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