Doing rehab projects around the house can be difficult and overwhelming, but a new club through the Historic City of Jefferson hopes to provide a monthly educational forum for homeowners.
The group will meet at 9 a.m. every fourth Saturday of the month, starting May 25, at 601 E. High St. The hour-long meetings are free and open to the public.
The meetings will create an open forum for individuals interested in rehabilitating homes or doing other rehab projects to give and receive advice, HCJ Executive Director Anne Greene said.
They also plan to invite specialists to speak about various rehabilitation projects - anything from tiling to replacing drywall to refinishing floors.
"Some of that stuff you could hire an expert, or you can try it yourself and do a really pretty job," said Erin Clark, the volunteer lead for the JCMO Rehabbers Club. "DIY (do-it-yourself) and at-home projects are the new thing, and people are branching off and doing more and more stuff on their own, or they want to know at least the gist of it."
Since her family likes to "make ugly homes pretty," Clark said, she was excited to learn some new tips at the monthly meetings.
HCJ thought it was time for Jefferson City to have its own rehab club, especially since rehabilitation projects are growing in popularity, particularly among first-time homeowners, Green said.
The rehabilitation projects this group will discuss are not limited to restoring historic buildings, she added.
"There are plenty of individuals in Jefferson City who would like to begin a rehabilitation project but simply don't know where to begin," Green said. "Perhaps they aren't able to connect with the experts or the resources they need for a project. We aim to create a support network to help these people. We want to encourage and empower individuals in our community to take on rehab projects, especially some of our city's historic buildings."