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The female tradesperson paving the way for women in DIY
A shift is taking place in the traditionally male-dominated world of building and construction, albeit slowly.
Meet Caroline Henn, a multi-skilled tradesperson who is equally at home with plumbing, plastering and carpentry.
Henn has industry accreditations and is keen to pass on her experiences to the next generation of tradespeople through her all-female tradespeople enterprise Practical Women.
At the age of 25, she bought her own home but was not blessed with deep pockets to carry out some essential home improvements – so she taught it herself.
“That experience, followed by ten years of farming pigs on a run-down smallholding in west Wales, gave me a great grounding in practical skills to start my enterprise,” said Henn.
Caroline Henn’s vision is to inspire more women and girls to take up trades
A recent survey pointed out that female representation in branches of construction such as tiling, bricklaying and roofing fell below one per cent. But the survey also found out that the demand for female tradespeople has increased significantly. Caroline’s busy schedule echoes this trend.
Practical Women consists of some quintet of skilled tradeswomen alongside Caroline: Caragh on flooring; Claire on bathroom fitting; Sarah on plumbing; Harriet on electrics and Catherine, the newest member.
Their portfolio boasts of bespoke kitchens, bathrooms, decking and plastering. Currently the team is booked until late summer, especially for larger projects, but they always have time for smaller undertakings.
Henn’s vision to inspire more women and girls to take up trades or simply to learn some valuable DIY skills gave way to the skills school BePractical in Brislington.
According to Caroline, the evening DIY clubs are are “fun, relaxed and collaborative”. The attendees can bring their own DIY issues and the class works through solutions, teaching the basic theory on the job.
Caroline Henn runs evening DIY clubs which are “fun, relaxed and collaborative”
Speaking on BePractical, Caroline said: “I have been working as a tradeperson in homes in Bristol for years, and have spoken to lots of people who wish they could DIY, but lacked confidence to give it a go.
“I’ve also met many people, particularly women, who have had bad experiences at the hands of unscrupulous tradesmen. Part of what bePractical-DIY wants to do is to improve people’s knowledge of all things practical, so that they feel empowered to challenge when they realise that things are not as they should be.”
The classes are not exclusively for women, but majority of the attendees are women due to its all-female core. All skill levels are welcome where the only prerequisite is the desire to learn.
Caroline concluded: “These days, being able to carry out simple repairs at home yourself, can be a way of saving money.
“The knowledge and skills you gain for yourself, could mean that you can find and address issues in the home, before they turn into large scale expensive repairs.”
For DIY courses at BePractical, visit their website
All photos: Practical Women
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