Shelter customers will sometimes share with us their hesitancy to enroll in a class or tackle their dream project. "I'd love to take your class, but I don't know if I can really handle it." "Building my own home is one of my life's goals, but it seems so impossible." Though, after they've spent some time with us, they soon realize that the skills they previously imagined were out of reach are definitely within their grasp.

I thought of these kinds of conversations when I came across an article in Retrofit Magazine featuring two Shelter graduates, Colin and Deanna Crossman. The piece describes how the Crossmans transformed a 17,000-square-foot, former rest home for elderly women into a boutique bed and breakfast. The Crossmans, according to their website, met as graduate students (she in biology, he in law) and eventually spent their honeymoon taking a three-week course at Shelter. Years later, they are the proprietors of the The King's Daughters Inn. The Inn is a wonderful example of applying sustainable building principles in the restoration of an older building.

You don't have to be a carpenter, architect, plumber, or electrician to start your dream project. You just have to take a leap and begin. Our goal is to help you turn that seemingly insurmountable project into manageable parts you can complete with confidence.

If you need inspiration, check out the King's Daughters Inn the next time you're in Durham, North Carolina. I'm ready to head down south for a vacation and explore town on one of the Flying Pigeon bicycles they provide free to guests.