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Hi, and thank you for visiting Built!, LLC. My name is Carl Robbins, and I'm the owner of BUILT!, LLC. Formerly Kids Learning Carpentry, BUILT! offers projects for your child to build while learning the joys of carpentry and woodworking as a whole.

Geared towards specific age groups each project consists of pre-cut wood, fasteners (nails), a list of required tools, a blueprint to follow, and a pre-made video for your child to learn the following:

building/ design terms related to the project
learning why there is always the right tool(s) for the job
a break-down of how to assemble the project

If you're here and asking yourself questions such as "Would my kid enjoy learning carpentry?" or "Should my kid learn these skills?" let me assure you that your child will love learning the life-skill that is carpentry. Carpentry has numerous benefits such as the development of:

hand/eye coordination
perseverance
a boost to self confidence
responsibility
mathematical thinking
critical thinking
creativity
self-reliance

Also, carpentry, or simply put the skills to be handy, is truly a life-skill that kids and parents alike should have and will want to have. Think about it. Ever wanted to fix or repair something around the house? How do you repair drywall? What about building a fence, a hammock stand, or a playhouse in the backyard? What about adding some planter stands or raised garden beds outside? Want to redo the cabinets in your kitchen? Where do you even start? What tools do you need? Know how to use them? If you were never taught this skillset do you wish you had? Want to have your kids gain this knowledge?

Carpentry or any job in the trades should never be seen as a lesser alternative to college, not to mention college debt. With construction booming right now demand is high for skilled labor! However, companies are having a hard time filling positions due to the younger generation no longer being taught the trades in grade school which has resulted in a massive skills gap that affects us all. As the saying goes, "Skilled labor isn't cheap and cheap labor isn't skilled."

If there's one article to "hammer it home" for me it's this one from CBS's Sunday Morning. Titled "Help Wanted" this news story aired in October, 2017.

Such news stories can be found all over the country including right here in Raleigh, NC.

Another thing you'll find throughout the country are apprenticeship programs much like the one featured in the CBS Sunday Morning story. One such program is NCTAP located here in Raleigh. NCTAP, North Carolina Triangle Apprenticeship Program, is a four-year program with classes leading to an Associates Degree in Mechanical Engineering Technology or Automotive Systems Technology at Wake Tech Community College OR a degree in Mechatronics Engineering Technology at Vance Granville Community College. When completed, students are guaranteed a career with benefits at participating triangle employers and have zero college debt as their education is paid for.

Before you move forward with anything, you need to develop a solid foundation first. This is exactly what any skilled tradesman/ tradeswoman did when they were younger.

This is what I offer here at Built, LLC. A starting point. The basics. How to read a tape measure; how to scribe a line, and cut on the waste side; measure twice, cut once and so on.

Give your kid the opportunity to learn a true life-skill, have fun, discover the possibilities of carpentry, and the confidence to say, "Yeah! I built that!"