A skeleton of a timber-frame garage in Brentwood, New Hampshire, made by Thomas Cordy, a Shelter Institute graduate, Thomas Cordy photo
For over 50 years, thousands of students have flocked to Shelter Institute to learn one of the most vital and least understood tasks: the art of building a home.
The family-run business has given novice craftsmen the tools they need to start, offering classes on basic carpentry, energy-efficient homebuilding and mechanical repair.
In 1974, Pat Hennin and his late wife, Patsy, co-founded the company. Their two children, Gaius and Blueberry, serve as president and vice president, respectively, while Gaius' son, Clayton Hennin, is now the marketing manager.
Clayton estimates that today shelter crews and kits have built over 500 timber-frame structures statewide, not including thousands built worldwide by alumni who took online courses.
"Our philosophy boils down to three words: Think, build, live," he said. "We believe exceptional homes emerge from thoughtful planning and a can-do attitude."
Building during the housing crisis
Enrollment waned at the turn of the century. Thanks to social media, which glorified craftsmanship, it peaked again during the pandemic.
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Mark Gallagher edits content on his laptop as the videography team shot footage of the first Shelter Institute online course in 2019. Liam Lieberman photo
Clayton believes the resurgence is due to a growing interest in alternative paths to higher education, a strong desire for hands-on and creative fulfillment, and the industry's entrepreneurial appeal.
"It couldn't have come at a better time, given our nation's need for more housing," Clayton said. "Building your home -- or even portions -- can lead to significant savings. While we don't claim a comprehensive solution to the affordable housing crisis, a basic understanding of building science empowers homeowners tremendously."
The company has dovetailed into three avenues: Shelter Courses, Shelter Tools and Shelter Design Build.
Since filming its first online course, "Purely Post and Beam," the company has seen a surge in enrollment, attracting nearly 3,000 students annually from Maine to South Africa.
"Our online platform has made a huge difference," Clayton said. "It's allowed more people to learn at a lower cost with less (time) commitment."
Reaching students at home and worldwide
After nine months of recording and three months of editing, the first online course was ready to go.
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The videography crew -- Mike Gallagher, Liam Lieberman, Heather Lieberman, Nathaniel Lieberman and Adam Hribar -- launched the project just before the COVID-19 pandemic.
"It was perfect because we couldn't hold in-person classes in 2020," Clayton said. "At first, we were relieved. Then we saw how popular the courses were -- suddenly, we were connecting with people from South America, Australia, Germany, Norway and beyond. We thought, 'Wow, we're onto something.'"
Four self-paced courses -- Purely Post and Beam, SIP Construction, Sharpening and Timber Frame Sawhorse -- are now available. They are updated annually as new learning modules are released.
Behind-the-scenes footage as the videography team works to craft the first Shelter Institute online course in 2019. Liam Lieberman photo
Liam learned about Shelter Institute from John Taylor's novel, "A Shelter Sketchbook: Natural Building Solutions," and attended in 2017, where he met Gallagher.
"We quickly became creative partners," Liam said. "Since the curriculum was pretty well established, we thought it'd be easy to film an online course. Doable? Yes. Easy? Not quite."
While core information remains timeless, professors update content to keep it fresh. Co-producers Liam and Gallagher regularly revise the digital platform to reflect such changes.
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"The design-build course covers dynamic subjects like electrical work, plumbing and zoning," Gallagher said. "It's a game of tag -- instructors update classes, then we tackle the online stuff."
Over time, the crew has refined its filming techniques.
For example, Gallagher now uses a probe lens to capture close-up footage, revealing chisel motions that still imagery couldn't achieve.
"We get to play around," Liam said. "In-person classes engage all five senses, even the scent of freshly cut wood. Capturing that on camera is tough, but it keeps us on our toes."
Demetrius Bolduc and his family lend a hand in creating a 20,000-square-foot home in Fairfield, Vermont. Demetrius Bolduc photo
A word from graduates
Many graduates have built homes, garages and maple-sugar sheds along the East Coast.
Site plans Allen Paradie developed before crafting his timber-frame home in Upstate New York after attending Shelter Institute. Allen Paradie photo
Thomas Cordy, from New Hampshire, shared his obsession with timber-frame designs.
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In 2017, he purchased a historic home in Gilford, New Hampshire, and was blown away by its craftsmanship. He wanted to learn more about how the structure was built, so he took an online course at Shelter Institute before purchasing another property in Brentwood.
"The universe must have been on my side," Cordy said. "I packed my trusty Carharts; armed with tools with names as cool as 'Slick,' I set my sights on my first project: building a 24-by-24 garage."
Through trial and error, along with what he referred to as a "healthy dose of Yankee ingenuity," Cordy transformed a truckload of eastern white pine into a garage within months -- an achievement that served as a reminder of what gets done when passion is coupled with hard work.
Chris Harvey, a New Yorker, expressed a similar sentiment. He was also impressed by the beauty of his creation.
In April 2021, Harvey drove nine hours from Naples, New York, to Woolwich to attend the Purely Post and Beam course. He knew a month later that a truckload of timbers would be delivered to his property to construct his future home.
Demetrius Bolduc works on the 10-by-12-foot roofed sugar house on his property in Vermont. The endeavor began in the winter of 2023 and wrapped up in the spring of 2024. Demetrius Bolduc photo
"I walked in with excitement in my heart but doubt in my stomach," Harvey said. "They taught the 'why' behind design and methods to raise and enclose structures. I learned a lot but left with something more valuable than knowledge: confidence."
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Harvey built his home in two years, designing a timber frame 2.5 times larger than what was taught in class.
"A timber frame is living art -- a sculpture you get to live in," said Allen Paradie, who lives in Upstate New York. After taking a Shelter Institute course, he felt inspired to order $20,000 worth of eastern white pine timber.
"Patience is required," Paradie said. "Studying the material and applying the concepts. Building my home took me a year, but I learned that all my mistakes were recoverable."
Demetrius and Kristina Bolduc, both from Maine, initially took courses online but attended again in person after pandemic restrictions were lifted.
They aimed to build a timber-frame home in Fairfield, Vermont, which they completed in August after several years. Inspired to continue, they created a shed for small-batch maple sugar production.
"Both courses, online and in-person, were phenomenal," the Bolducs said. "We were most impressed by the staff's ability to inspire confidence; their constant encouragement that our projects would succeed."
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Allen Paradie works to craft his timber-frame home in Upstate New York. The chiseling took a year but was complete by 2024. Allen Paradie photo
While Clayton didn't shy away from noting the challenges of keeping a company afloat, he highlighted how shared values has made the team more nimble, allowing them to take calculated risks.
In 2025, Shelter Institute plans to expand its in-person capacity to accommodate 210 students across seven courses in its new teaching facility -- a nearly achieved goal, with only six seats remaining.
The organization will also launch a new online post-production course and develop a guest instructor program.
"Our mission remains steadfast," Hennin said. "We are a team of doers committed to proving to everyone that they, too, can be."
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