Learn by Building

Hands-On Construction Bootcamps for Makers & Builders

Weekend workshops where you actually build things. Container homes, solar installations, tiny houses, and off-grid systems. Real tools, real materials, real skills.

6
Workshop Types
2 Days
Weekend Format
8-12
People Per Class
100%
Hands-On

YouTube Shows You How. We Let You Do It.

You've watched the videos. You've read the blogs. Now it's time to pick up a tool and build something real, with an expert standing next to you.

🔨

Real Tools, Real Materials

Not simulations. Not models. You cut real steel, wire real circuits, pour real concrete, and install real solar panels. Everything you build, you understand.

👥

Small Groups (8-12 People)

Every student gets personal instruction. No auditorium lectures. No watching someone else work. You're the one holding the tool.

📅

Weekend Format

Saturday + Sunday, 9 AM to 5 PM. Arrive Friday night. Leave Sunday with skills you didn't have on Friday. No weeks off work required.

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Take Home a Build Plan

Every workshop includes a detailed build plan, materials list, and tool guide. You leave with everything you need to do it again at home.

Weekend Bootcamps

Pick your build. All workshops are 2-day intensives held in Cedar Creek, Texas.

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Beginner
Container Home Basics
2 days • 16 hours • Max 10 students
Cut openings in a real shipping container. Frame walls, install insulation (spray foam demo), rough-in electrical, and mount a mini-split. Leave knowing exactly how to convert a container into a livable space.
Beginner
Solar Power 101
2 days • 16 hours • Max 10 students
Size a system, mount panels, wire a charge controller, connect a LiFePO4 battery bank, and install an inverter. By Sunday afternoon you'll have a working off-grid solar system you built yourself.
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Beginner
Tiny House Framing
2 days • 16 hours • Max 8 students
Frame walls, set headers, install windows, and sheath a roof. Traditional wood-frame construction at small scale. The foundation of every DIY home build.
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Intermediate
Off-Grid Water Systems
2 days • 16 hours • Max 10 students
Build a rain catchment system, install a hand pump, plumb a gravity-fed filtration setup, and wire a solar-powered well pump. Complete water independence from scratch.
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Intermediate
Podcast Studio Build
2 days • 16 hours • Max 8 students
Convert a shipping container into a professional podcast studio. Acoustic treatment, sound isolation, electrical for audio gear, and solar power. Record broadcast-quality audio in a steel box.
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Advanced
Complete Off-Grid Build
3 days • 24 hours • Max 8 students
The ultimate workshop. Build a complete solar-powered container with insulation, electrical, plumbing, mini-split HVAC, and off-grid solar — start to finish in one extended weekend.

Online Courses

Can't make it to Texas? Learn the fundamentals online, then come for the hands-on experience.

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Video Courses

HD video lessons walking through every step of each build type. Pause, rewind, rewatch. Lifetime access after purchase. New modules added monthly.

Starting at $49

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Build Plan PDFs

Detailed downloadable plans with materials lists, tool requirements, wiring diagrams, and step-by-step instructions. Print them out and build at your own pace.

$29-79 per plan

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Live Q&A Sessions

Monthly live video calls where you bring your build questions. Stuck on wiring? Confused about insulation? Get answers from an expert in real time.

Included with membership

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Builder Community

Private forum for BuilderCamp students. Share your builds, ask questions, get feedback, find building partners in your area. The most helpful building community online.

Included with membership

Learn From Someone Who's Built It

👨‍💻

Paul Walhus

Builder, Web Developer, Off-Grid Enthusiast

Paul has been building things since before the internet. From web applications at Builder Homesite International (BHI/BDX) — powering new home search for the nation's largest homebuilders — to solar-powered shipping containers on his property in Cedar Creek, Texas.

He manages a 12-unit rental property, built a 30x30 shop, installed solar systems, and runs a web development consultancy serving clients from Austin to Hot Springs, Arkansas. He teaches what he does — no theory, all practice.

BHI/BDX Veteran Property Owner/Builder Solar Installer Web Developer King of Twitter (2007)

Choose Your Path

Online Only
$19
per month
  • All video courses
  • All build plan PDFs
  • Monthly live Q&A
  • Builder community access
  • New content monthly
Start Learning
3-Day Intensive
$895
one-time + free online
  • Complete Off-Grid Build workshop
  • 24 hours of hands-on building
  • Lifetime online access FREE
  • All build plans included
  • Small group (max 8 people)
  • Meals all 3 days included
Reserve Your Spot

Leave With These Abilities

Construction Skills

  • Cut and frame openings in steel containers
  • Frame walls with wood and steel studs
  • Install spray foam and batt insulation
  • Mount windows and exterior doors
  • Install a mini-split HVAC system
  • Basic plumbing — PEX, drains, water heaters

Electrical & Solar Skills

  • Size a solar system for any building
  • Mount and wire solar panels
  • Connect charge controllers and inverters
  • Build a LiFePO4 battery bank
  • Wire a breaker panel and circuits
  • Troubleshoot and maintain off-grid systems

⚡ Part of the Builder Network

BuilderCamp is part of a family of sites for builders, off-gridders, and makers.

Ready to Build Something?

Next workshop: Coming soon. Join the waitlist and be the first to know when enrollment opens.

Join the Waitlist