FAQ

What’s the bathroom situation?

Asked first because everyone wonders and nobody asks. On Field Days: clean portable toilets, serviced by a licensed hauler, with a handwashing station. No showers, because you’re sleeping in a motel. Axe Weeks don’t open until the property has a permitted septic system with real plumbing and hot showers, and when it does, it will be described here with photographs.

Am I fit enough?

If you can do a full day of yard work and get up the next morning, yes. You’ll be on your feet, kneeling, lifting as part of a crew, and working outside in whatever the weather is. Nobody is timed and nothing is a test. Each session page lists its specific demands; Water has the most digging, Shelter has ladder and roof work.

I’ve never used a saw.

Good. Sessions marked Open assume no experience and introduce every tool from zero, including how to hold it and where your other hand goes. People who have never used a tool tend to learn it correctly. People with twenty years of bad habits are the harder students.

Do I need to bring tools?

No. Every tool and all safety equipment is supplied. Bring boots, gloves, and rain gear. The list is on getting here.

Is it safe?

It is construction work with real tools, so it is not risk-free, and you’ll sign a participant agreement that says so. What we do about it: small groups, a safety brief every morning, supplied and required protective equipment, supervised build blocks, and a rule that anyone can stop any job at any time. Sessions with higher exposure, like chainsaw work, don’t run at all until there is two-deep supervision and a specialist instructor.

Will I actually build something, or watch someone else do it?

You will build it. The instructor teaches in the morning and supervises in the afternoon. The group size is capped specifically so that every participant touches every tool.

What if I hate it?

Then you’ll have found out for $650 and a weekend, which is why Field Days exist and why they come first. The cancellation terms are published and plain. Read them before you book.

Can my wife come? My husband? My friend?

Yes. Anyone 18 or over can book, and there’s nothing on this site that assumes who you are. Couples and pairs building together are common enough that Axe Weeks have a partner rate for a second person from the same household. Both of you will be on the tools.

Can I come alone?

Most people do. You’ll be on a crew of eight to twelve within an hour of arriving.

Can I bring my kids?

No. Sessions are for adults, 18 and over, and the property isn’t set up for children during a build.

Can I bring my dog?

No. It’s an active build site with open trenches, power tools, and other people’s attention to protect.

What do I do with the skills afterward?

You build the thing on your own land. Every session ends with a take-home plan: a materials list, a sizing worksheet, and a build sequence, filled in for your property during the week. Bring your numbers. The paperwork module tells you which permits you need and who to call.

I don’t own land yet.

Then you’re early, which is cheaper than late. A session will tell you what to look for in a parcel and what each system costs to put in. A session built for exactly this, The First Year, is on the roadmap.

Is there wifi?

Don’t plan on it, and cell coverage is uneven. If you need to be reachable during the day, this will be difficult. Evenings in Sault Ste. Marie are fine.

Is this a survival course?

No. No bushcraft, no bug-out bags. This is how to install and run the ordinary systems a property needs, such as electricity, water, a dry heated building, to code where code applies. It’s closer to trade school than to the woods.

When are the dates?

There aren’t any yet. We don’t publish a date until zoning, insurance, the participant agreement, and sanitation are all confirmed for that format. The plan is on the dates page, and the waitlist hears first.