How a week works

Arrival and departure

Monday starts at 13:00. Friday ends at 15:00. Both are set so that you can drive in and drive home without burning a vacation day on each end. Most people drive; see getting here.

Group size, and why it’s capped

Eight to ten people. The cap is not about atmosphere. It is arithmetic: every participant touches every tool, and nine people cannot all get their hands on one panel array in five days. If a session can’t give everyone the work, it’s too big.

The daily rhythm

Time	Block	What happens
7:00–7:45	Coffee and plan	What we’re doing, who’s on what, hazards for the day
8:00–12:00	Skill block	Instruction and supervised practice on the day’s core technique
12:00–13:00	Lunch	On site, cooked by the group on a rotation
13:00–17:30	Build block	The real installation. You do the work, the instructor supervises
17:30–18:30	Wash and rest
18:30–19:30	Dinner
20:00–21:30	Fire and teardown	Open Q&A, the day’s failures, tomorrow’s plan, one demo

What gets built

Every week produces a permanent installation on the property. Your tuition becomes a solar array, a water system, or a building that is still there next year. A week that produces only practice scrap wastes your money and your sense of having done something.

The five rules every session is built on:

1. Every week produces a permanent installation.
2. Every participant touches every tool.
3. Every week includes the paperwork. Permits, inspections, code sections, and cost-share programs. It is what separates a workshop from a video, and it is the part nobody else teaches.
4. Every week ends with a take-home plan. A materials list, a sizing worksheet, and a sequence for your own property, filled in for your situation during the week.
5. Nothing is taught that cannot be practiced. If the property can’t host it, it’s not on the site.

Meals

All meals are included in an Axe Week. Lunch is cooked on site by the group on a rotation; you will take a turn. Tell us about allergies and dietary restrictions when you book, not when you arrive. The nearest grocery store is not near.

Sleeping arrangements

Axe Weeks are residential: you stay on the property. The lodging is part of the buildout, and the Axe Weeks don’t open until it exists, is permitted, and has been slept in. It will be described here, with photographs, when that’s true. Until then the program runs as Field Days, and you sleep in town.

Weather

Sessions run rain or shine. Bring rain gear and expect to use it. We stop work for lightning and for unsafe wind, and a fire ban can change the plan for a session that involves a stove or a torch.

What happens if it rains for five days: the work gets resequenced. Every session has under-cover tasks, bench work, and paperwork blocks held in reserve, and they move forward while the outdoor work waits for a window. You will still build the thing. You will be wet.

Physical demands, and honest limits

This is physical work outdoors: standing most of the day, kneeling, lifting as a crew, carrying materials over uneven ground. Each session page lists its specific demands. If you can do a full day of yard work and get up the next morning, you can do this.

The property is a working rural site. Paths are unpaved, ground is uneven, and most of the build sites are not wheelchair accessible. If you have a mobility limit, a medical condition, or a concern, write to us before booking. We will tell you plainly what will and won’t work, and we’d rather lose the booking than have you find out on Monday.

Adults only, 18 and over.

Instructor ratio and the safety brief

One instructor leads each session, with a second experienced hand on site during build blocks. Sessions with higher exposure add supervision before they are offered at all.

Every week opens with a safety brief, and every morning opens with the day’s hazards. Eye, ear, and hand protection are supplied and required. Anyone can stop any job at any time for any safety reason, and nobody will argue with you about it.

A signed participant agreement is required before arrival.