Shelter Institute

The course, the people, the experience.. everything was amazing! I’m very happy to have taken this class. I’m a three year Carpenter and these two courses deeply enhanced my knowledge on the trade. The biggest takeaway, for me, was the message of the course. Working with joy is the easiest method of learning. Thank you to everyone at Shelter Institute! The only point of improvement I would suggest: the two week design build has lots of students for one teacher. I find that to create a small havoc when there are lots of questions and not all get answered in order to progress through the lesson. An enormous thank you!

A great location, super-knowledgeable and friendly instructors and staff, and a really nice hands-on supplement to the classroom instruction (Design Build). I learned a great deal and came away with wonderful resources. Also appreciated the school’s philosophy: Think. Build. Live. Well worth the investment!

I have taken the design and build course as well as the post and beam course. the classes are very comprehensive in their approach and the teaching goes as in depth as you would like and resources are provided to help further your knowledge. There is a wonderful family atmosphere in both the store, the shop, and during the classes. I would highly recommend everyone take their classes, stop in their store, and peruse through their expansive book collection. Wonderful attention to detail, great customer service, this is the way a Maine business should be run!

I highly recommend this place if you are looking to advance your skills to the next level then this is the place. I enjoyed the live post and beam course in February 2022.

Very knowledgeable team and enjoyed the tool store and all of the valuable information they provided.

Friendly staff I give them a 10/10 and look forward to going back someday .

Great vibe and pretty store. They have plenty of tools and the staff seem very knowledgeable. Overheard 2 of them, definitely putting their customers first. Would have loved to talk to them about their courses but they were quite busy. If you work with wood or care about building sustainably, check them out. PS. If they don't have it, they'll advise you on where you could find it.

This tool store is a hidden Gem of southern Maine. They have a extensive selection of carving, sharpening and general woodworking hand tools. Their staff is exceptionally friendly and knowledgeable, specially in the area of timber framing.