Build

Every other skill category on this site addresses what already exists — fixing what's broken, maintaining what's running, protecting what's standing. Build is different. Build skills create the infrastructure that makes the rest of the work possible: the fence that defines the garden boundary and keeps animals in, the shed that stores the tools and the generator, the concrete pad that gives the generator somewhere stable to run, the coop that makes chickens viable, the raised beds that make consistent food production possible in any yard.

Build skills also have a storm-response dimension that's different from other categories. After a hurricane or tornado, some of the most urgent structural work is Build work done under pressure: boarding damaged window openings, bracing a compromised wall, shoring up a damaged outbuilding, clearing and re-setting a fence that's come down. These tasks require basic carpentry under conditions that are cold, wet, urgent, and often dark. The households that do them well in those conditions have practiced them in better conditions first.

The skills in this category range from Level 1 (mixing and pouring a simple concrete patch, assembling a raised bed from pre-cut lumber) to Level 2 (framing a shed, setting fence posts correctly, laying block). Every page specifies the level for each task and notes where permits are required — any permanent structure attached to the ground deserves a check with the local building department before construction begins.