Lesson 1 10 min

Welcome: AI Is Your New Apprentice

Discover how AI works as a force multiplier for tradespeople — faster bids, better troubleshooting, and more professional communication without replacing your expertise.

You’ve got years of training, a truck full of tools, and a phone full of customer texts. Now imagine an apprentice who never calls in sick, writes perfect estimates, and knows every code reference by heart.

That’s what AI does for tradespeople. And it costs less than a morning coffee.

The Real Talk About AI in the Trades

Let’s get this out of the way: AI is not coming for your job. Robots can’t crawl through attics, diagnose a flickering outlet, or figure out why that one bathroom faucet makes a weird noise. Trades require physical presence, real-time problem-solving, and years of experience that no computer can replicate.

What AI can do is handle the stuff that eats your evening: writing estimates, formatting invoices, answering customer messages, and looking up code references. The stuff that isn’t plumbing or electrical work, but that you have to do to run a business.

Think of AI as a power drill compared to a hand screwdriver. Same job, fraction of the time.

Where AI Actually Helps

Task	Without AI	With AI
Job estimate	30-60 min writing on your phone	2 min: tell AI the scope, it writes it
Material takeoff	2-4 hours reading blueprints	15 min: AI reads the plans
Customer follow-up	Forget half the time	AI drafts it, you hit send
Code lookup	Flip through the NEC book	Ask AI, get the section in 10 seconds
Invoice	End of day, on the couch	AI generates it from the job details
Review response	“Thanks” (or nothing)	AI writes a thoughtful reply in your voice

What You’ll Learn

This course gives you practical, use-today AI skills for your trade:

Estimation — Create professional bids and material takeoffs faster
Troubleshooting — Use AI to narrow down problems before the truck rolls
Code compliance — Quick NEC, IPC, and building code lookups
Customer communication — Estimates, follow-ups, and review responses that sound professional
Business operations — Scheduling, invoicing, and getting paid faster
Marketing — Get found online, get reviews, grow your business

✅ Quick Check: You’re a plumber who spends 2 hours every evening writing estimates and answering customer texts. If AI cut that to 20 minutes, what would you do with the extra 1 hour and 40 minutes? (Answer: That’s YOUR time — 10+ hours per week. Some tradespeople take on another job per day. Others go home to their family. The point isn’t just efficiency; it’s getting your life back from paperwork.)

How This Course Works

Every lesson is practical. No theory lectures. You’ll learn by seeing real prompts that real tradespeople use, for real jobs. Copy them, modify them, use them tomorrow.

Tools you’ll need: A free ChatGPT or Claude account (both work). That’s it. Every technique in this course works with free AI tools.

What to expect: 8 lessons, about 2 hours total. Each lesson has a quiz and practical exercises you can try on your next job.

Key Takeaways

AI is a force multiplier for tradespeople — it handles paperwork so you can handle pipes and wires
Trades are fundamentally AI-proof: you can’t outsource crawling under a house to a chatbot
The biggest time savings come from estimation, customer communication, and code lookups
Every technique in this course works with free tools (ChatGPT, Claude) on your phone
AI is like any tool: the person using it determines the quality of the work

Up Next

In the next lesson, you’ll learn how to use AI to create accurate job estimates and material takeoffs in minutes — the single biggest time-saver for most trades businesses.

Knowledge Check

1. A plumber uses ChatGPT to draft a customer estimate. Is the AI doing the plumbing work?

Yes — the AI knows plumbing No — the AI handles the writing; the plumber provides the expertise. AI drafts the estimate based on information the plumber gives it (scope of work, materials, hours). The plumber reviews it for accuracy before sending The AI is replacing the plumber

2. Contractors using AI estimation tools report saving 15-20 hours per week. Where does that time actually come from?

The AI works while they sleep AI automates the tedious parts: reading blueprints, counting fixtures and outlets, calculating material quantities, formatting estimates, and writing customer communications — tasks that take hours manually but minutes with AI They're doing fewer jobs

3. An electrician asks ChatGPT: 'Is a 20-amp circuit sufficient for a kitchen with a built-in oven, dishwasher, and microwave?' Should they trust the answer?

Yes — AI knows electrical codes Verify it — AI can give a good starting point with general NEC references, but the answer depends on local code amendments, existing panel capacity, wire gauge, and the specific appliance specs. The electrician's expertise is the final authority No — never use AI for code questions

Answer all questions to check

Complete the quiz above first