You could always take the approach my old man did with a know it all teenager. He put me to work on his building sites digging holes and labouring. He also gave the guys free rain to administer all and any practical jokes and mick taking they saw fit.

His view was 'if you dont get your head down and sort yourself out this is what you will be doing for the rest of your life' Also taught me that being clever and answering back to an 18 stone bricklayer can have an extremely bad repocussions!

What about finding a small classic car restoration company? Ok its not pimp my ride but he will be learning the basics and improving his CV. If he comes accross right and his labour is cheap or free the company might see him as a small asset. Bound to have more luck that way than a full on custom house?