NASHUA — When Nick Peck opened the newspaper over his coffee one mid-December morning, he landed on a story that would drive him to the first act of volunteerism in his 64 years.

“I saw they had a need and I believe in what they're doing,” he said. “It must've struck a bell with me.”

The article reported that MakeIt Labs — a do-it-yourself haven for geeks and techies of all stripes, set in a train yard on the Merrimack River in Nashua's Crown Hill — had been closed by the city for failure to get permits and several code violations.

Peck worked nights and weekends, on top of his full-time job, over the entire two months it took for the MakeIt Labs to reopen this week.

MakeIt labs had opened six months before, offering 8,000 square feet of industrial space to anyone who paid the $40 a month membership fee. Not only would a member get access to space of his own, he could also use many of the tools and machines that belonged to the rest of the membership. Among the fun were glassworks, auto mechanics, welding, soldering, and computer hacking.

Anything a member wanted to bring to the table was more than welcome.

When Peck read about MakeIt and how they'd been shut down, this master plumber and master electrician knew he couldn't sit by as all that ground to a halt. And he had something the space needed.

“I don't know the reason why I went there,” he said, “and I couldn't tell you today why I went there, but I went there. But something struck me, and I believe in what they're doing.”

This week the space reopened after a two-month hiatus, a time of constant effort by a handful of volunteers and a host of supporters of the space eager to see it bustling anew.

“There's isn't anything you can't do for yourself if you want to do it,” said Peck. “I've done it all my life.”

This credo is why he supports MakeIt Labs, a place he sees it as an embodiment of the America that was, the America of rugged entrepreneurship and self-reliance.

He calls MakeIt Labs a think tank: “When you get that pool of brains together and you have an idea, that's how problems get solved,” he said.

There's also something to be said for the collective use of tools:

“You don't have a welder at home or you don't have a grinder at home or some of the other equipment you won't have at home, but you get the idea in your head that you want to do — now you can join MakeIt Labs and do these things.”

Adam Shrey is one of the key members at the lab. An electrical engineer by trade, Shrey said Peck “is a member for life as far as I'm concerned.”

In a way the closure seems to have been a blessing in disguise — it forced the members to address a host of issues they knew needed to be done regardless, but would've happened over a too-long period.

An estimated $7,000 was spent on the various work done at the lab that brought it the point where it would pass the four inspections required to get a certificate of occupancy from the city. It's a paltry sum considering the thousands of hours that went into the effort, in addition to the materials used, many of which were donated.

Among the work done were electrical upgrades, four exit signs and six emergency lights installed, painting, and additions to the ventilation system. They also installed concrete and metal tops to tables with power tools to make them less vulnerable to sparks, hung drywall, repaired windows, and built a brick wall to surround glass kilns.

But the largest project was building a handicap accessible bathroom. The bathroom, required by the American Disabilities Act, cost so little to construct because many of the building materials and all of the labor were free.

Peck approached his old plumbing supplies distributor Redlon and Johnson for help. The company donated several of the materials for the bathroom, including the sink and toilet.

Shrey said from the time the space was forced to close, the city, as well as the Greater Nashua Chamber of Commerce, helped the space get back on its feet.

“They helped expedite things a lot, and the city was good about getting here within a day or two if we requested an inspection or their advice on what they would want done in certain areas.”

A reopening party will be held at MakeIt Labs on Feb. 18 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 29 Crown St. in Nashua. Open houses are every Monday and Thursday from 6-9 in the evening. Information is available at makeitlabs.com.

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