WHAT IF YOUR CITY PAID YOU TO USE LESS WATER? Funny you mention tracking—when we built our last project, the city offered a small bonus for using d...

TRIMMING DOWN EXPENSES ON PROJECT SUPPLIES That’s a fair point about new lumber not always being perfect—had a shipment last year where half the boar...

Couldn’t agree more—venting issues have cost me more headaches (and cash) than anything else. Had a place a few years back where we did everything “by...

Had a similar setup on a project up in Minnesota—frost heave central, haha. Gravel and sand worked surprisingly well, but we had to beef up drainage b...

Couldn't agree more. I learned this the hard way when framing up a shed last summer. Bought a cheap laser thinking I'd save a few bucks, but it was pr...

Totally agree with you on this. Reminds me of when I renovated my first kitchen—went all out on a fancy faucet thinking it'd save me headaches down th...

Honestly, I've never worried about creosote in my pit either, but I did notice some sticky buildup after burning lots of pine logs last summer. Probab...

You know, I've had mixed luck with metal. Helped install a metal pergola at a friend's place a couple years back—looked sleek and modern at first, but...