I've wrestled with this exact issue myself. Initially, I went all-in on a proprietary system because it seemed simpler and more user-friendly. But whe...

Graph paper definitely has its place, but I found that even marking things out with cardboard or scrap wood sometimes didn't fully capture the feel of...

I can definitely relate to the vinegar routine—been there myself for years. I considered a softener system too, but honestly, the upfront cost and ong...

I can definitely relate to your experience with matte black fixtures. I considered them briefly myself, but after reading endless reviews about finger...

Good call on letting lumber acclimate indoors—I learned that trick after a similar maple disaster. Blocking definitely helps too, though sometimes I w...

Interesting you mention that—I had a similar experience with Toto fixtures in my own bathroom remodel a couple years back. I went with Toto because I'...

I've found that sharing a simplified "view-only" link to a Google Sheet can work pretty well. I usually set up a separate tab that's stripped down to ...

I totally get what you're saying about the bricks. A few years ago, I was renovating my kitchen on a pretty tight budget and found these reclaimed woo...

Had a similar experience when we refinanced last year. We put in hardwood floors and updated the bathrooms, thinking it'd make a noticeable difference...

I've definitely noticed the same thing with the brad nailer leaving slightly bigger holes. One trick I've found helpful is to experiment with nail gau...