Building Base Structures—What If You Had to Start Over? Funny you mention the IKEA phase—I think we’ve all been there at some point. I used to think ...

Yeah, sand alone can be tricky. I remember a build we did a few years back on heavy clay—thought we'd nailed it with a thick sand layer underneath. Fi...

I get the appeal of bamboo—definitely looks cleaner—but I've had mixed experiences. We installed bamboo racks in a client's kitchen last year, and whi...

Funny you mention spills—I once dropped an entire cast iron skillet (full of marinara, no less) on cork flooring. Thought I'd ruined it for sure, but ...

I've seen a few clients go the mixed-material route, and honestly, it usually turns out pretty great. One homeowner I worked with did quartz around th...

I actually set up adjustable bulbs in my home office last year, thinking I'd switch between warm and cool depending on the task. Funny thing is, I mos...

I've had similar experiences with cellulose, but honestly, I think the difference depends a lot on the specific situation. A couple years back, I work...

Glad I'm not the only one who found metal roofs a bit overrated. Did a farmhouse project last year, client insisted on metal for the "rustic charm." I...

Dogwoods do look great, but honestly, I've had mixed experiences with them near roofs. Had one at my old place—branches were surprisingly brittle and ...

I've gotta admit, I used to think the same way about engineered studs being overkill... until I had this one job. We did everything right—hand-picked ...

That's a good call. A friend of mine let his neighbor use his driveway for a reno project, and next thing he knew, a concrete truck was parked halfway...

That's interesting to hear, and honestly, it lines up with what I've seen too. When my brother built his house, he was pretty set on using the builder...

Went through the custom build roller coaster a couple years ago, and yeah, it’s definitely got its moments, haha. For us, the toughest part was all th...