Couldn’t agree more. I’ve seen too many “efficient” installs that just look sad. On a recent project, the city rebate only covered basic turf removal ...

Sink Fixtures Driving Me Nuts Lately I hear you on the matte black. It looks sharp in photos, but in real life, it’s like a magnet for fingerprints...

Title: What If Your City Paid You To Use Less Water? That sounds about right—these city-issued barrels never seem quite up to the job out of the box....

TRIMMING DOWN EXPENSES ON PROJECT SUPPLIES I hear you on the cardboard—had a client’s floor get a weird imprint once after a spill, and that was enou...

I get where you’re coming from, but I’ve actually had a few projects where we didn’t go all-in on membranes or heavy-duty sealers, and things turned o...

I’ve put smart bulbs in a few new builds, and honestly, I’ve seen both sides. The flexibility is awesome for folks who want to tweak their lighting al...

SMART HOME ON A TIGHT BUDGET—IS IT DOABLE? Couldn’t agree more about lighting—smart bulbs in just the main rooms make a huge difference. I’d add that...

Douglas fir's been pretty solid for me too, especially when kiln-dried. Still, I've had a few stubborn boards twist on me—guess that's just lumber bei...

Yeah, financing can definitely get tricky with wetlands or zoning quirks. I've found that local credit unions or smaller banks tend to be more flexibl...

Excel's great for quick setups, but honestly, I've found dedicated project management software way less stressful in the long run. Spreadsheets just c...

That's pretty much the setup I've landed on too. Smart bulbs are great for everyday convenience—especially when you can just tell your phone or voice ...

Great points here, especially about bathroom renos spiraling out of control...been there myself. One thing I'd add is to consider how long you're plan...

Good call on the clumping bamboo—I've seen running bamboo take over entire yards, and it's not pretty. Another option I've used on a few projects is l...