Need that last minute holiday gift for that trades person you love so dearly?

Get them a wheelbarrow.

And don’t cheap out. Get the ‘never-flat’ tire models.

While most people are carrying one stick per hand, a trades person with a wheelbarrow can carry multiple sticks, in a giant bucket, on a single wheel!

Water is this weird thing that will defy gravity.

Every plumber knows, that you need 1/4” of fall over a foot, for water to shed, but do they also know that you need to break the surface tension, or else that stuff will head uphill, backwards, and cross-eyed?

They probably do.

But for carpenters, it’s an easily forgettable thing.

The past week, I had begun a complete fascia and soffit repair for Peach Roofing.

Peach Roofing will be replacing all the shingles on this project. But damage from a fallen tree limb, coupled with years of little maintenance, and various pest infestations, has caused the boxing (the term for soffit and fascia combined) to need replacing.

And the material of choice for this project is fiber-cement.

In years that followed, I have burned the motor up in the drill. The impact is still around, but is a tired machine. Replaced by newer and more powerful models, only pulled from retirement when needed.

The bit case…. The bits are either lost or stripped.

But the case is still going strong.

Depending on the floor above, you can remove one or two joist at a time. It is best to lean toward one joist, but with the hardwood floors tying the subfloor together, I am given the opportunity to remove two joist.

The removal process, involves a circular saw ripping down the length twice. This does not need to be pretty. The goal is to create a wide gap, to release pressure created between the bottom and top of the joist.

For this project, a flooring contractor had added new treads to this staircase. Where carpet use to be on the risers, were holes from the tack strip and staples. The risers were made of MDF, as well as skirt boards and other various finish pieces. The holes created from the fasteners stood out to the customer, but what was more apparent to me, was the uneven surfaces.

Because of my knowledge with painting and its accessibility to everyone, I am asked a lot of questions. I don’t want to claim that I know it all. The life of a tradesperson is always learning. But here is a list of some of the knowledge I have gathered over the years. As time goes on, I will be revisiting this to update.