How To’s

Difficulty: Level 3 (Patience is key) Time: 2 Days (Account for shrinkage) I recently walked into a job where the homeowner had a “situation” similar to what you’d see in a nightmare renovation photo. There was a massive dip in the main level floor. In a perfect world, you’d just cut out the subfloor board

This is the “Black Belt” of drywall repairs. The California patch—or the “Butterfly Patch”—is how you fix a hole when there’s absolutely nothing behind it to screw into. No studs, no blocking, just a gaping void and a homeowner who wants it gone yesterday. I’ve seen too many people fall for the “Home Center Trap”—those

Difficulty: Level 4 (Patience Required) Time: 2–3 Days (Including Dry Time) Keywords: Mudding inside corners on drywall, best way to tape inside corner drywall, corner trowel. I learned the hard way that “less is not more” when it comes to drywall mud. Years ago, I was finishing a hallway and I wanted the cleanest, tightest

Difficulty: Level 3 (Plumbing Basics) Time: 2–4 Hours I once watched an apprentice set a shower valve flush with the back wall of the stud bay. By the time we realized it, the tub surround was already glued on. The valve was buried so deep the handle wouldn’t even snap on. Most people would have

Difficulty: Level 4 (Heavy Demo) Time: 2–3 Days Most people look at a basement bathroom and think, “I guess the tub has to stay there.” As a Journeyman, I see concrete as just another material to be moved. Yes, relocating a tub drain is a massive job, but it changes the entire flow of your