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.

Last year a unique chimney repair found its way to me. It was a small repair. A three day siding repair, turned into a two week sweat-a-thon. From there, one chimney followed by another landed on my project list. All slightly different, but presenting similar symptoms.

You will run into trades people that have a week of working time to sometimes patch an area with these muds. While there are multiple types of compounds to use, they are fairly easy to work with. The downside being you have a long dry time.

But there is a secret weapon. Something you only see experienced trades people use.

That’s ‘Hot Mud’.

Wood and moisture go hand in hand. But to much moisture can lead to mold and rot growth. This article talks about exterior materials coming in contact with water, how to think about the situation, and an affordable solution to help battle the issue.

Lap siding seems easy. But when you don’t follow the correct installation instructions, you can easily lose the value in first layer of protection to your house. This post covers a job where the fastening was the main cause of a full siding replacement.

Recap and thoughts on a recent tray ceiling drywall repair work.

A rotted corner board was pointed out by a customer. This covers the repair of the material and also the solution to prevent this issue from happening again.