Planning to build

This morning I received an e-mail from a prospective customer. They stated that they had found me as a preferred builder from an Internet plan service. I am always happy to get such e-mails and of course I responded. There are some things you need to consider though with building any project. First, it is impossible for any builder to give and accurate estimate of costs without viewing the actual site and meeting face to face with any prospective customer. By doing this it will give you a chance to see if you can work with this builder. You can see what type of truck he drives, how he dresses, what kind of personality he has. These will all become very important to you later if you hire this guy. Any changes to the plan can be gone over in detail, and you can express your expectations from him. Also, before an accurate price can be quoted a great deal of specifics need to be addressed, such as cabinetry, carpet selections, flooring, paint, fixtures... your choices can greatly affect the cost. Choice of a builder is an important one and referrals are an excellent place to start, but do your homework, find out what professional organizations your builder belongs to, and ask very specific questions, such as, when you start a project do you work on it everyday until completion? By doing this you can save yourself many headaches later on. Do your homework, select wisely, you will be glad you did.

Knives, fun to collect.

I am a bit of a collector of knives, pocket knives for the most part. After the hammer, I use my knife as much as any other tool. I like the self opening knives that open themselves with a flick of the wrist. I guess its a guy thing. I really enjoy practicing flicking my blade out and then back in with one hand. I also like to keep my knife really sharp, so I take my time in making sure it is very sharp. I, as a rule do not loan my knife to someone for fear they might hurt themselves with it. I purchased a spring assisted knife one day, but seldom carry it as I prefer others without that feature, for me the others work faster anyway. I carry knives in my truck in many different locations and almost always have one in my pocket. I also keep at least one on the bed stand and one in my wife's car for just in case. Knife's, like any other tool are hard to walk by where ever they might be sold, I guess that's good for business and the economy isn't it.

Thinking of remodelling?

If you have been thinking about remodelling for some time now and are not sure where to start or what can be done, don't feel alone. Many people look at their home and know they need to do something, but just don't know where to start.

Before you go out and hire and architect interior designer, I would consider looking for and experienced builder with a good reputation of being honest and helpful. Architects can be helpful, especially with design to make sure additions compliment the home instead of making it look like and awful after site. Your builder if any good at all should be able to tell you what options are available to compensate your needs, for a great savings to you. Unfortunately, the builder is sometimes the last person brought into the loop and really should be the first. A good builder can give many money saving suggestions for a fraction of the cost. He can also recommend a good architect to bring in when and if that is necessary. Interior designers should not be consulted in my opinion until the basic structure is complete. They can be very helpful with suggestions for trim, paint and general decor such as blinds and fixture selection. Take it slow at first and make decisions to hire based on solid recommendations from professional organizations such as Home Builders Associations and Chamber of Commerce or Better Business Bureau

Dealing with the cold

The cold of winter can be a challenge for many workers. Some, just can't bare the cold, others the cold never seems to bother. A part of that is our physical make-up, better blood circulation or something. I know that some workers just can't seem to stay warm, which for me personally is a puzzle because working in the cold has never been a problem, as a matter of fact, I find more work gets done in the cold than in the hot. But, if the cold is hard for you to tolerate, I have a few suggestions.

Try layering light weight clothes, not so many that you can't move, because if you put too much on and the clothes are too tight, and you'll cut off circulation anyway. For me, if the wind gets down my neck, that will put a chill on me quickly, so I always where a hooded jacket. Never wear more clothes than you need to stay comfortable, not hot! Too warm and you start sweating, then the wet undergarments get cold, and not too long after that, your cold. The two areas most people have trouble keeping warm are the feet and the hands. Wear a hat, most of your bodies heat exits the head, just as heat rises and leaves a building through the roof your body is no different. For the feet, I recommend wearing a good waterproofed boot along with a good pair of hunting socks should be enough, some require insulated. If your feet tend to get cold anyway, you might have to go to a boot with removable liner, if you use this option make sure to take the liner out every night and dry it completely. If one of those options do not work for you, then consider a pair of bib overalls, for me it must get below 0 degrees Fahrenheit to go to this option, just too warm! They do make an insulated pair as well, for the North Pole I believe! For the hands, a pair of jersey gloves is usually all that is required, but keep them dry. I start out the morning with the gloves and they are usually gone within an hour, they just get in the way for me. I do this: with your bare hands pick up some snow and make a snow ball, this should get your hands cold, then swing your arms quickly and hit your back, the right hand hits the left shoulder the left hand hits the right shoulder, then swing arms back out as though you are about to give someone a big hug, then repeat rapidly 6 to 10 times. This will cause blood to rush to your fingers and in a short time your hands will actually feel hot. It works for me every time, then my hands are warm the rest of the day. There are brands such as carhart that tend to be a better quality for warmth. Go out and enjoy the day, find what works best for you and use it.

Taking inventory

Each year I try to take the time to go through all my tools, write down what they are, their value and take a digital picture of each. I then store the picture on my computer but also send copies to my insurance agent for a record in case my computer should crash. By doing this it does several things. I find I bought more tools this past year than I thought I had. I realize that tools I had last year have come up missing. And, it helps me to make a list of tools that need repair, so I make a parts list so they can be ordered. Sometimes, I even find things I had forgotten I even had. This also gives me the opportunity to clean up and rearrange my tool shed to be more organized and easier to get to. As I go through each box, I inspect each tool, clean it and the case it is in, then make sure it actually runs. By doing this, I often find broken tools that employees did not report as broken. It really irks me when I get a tool out to use and find it broken and unusable. I usually find things such as drill bits, router bits, wrenches, and screw drivers stowed away in boxes that they don't belong in. This job usually takes a couple of days work before I am pleased with the organization and then maybe a day to repair tools. I usually do most of my tool repair myself for two reasons, one I like to do it and two it saves me money. Make it a habit to do this on a regular basis and you will save yourself time in the long run.

The things I dread the most.

Not my office! Thank heavens!

I really enjoy going to work everyday. I like being busy. I like making money and I really enjoy working with my hands. It is very rewarding to take a project from start to finish, and I enjoy the challenges that each day brings. When all is said and done, I enjoy what I do, my wife says I work too much, and I do admit, I am a work-aholic.

There are two or more times a day that I really dread. The first one takes place every morning. I have to get out tools, cords, sawhorses, saws, ladders, sometimes scaffolding...I really dread that! I think it is because its not fun work. Everything is heavy, I am raring to go and I just don't like to be slowed down by it. As you might expect the other time of day I really dread is at the end of the day, time to pick up and clean up. The same thing applies here, but usually by this time I am worn out physically, hungry and ready to go home.

I could avoid these dreadful times of day by simply leaving everything lay at the end of the day. Unfortunately, thievery has put an end to that. Also the liability of someone getting hurt makes that impossible as well. Cleaning up the site is something I really appreciate when it is done and I am sure my customer does as well. A clean site is so much easier to work on.

I am very particular about how things are taken care of and I force my guys to do it so I am happy! My cords have to be wrapped up just so, and each tool has its place. I dread the setting up and picking up, but I hate it when I can't find something, because it was not put back where it belongs! Have a great day!

Thankful

I have always had great interest in how things got done long ago. These men had great minds, and a powerful resolve to figure out ways to do amazing things! They worked very hard to accomplish what we can do in minutes. They developed good habits to make the work easier. For example: Making sure of measurements before making a cut that could take 1o minutes instead of 10 seconds. Making sure that cutting tools were extremely sharp, which is something we often neglect because of using power tools. Better planning, as far as finishing as much as possible while scaffolding (which often times was built by hand) was in place before taking it down. Teamwork, something we often ignore maybe because we are mad at our co-worker. They were hard workers, something hard to find today, they knew what it meant to sweat daily, but what I really admire was when the work day was done, their work was never done, as they had to work just to keep heat in their homes. They did not have running water, electricity, hot water heaters, or plush carpet to walk on! Unfortunately, many of us have become lazy today, spoiled by convenience. It is humbling to look at what it took to live back then. I will try harder to appreciate what I have and try harder to plan my work better to save time and money.

Adjusting to a new hammer.

I carried the same hammer for over 20 years until I lost it one day. I searched for that hammer everywhere I could think of. It was a 20 ounce Plumb rip hammer that I had grown very fond of. Funny how when you get used to using the same hammer for that long, you just can't get accustomed to the "feel" of a new hammer. I tried to find another hammer just like that one but they of course had come our with the new and "better" design. I picked up hammer after hammer, looking for just the right fit, but never could find one just like it. I ended up buying 4 different hammers, none of which I really liked all that much. I had given up all hope of ever finding my old friend, until one day while doing some raking in the brush of the back yard, I raked up my old hammer! It was rusty, and didn't look the greatest but the feel of that hammer in my hand was awesome. I took it in and wire brushed it for more than an hour, until the sheen came back to my old friend. I still carry that hammer, and still have 4 brand new ones waiting for the day when I might let her retire. I really doubt that ever happens.

Have you ever?

Have you ever gone shopping with your wife or girlfriend and found yourself wandering off toward the hardware department?

Have you ever went for an afternoon drive and wound up at the local lumber yard looking at tools?

Do you have a collection of tool magazines, just so you can keep up with what's new?

Can you go to a Lowe's or Home Depot and not walk through the tool department?

Do you ever go on the Internet and end up running a search for a particular tool you have been wishing you had?

Do you ever start a job and convince yourself you need to go buy this tool so the job goes easier?

Have you ever got to a job and left the very tool you thought was in the truck at home, so you went to the nearest tool store and bought another, just like the other three you have back home?

Have you ever been on a job and somebody comes in with a tool you have never saw before, uses it with such ease, and your thinking of 149 other things you could use that tool for? Then six months later you've talked yourself into buying one?

Have you ever started working on a job, struggling to get it done with the tools you have, knowing full well there are some tools out there, that if you had them, you could have been done yesterday?

Have you ever taken the time to do inventory on the tools you already have and found out that its a lot bigger job than you thought it was?

Have you ever had to buy a larger tool trailer, built all the shelves, then tried to organize it, only to find you should have gone two sizes bigger with that trailer?

Have you ever went out and bought a tool because it was 20 or 30 dollars less than the brand you really wanted only to find yourself back buying the one you wanted in the first place because, what could another one hurt?

Have you ever bought a tool or several tools, put them in your truck for safe keeping, only to find six months later you still haven't taken them out of their original store wrap?

Have you ever bought a tool you really had no use for, except that you might need that some day?

Have you ever watched one of them how to programs on television and wished you had all the tools they have in that shop? or for that matter the whole shop?

Take care of your tools

When I first started buying tools for myself, I would look for the best possible price and terms I could get. While that makes sense most of the time, tools are somewhat different and need to be looked at in a different way than just saving money for the short term. There are many good brands of tools available today, and price ranges will vary as you look at them. Some tools have established a good name as a power tool, while others have made their name as an air actuated tool. I can only speak from my experience and of course someone else may have an entirely different experience than I have.

I have learned that what makes a great tool is not necessarily how durable it is. Now wait a minute you are saying, how can that be, if it's durable it has to be good. Well, no that's not necessarily true, just because a tool is durable does not make it the best tool for the job. For example, what if the tool your trying to use is just to heavy to reach above your head to use? Or, after using the tool for a couple of hours your arms start to feel like they might fall off. That really durable tool begins to make a different impression on your mind. You must consider multiple things before purchasing a tool and then do some homework before you make your selection.
I know carpenters that swear by a particular brand and would not consider buying anything else. I have never taken that approach to purchasing tools. What works best for me after over 30 years of working with tools, is to first consider what I plan to use the tool I want to purchase to do. With all the specialty tools available today, you can bet there is tool that is made just for the purpose you have in mind. Next, is this tool only going to be used one time and then maybe never touched again? If that is the case it might be cheaper to rent a tool than to own one. The only way that might not make sense is if you are a collector of tools, in which case the more the better. I am speaking from the position that I purchase a tool to make a living with, not to show off to my next door neighbor.

I am not going to blast a particular brand of tool here, professional tools are much more expensive than homeowner brands, usually you will get what you pay for. That does not mean the cheaper tools will not do the job. It does mean, if you plan to use a tool on a regular basis and you don't want to spend time repairing tools, you might want to consider the professional grade.

My first hammer

My earliest memory of using a hammer was when I was about 10 years old. I thought pounding nails into a piece of wood was so much fun! The first hammer I ever used belonged to my dad, who is 83 years old now, that hammer was a wooden handle that was very short, it was a 13 ounce craftsman hammer my dad had purchased and used to build a house when I was about 4 years old. I can still see that hammer very clearly, and I know right where it would be if I ever wanted to see it again, as my dad keeps it safely stored in his old metal tool box. I quickly learned that driving a nail took some skill with hand eye coordination and selecting the right kind of wood made all the difference in the world. I tryed driving nails into oak boards in the barn and after bending about 20 of them I started looking for some other kind of wood to drive nails into. I found some nice pine 2x4's and began driving them full of nails. Next I would nail pieces of wood together, it was just so much fun! Well, it was until my dad discovered my masterpieces! He wasn't nearly as pleased as I was, you see the 2x4's I was using he had cut up with a purpose in mind that I was not aware of. The nails I was driving evidently were not free either. For my punishment, I was instructed to pull every nail out of the wood and straighten each one. My dad took the time to show me how to straighten the nails and also gave me an old mason jar to put them in after I got them straight. Dad said those were my nails and I could drive them but I would have to pull them back out and straighten them for future use. Well, me being me just did not enjoy trying to drive crooked nails and soon lost interest, after all the new straight nails drove much easier. I also discovered that driving nails into a big oak tree was easier yet and I didn't have to pull them back out to straighten them. That went fine until one day I left my dad's hammer lying on the ground next to the tree I had driven maybe 300 nails into! My, how I remember that day. I will say I don't have fond memories of that day, but it was the start of a long career.