Thomas Martinez

Most of our budget mistakes stem from difference between how we think about our homes and how our contractors do. We see our homes as … Read more

There are two problems with stairs: framing them to hold weight isn’t hard; making them feel good when walking up is. Most failed attempts at … Read more

This has likely happened more than once in your lifetime on the shop floor. A brand-new operator pulls a bar of steel into his machine … Read more

Here you are facing a steel column and a bracket that needs to be bolted on. You see the load and your mind goes numb … Read more

Drywall repair is one of those jobs most folks try to do as if it were a plastering job (i.e., fill the hole and be … Read more

The main cause of most failed DIY pours is underestimating material needs for amount of ground the pour will cover. It’s not so much about … Read more

The right amount of material and consistency is key when it comes to drywall texture. Any kind of inconsistency show up when lights come on. … Read more

Lifting mistakes is not good. It’s important to estimate weight of your steel tanks. If you have ground prepared with a solid foundation and even … Read more

In fabrication work, we know that what happens on paper doesn’t always add up. You figure weight of your base plate based off normal nominal … Read more

Imagine standing in your empty two-car garage, staring upward at the rafters: Where’s that roof going to go? How long does it need to last… … Read more

On a dusty job site it usually starts with a tape measure and a level. It also involves a lot of squinting. Because you’re looking … Read more