To Love The Smell Of Sawdust In The Morning
It all began innocently enough. A high school freshman could choose an elective, so “shop” sounded interesting. Back in that Southwestern town of El Paso, the first project would be making a tortilla board for your mother. Basically cutting, sanding and finishing a simple pine board into a utilitarian object.
There was something about a group of errant teenagers providing a power tool cacophony, a symphony of testosterone machismo, sawdust and friction smoke that addicted Tool Man Taylor…and me too. I was hooked.
He went on to star in the series “Home Improvement”. I took the road less traveled, and self educating in construction and design, began building custom homes.
Modern man does not appreciate the concept of reaching a consensus of thought without computers and the internet. Carpenters of yore consulted their printed libraries of “How To”, palavered with the building inspectors, caressed their St. Joseph medallions, and hoped for the best.
Fast forward to the current D.I.Y. Movement, where homeowners are considering rehabbing, upgrading, repairing and taking on building projects on their own. A noble enterprise indeed, yet fraught with uncertainty.
The neophyte googles the question “How Do You Caulk A Toilet Bowl?” A gazillion hits, none forming a consensus of opinion. Some say caulk all around for sanitary and cosmetic reasons. Others say don’t caulk at all…if your wax ring fails, you want to observe this delightful effluent so you’ll know you have a leak. Some municipalities require caulking by code; some don’t. Some folks will caulk all around and leave a small gap at the back to allow for drainage and discovery.
What’s a novice to do? None of this is an exact science. It’s a matter of reaching a consensus of opinion, with common sense holding major reign.
That’s why I’d like to write for the D.I.Y./Home Improvement industry. Too much conflicting information deters the homeowner from taking action. He’s afraid he can’t get the same results as a professional. The truth be known, he can…and better. The toilet bowl or stud wall doesn’t know it is being caulked or nailed by an amateur, and no excess of professional designations, licensure or initials after a tradesman’s name is going to make any difference in the mechanical scheme of things. The informed novice will perform as best he can, and the inanimate object will respond in like kind, communicating to the beaming beginner in no uncertain terms…”Thanks, I Needed That”.
So, it’s all about empowerment. I’ve done this by trial and error, and it’s great fun. My writing should shorten the learning curve, build consensus of action, and prove profitable for homeowner and industry provider alike.
The curse of the Renaissance Man mentality has taken me down many paths in search of knowledge in diverse venues. A copywriting stint in direct mail, brochure and postcard production was a pleasant challenge.
The goal is to write for the Home improvement/D.I.Y community, be it Biz to Biz, Big Box PR, new product web consulting, internet blog, et al.
I no longer build houses. Now it’s down to handyman type work. I get the same thrill rehabbing small repairs as I did building complete houses. The addiction, the constant search for new, better or tried and true methods never ceases. I’m like a kid in a candy store every time I peruse the aisles of the big box home improvement stores. The excitement of new knowledge on how I should have done a former project, or how I’d love to work this method on a new one is a passion I’d like to pass on to novice homeowners.
The cost savings and pride of accomplishment will stay with them forever. Better yet, they will have a newfound sense, a can-do mantra that will prod them to act, even when the battery in their smart phone dies, and they can’t pull up that inspiring app.
Just remember, before electricity, they built some mighty fine homes. A pox on your batteries. Get out the handsaw, and smell the sawdust in the morning.
