I used to think my 'green' electric car was enough, but a friend pointed out I still fly to Florida every winter.

Finally got my taping mud down to a single coat on a big ceiling job

For years, I'd always do two coats of taping compound, no matter what. About six months ago, I started mixing my own mud from powder instead of using the pre-mixed buckets. I use a 20-minute hot mud for the first coat now, and it sets so hard and flat. Yesterday, I did a 12x16 foot ceiling and only needed the one coat before sanding. It saved me over three hours on that one room. Has anyone else switched to mixing their own and seen a big time save?

Warning: the new library in Springfield has a ceiling that's a total puzzle

I was in there yesterday to pick up a book for my kid and I couldn't stop looking up. The main reading room has this vaulted ceiling with these weird, shallow curved sections, not like a normal dome. It's all drywall, but the way the light hits it, you can see every single seam and screw dimple. I mean, it's a brand new building, maybe 6 months old. It looks like they tried to do a level 5 finish on a surface that's just not flat to begin with. I stood there for like 10 minutes trying to figure out how they even hung it. Has anyone else run into a design like that, where the architecture just sets the finish work up to fail? How would you even bid on it?

I think the 6.7 Powerstroke oil pan design is actually a decent setup

Just did a full reseal on a 2017 F-250 last week, the one where you have to drop the front axle. Everyone groans about it, but it took me and my apprentice 4.5 hours start to finish with a lift. The gasket kit was $120 and we had zero leaks after. It's a straightforward job if you're organized and have the right socket extensions. What's a diesel job you think gets more hate than it deserves?

Just read that 80% of a company's future profits come from 20% of its current customers, which totally flipped how I see my client list.

I found that stat in a book at the library yesterday and now I'm rethinking which cleaning clients I should focus on keeping happy for the long haul, has anyone else shifted their strategy based on something like this?

My orchid finally bloomed after I stopped watering it on a strict schedule and just checked the moss instead.

I finally gave up on my old way of cutting drawer fronts and it saved my sanity

For years, I'd cut all my drawer fronts to size first, then try to perfectly match the grain across the whole cabinet face. It was a nightmare, always leaving me with tiny gaps or mismatched patterns. Last month on a big kitchen job in Springfield, I switched to cutting them about an eighth of an inch oversized after the cabinet boxes were installed. I trim them to a perfect fit right on site with a router and a flush trim bit. The difference in the final look is unbelievable. Anyone else have a specific on-site trick that changed their finish work?

Shoutout to my local library for cutting my book budget from $40 a month to zero in about 90 days.

I used to think buying every new release was the only way to read it, but getting a library card and using their app for holds changed my whole view on entertainment spending.

A volunteer at the Denver Botanic Gardens showed me how to properly divide my overgrown hostas.

I'd been hacking at the root ball for years, but she demonstrated a clean slice with a sharp spade. Anyone have tips for dividing other perennials like daylilies?

Finally figured out why my basement felt damp even with a dehumidifier

I mean, I've been running this big unit in my Tremont house for two years, thinking it was enough. Then last week I noticed a tiny crack in the foundation wall right behind where I keep it, and water was slowly seeping in. I was just drying the air while ignoring the actual leak. Has anyone else had to patch a small foundation crack around here, and what did you use?