Home Projects Learning Curve

As a hands-on homeowner for over 30 years, I've noticed that every project comes with a learning curve — and some of those curves are steep. I wanted to build a site that focuses not so much on how to do things, but on what to avoid — the pitfalls, the things you wish someone had told you first.

The final straw for me was re-roofing our house. It was a rough experience, and looking back, it came down to two things I simply didn't think to do upfront.

First — I didn't confirm they'd have a porta-potty on site. They didn't. Sure enough, they asked to use our bathroom. We really didn't want that, so right off the bat we'd insulted the workers. Not a great way to start a job you're counting on them to do well.

Second — I only speak English, and I never verified there'd be an English-speaking lead on the job at all times. The project lead's wife gave birth on day one and he was gone for the rest of the job. The two remaining workers tried their best, but there were real-time issues we had to work through and it was genuinely difficult to communicate.

That was my learning curve. On the next job, I'll have a checklist of things confirmed in writing before the project starts. This site will generate that checklist for you.

Please use it as a resource — and please share your own experiences. We can all learn together.

— Mark Myers, homeowner