Always dream and shoot higher than you know how to,
Don't bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors.
Try to be better than yourself.
-William Faulkner
Hi, my name is Dan. I began in the building trades in 1986, and since that time, I've had the opportunity to work with some pretty amazing people—folks who often made this work look easy. Well, it's not always easy, but I've always-always-always found it rewarding.
After years of working with contractors, and encouraged by family and friends, I took the general contractors' exam and received my own builders license. Not long ago, I found out I enjoy writing, so I decided to build a website and post what I’ve learned, not only about my successes, but also my failures, because as Oscar Wilde put it;
Experience, is simply the name we give our mistakes.
I hope this site encourages all the young men and women just entering the trades, and maybe even a few established craftsmen who are looking for something new they may not have known before. I would also like to extend a heartfelt thanks to all who have shared their knowledge with me over the decades. Many of you were 'minute' mentors, folks who gave up a few minutes of your day to share your wisdom, and in those minutes, gave me tips, tricks and insights that have lasted me a lifetime. So, I'd like to give back, if in the smallest way.
I hope you enjoy it, and I hope it helps!