Home Services Companies

I’ve been working with Fine Homebuilding for about a year, and much of what I know about the building trades comes from reading the pages of our magazine and website. I’d be lying if I said I was the expert you’d turn to or the sole mind behind any of our articles in each issue. But what better way to get immersed in the trade than to get out in the field and onto a home-building job site? That’s why I took advantage of an opportunity to volunteer for the local Habitat for Humanity here in Orange County, Calif. 

Habitat

Jenna and Elizabeth Collins aren’t just sisters–they’re business partners as well, specializing in residential interior painting in Ottawa, Canada. The two opened up their own painting business, The Painter’s Daughter, and named it in tribute to what their father, a third generation painter, had passed along to them– an opportunity to learn and thrive in the painting trade.

Growing up on job sites, the two sisters noticed the industry was largely comprised of male painters. Seeing the need for more women in the industry, they decided to own and operate their business as a female only crew, leading by

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Jonathan has a warning about radon. Jerry has thoughts on basement drywall and consumables he carries in his truck. John shows us his low-carbon build and what it’s like to surf Lake Superior in February. Taylor asks how to fix a client’s vintage tile floor. Chris worries that his vapor-control layer is incomplete. Mike sends video of his client’s flooded meter socket. Keith asks for resources to

Finding, hiring, and retaining quality employees is probably the hardest topic for painting contractors. A commonly asked question is, “How do I get more painters?” The home-building industry in general is suffering from a lack of interest in the trades. This is compounded by an extremely tight labor market that has made it very difficult to find painters.

Don’t lose hope! It’s possible to develop a roster of quality painters, but there’s no magic wand—at least not one that gets instantaneous results. It’s a process.

Invest in the people you have

First, before you even begin looking for new employees,

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Patrick and Dave talk about the advantages of off-site construction and ways it can speed the building process and help solve the affordability crisis.

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Marc updates on his bedroom addition. Tony shares his memories about sawing lumber. Mark shows us his pandemic improvements. Bob asks for help with settlement around a wide opening. A Fine Homebuilding forum member wonders if multihead minisplits are a good idea. Ruarri asks if he should rebuild his stone foundation or fix it with piers.

Editor Updates:

• Jeff’s brother’s horse-trailer bar
• Andrew’s college bar
• Ian’s formwork

Synopsis: The cleanest way to fit cabinets and trim to existing elements is by scribing. Scribing is transferring the profile of one object to another with a crisp, clear line, and then removing the material right up to that line but no further. Stefan Straka, a woodworker, trim carpenter, and cabinetmaker, goes over the tools and techniques for a number of scribing projects, including baseboard and toe kicks, cabinet panel ends, and irregular surfaces.

When your straight-edged cabinets and accurately milled trim travel from the workshop to the job site, they encounter a much less precise environment. The goal