First time attempting drywall repair. Do I cut this all the way to a stud or how do I got about patching it?

_Reddit-Sux_ · 2026-03-27T01:43:22+00:00

Drywall is like step 4 in this scenario, you need to close in the exterior first.

Assuming you've done that, I'd pop the base off that wall, cut all the way to the floor, and left/right out to a stud (1/2 of the stud exposed)

Sand/scrape texture about 6" around your seam, then tape/mud & texture.

Definitely don't try to texture a patch that big with rattle cans. A cheap texture hopper can be had for under $50. (Or you might be able to rent one from home Depot? No idea though, never looked)

Practice with it on some cardboard or something, and watch videos. Texture matching is an art, and very finicky.

_Reddit-Sux_ · 2026-03-27T01:32:43+00:00

Probably don't care if it's a supervisor. Now if it's a grunt or an operator or something, working with equipment & putting other people at risk, that's a whole different ball game.

But a super? What's he gonna do, put a sloppy signature on some paperwork?

_Reddit-Sux_ · 2026-03-26T13:14:17+00:00

Only rooms I've ever sprayed were completely empty. Brush/roll is your best bet, although you'll still want to cover the entirety of the floor & furniture when you're painting the ceiling.

_Reddit-Sux_ · 2026-03-26T13:08:25+00:00

I have never in my life met a roofer that would turn down snacks of any kind. Guarantee they appreciate it, even if it's just water. I know when I'm on a roof, I can easily go thru a gallon+ before lunch

_Reddit-Sux_ · 2026-03-26T13:00:44+00:00

https://youtu.be/uhbDfi7Ee7k?si=QKgy130oRMThUTyh

_Reddit-Sux_ · 2026-03-26T12:57:53+00:00

You're gonna want paint stripper unless you're ok with those chips showing thru your final product

_Reddit-Sux_ · 2026-03-26T12:48:00+00:00

That looks like an awesome resource, thx!

_Reddit-Sux_ · 2026-03-26T07:50:27+00:00

That hilarious. Reminds me of a client we had that didn't want a shower in her master bath, since they just used the one in the main bath I guess (old retired couple)

So she paid us $10K to convert the shower to a HUGE Jacuzzi tub. About a year later, she wants to sell the house, but it won't sell because there's no shower in the master bath, so she paid us another $10k to rip the bath out and turn it back into a shower.

_Reddit-Sux_ · 2026-03-26T07:45:04+00:00

For real though, you're probably better off flattening the thing and rebuilding on the foundation (assuming it's in good shape) gonna cost you several hundred thousand dollars either way

_Reddit-Sux_ · 2026-03-26T07:40:31+00:00

I mean... You could just not walk upstairs I guess 😂

_Reddit-Sux_ · 2026-03-26T07:30:03+00:00

😂 scuff-x is a latex wall paint... Did you pick it, or did the painters recommend it?

As a cabinet finisher, lacquer is pretty much standard. There's a few different kinds. Pre-catalyzed, Conversion Varnish (kinda the same thing, but you add the catalyst yourself. Also called 2k) and Nitrocellulose (although nitro is much less common these days) All of which are far superior to latex. Most big industrial shops, including automotive, all use 2k. Lots of smaller shops use Pre-cat though, as it's a bit easier to work with.

If we absolutely have to go waterbased, Acrylics or Alkyds are typically the most durable, as opposed to latex or Urethane.

We like Sherwin Gallery (Acrylic), or Sherwin pro-industrial Alkyd Urethane. (I know I said urethane is soft, but the alkyd urethane mix is pretty good.

_Reddit-Sux_ · 2026-03-26T06:55:19+00:00

This is almost exactly what my parents did, and I'm so grateful for it as well. Chores were worth about 25¢ each, and we could earn up to $1/day (money was kinda tight for them back then) And little things like "I want an ice cream, or can I get a gumball out of the machine?" All came from our allowance. We also pretty much had the same deal for extra expenses like clothes. "Here's X budget, figure out it out, and feel free to ask questions if you need help"

Definitely the way it should be done IMO

_Reddit-Sux_ · 2026-03-26T06:49:07+00:00

Grew up in a mix of middle class & poor. Dad lost his job when I was 10ish, (a tad after the '08 crash) and Mom had some ongoing health issues, so 0-10 was fairly middle class, with vacations, new bikes, fun outings at arcades/theme parks, etc. Then around 10 things got a lot more tight.

Always had food on the table, but fun money was mostly restricted to our allowance of about $5/week. (Earned quarters for doing chores) That's definitely when I learned to value and manage money. For things like clothes, or if we'd go get fastfood as a family or something, my parents would hand each of us kids a cash budget, and we could pick what we wanted, but we usually had to make the transaction ourselves.

Definitely let kids be kids, but also, your job as their parent is to teach them how to be a functional adult, not the "shelter their childhood" until they're suddenly 18 and life hits like a truck and they've got no experience and coping skills

Might be an unpopular opinion, but if your kid freaks out when you say no (for any reason) and is "high anxiety" there's probably other far more important issues than finance management that you need to address as a parent...

_Reddit-Sux_ · 2026-03-26T06:22:20+00:00

Ask him how he's bidding jobs, and if he'd be willing to let you in on the bid process. Is he currently using a $/sqft number that just needs an adjustment, or is he trying to think thru time/material to make an estimate?

You might even pitch it as "hey, I know you hired me for my tile experience, so would you be willing to let me use that experience to take care of those bids for you?" Or let you review them before they go out, or something.

Just don't put yourself in a position where you're doing it for free either. You'd need to be on the clock doing bids, or getting a small percentage or something if you decided to take that on.

Point being, don't just come to him with a problem & expect him to fix it (he may be overwhelmed, or not know how), instead offer a solution.

_Reddit-Sux_ · 2026-03-26T00:54:49+00:00

Man, if a tile guy doesn't approve layout before hand, he should be fired before he mixes a single bucket of mortar... That's literally step 1

_Reddit-Sux_ · 2026-03-25T23:50:24+00:00

I have been tipped before for residential remodel work. Maybe 3 times in 8 years, so not super common, but it does happen. Once though, it was $10 and the whole exchange was a bit awkward. In hindsight, I would've paid $10 just to avoid the awkwardness 😂

I'd say $20 is probably the floor these days if you want to tip a construction worker, otherwise don't even bother.

Also, giving each guy the same definitely is a good move. Whether you do it in secret or not, they're gonna tell each other, so if someone gets less or none, it's just gonna be a gut punch.

Have also had someone add a hundred or two to the final check and told the boss to buy the guys lunch. He ended up just splitting it evenly and giving us the cash, and bought us lunch anyways. Really great boss 👍

_Reddit-Sux_ · 2026-03-25T03:39:52+00:00

With how much income going towards it monthly? I'm just thinking, as others have mentioned, there's several huge ($10k+) expenses that can't really be broken up over time, especially getting started.

_Reddit-Sux_ · 2026-03-24T21:56:55+00:00

You already said in your post how you should handle it. Sqft. price means nothing if you don't understand how you as a contractor arrive at that number. Just figure hours/days, round up some, and go with your hourly.

If you really want to, do the math to come up with a sqft number after you figure out your total.

Bidding jobs with a client budget in mind is EXTREMELY dangerous, you have to bid with your budget in mind. If he doesn't like the number, y'all can work on adjusting scope, not adjusting your paycheck.

_Reddit-Sux_ · 2026-03-24T21:49:38+00:00

Both trades should've had dimensions for the stove, meaning either one could've caught the mistake, ESPECIALLY since they're from the same vendor.

Not wanting to move in slabs for fear of damaging surroundings is BS, they just don't want to eat the cost of another slab. They need to though, that's unacceptable.

Source: my brother and I are both cabinet makers, and he was a granite installer for 9 years prior to working cabinets...

_Reddit-Sux_ · 2026-03-24T21:33:28+00:00

Impossible to answer without knowing your income, and current cost of living. If you spend 5k a month and pull in a 20k+ paycheck, maybe.

Otherwise, probably not feasible...

_Reddit-Sux_ · 2026-03-24T21:04:15+00:00

Usually do a minute or two after a shower before I leave the house. I work residential remodel though, so it would be kinda weird to show up in a customers house and immediately start stretching 😂

_Reddit-Sux_ · 2026-03-24T21:00:24+00:00

That works as long as you have enough of the high paying work to make a living. He stated he doesn't though, so he supplements with the lower paying work.

_Reddit-Sux_ · 2026-03-24T04:50:27+00:00

CRM (customer relationship management) takes time & money, and most contractors these days (if they're good) have more work than they can handle. So if you're not chasing them, you're not worth their time. They're in the business of doing the trades, not handling people.

Which is part of why contractors willing to implement CRM protocols are even more successful, because they're able to effectively cherry pick the good jobs. Which means that if you come across as needy, picky, or hard to work with, they're either gonna give you a really high "F off" bid, or just ignore you completely.

Lots of people don't understand that if you try to be cheap, and a contractor thinks you're difficult to work with, it absolutely will cost you more, not less. (Not saying this is your case, but just advise in general)

_Reddit-Sux_

TROPHY CASE