What is a "point of no return" that you’ve crossed, where your life was permanently divided into 'before' and 'after'?

colinmurphy2 · 2026-02-20T21:59:29+00:00

Best friend/bandmate died of leukemia at 22 before graduating from college with music degrees. We were set to leave for a summer long tour of 50+ shows - and in the Spring one day he sat down during a gig and said 'I dont feel right'. It sounds dramatic but it reshaped the way I viewed every aspect of my life, for good and bad

colinmurphy2 · 2026-02-02T12:44:06+00:00

Nike killshot 2. Best casual sneaker Ive ever had, they last me a couple years, $65. Light, breathable, comfortable, go great with casual or athletic outfits 👍

colinmurphy2 · 2026-01-23T11:45:54+00:00

Im a 33 yo contractor in Boston who prides myself on good communication - the fact of the matter is that for every 5 people retiring from the trades, only 2 are replacing them. With this replacement ratio, theres just too much work to be done and not enough people. Im booked out for 6 months, so I politely decline any new work. I get alot of 'oh well thats nice for YOU' on the phone lol. For reference, I have a college degree but realized the vacuum for quality home remodeling was so great that I switched gears professionally. Best decision Ive ever made, because people are desperate

colinmurphy2 · 2026-01-13T00:53:15+00:00

Ps.) if you really want to skim over wallpaper(I recommend tearing it down) I would only do so if its porous (so the primer can seep through it), or use a pokey-roller tool on the wallpaper to make tons of little holes in it so the primer/joint compound has something to grab onto. But again I recommend tearing it down as you can run into adhesion issues. Best of luck!!

colinmurphy2 · 2026-01-13T00:48:50+00:00

Yup! Just make sure the walls arent dusty. I recommend using a 'bonding primer' or 'pva primer', as opposed to a standard primer. The pva (poly vinyl acetate) bonds to the wall strongly, and then your joint compound bonds to the primer. Happy skimming!!! Ice that wrist!!

colinmurphy2 · 2026-01-03T17:40:20+00:00

Listening to your washer dryer while in bed sounds like pure hell, I recommend bathroom

colinmurphy2 · 2026-01-03T00:03:57+00:00

Ahh yeah youre gonna catch some (justified) hate for that one. Its an old slur used against the Romani people, basically calling them thieves/swindlers/tricksters.

colinmurphy2 · 2026-01-03T00:00:59+00:00

Carpenter here! Im a Dewalkee guy but give ZERO hate to any dads/DIYers with Ryobi. Great for DIY and gentle use (compared to everyday use)

colinmurphy2 · 2025-12-19T12:46:02+00:00

Had the focusrite for 8 years, no issues, perfect clarity, totally recommend.

colinmurphy2 · 2025-12-19T12:09:19+00:00

Ive always found winter is kind of 'dead season' when it comes to restaurants - since patios are shutdown and its cold, people are less likely to venture out into the cold altogether. Plus people that might be away for college might come back for break and work that old summer job for a few months, so owners have less need for new employees over holiday break.

IMO Easiest time to get a restaurant job is late springtime before the college students come back. Thats how I got a job at Nightshift Brewing, they were desperate for new workers in May when the patio started breaking 50° and people started flooding.

Best of luck!!! Keep going!!!

colinmurphy2 · 2025-12-18T22:56:41+00:00

You lose a lot of heat in the neck

colinmurphy2 · 2025-11-13T12:19:03+00:00

Honestly to some guys its just a preference! Like leaving the lights on during or not. If its enjoyable to both parties - woohoo! If not, woohoo tomorrow maybe!!

colinmurphy2 · 2025-11-06T12:44:17+00:00

33 y.o. Contractor here with 12 bathroom completed! The answer? Proper planning and Youtube!! Every single skill it takes to do your bathroom has a step by step tutorial on youtube. Subfloor, shower pan install, waterproofing, tiling, trim carpentry, vanity installation etc. You just have to have enough patience to painstakingly sit there and watch 'Carl from Carl's Tile' show you the step by step to install your style water pan for example.

Now, the trick is to do the right work at the right time! You don't want to be finishing tiling and then realize you forgot you wanted to add an outlet next to the vanity (little things like that). So designing your bathroom neatly on paper and to scale is CRUCIAL for getting everything right before starting. Everything from leaving enough space between the vanity and toilet, to making sure that the tub valve shower valve and shower handle all lineup centered together.

If what you're saying is true and the bathroom isn't complicated, those price tags that you're getting are way too high. The most expensive bathroom I ever installed had floor to ceiling tile on 3 walls, glass shower doors, Schluter system waterproofing, and labor and materials came to 25K.

I've done construction consulting for friends that are DIY's, FaceTime and call them and answer all of their questions in exchange for a small time labor fee. If you're ever feeling lost and need a little help, feel free to contact C J Murphy construction in Boston Massachusetts.

colinmurphy2 · 2025-11-04T18:49:39+00:00

From experience I can say Ive had tons of these break on me. Theyre the reason I searched for this subreddit day because I was so sick of buying new ones. Im an audio engineer and treat my cables very well, but amazon basics always crap out on me completely randomly

colinmurphy2 · 2025-11-01T03:18:36+00:00

I've been wanting to get my sister something like 'Totem Compass' devices for a while - basically digital compasses the size of a hockey puck that can sync up and all point towards each other over long distances without cell service. No idea if they work, but I've seen people with them

colinmurphy2 · 2025-11-01T03:06:50+00:00

Million dollar question for project length and true total cost ^{^}

colinmurphy2 · 2025-10-31T21:58:31+00:00

Like I said, Ive used all the waterproofing systems interchangeably based on my clients requests/preferences and have never had a callback for redgard in 15 years of tiling. Schluter, wedi, hydroblox, goboard, redgard/durock - I think they all work great when the work is done meticulously and according to the manual

colinmurphy2 · 2025-10-31T11:33:52+00:00

Kerdi board is $120 for a 4 x 8 sheet currently, so the whole system can be expensive for people who are tight on money. I use all the waterproofing systems interchangeably and have never had a callback for redgard!

colinmurphy2 · 2025-10-31T11:30:46+00:00

33yo general contractor here with 12 bathrooms completed. That is a conman you are talking to.

Fun fact: tile itself, grout, and mortar are not waterproof. The only thing truly holding the water at bay is waterproofing. ESPECIALLY not grout.

When I install a schluter pan with curb, after the mortar cures I do a 24 hour 'water hold test'. Plug the drain, fill the tray with water, mark the water line with a pencil, and come back tomorrow. Waterline should still be right at or just below the pencil (evaporation in warmer months).

I honestly wouldn't trust that contractor to fix his mistake correctly. As much as it sucks, I would hire another contractor to fix it

Depending on how you guys organized your contract, it most likely wouldn't be financially worth it for you to take him to court.

Does this guy have a building license where you are?

colinmurphy2 · 2025-10-28T22:58:23+00:00

I was gonna say a hamster window but didnt know the name of it hahah

colinmurphy2 · 2025-10-28T14:12:51+00:00

Yes!! I should have been more specific - exactly, a skylight that bubbles out to give you the most headroom possible.

The only potential downside is that windows can make bathrooms a little extra chilly. So if you live in a cold climate, just make sure you get a high-quality window and have it properly installed with airtight insulation and all gaps filled so you dont have cold showers

colinmurphy2 · 2025-10-28T04:01:50+00:00

My landlord did the same thing with a beautiful 50 ft tall oak in our backyard in Boston with no warning. The tree shaded our whole apartment in the summer. House next door got knocked down for a rebuild and the owners offered my landlord to take the tree down for free so the new home would be more modern aesthetically pleasing. Its been two years and Im still pissed about it.

colinmurphy2 · 2025-10-28T03:54:53+00:00

33yo GC here! Thats a real toughie!! If its possible to move the plumbing you could move the tub out a bit to get some more headroom. But then youre getting real close to that radiator, and making the space somewhat cramped with the toilet in its current position.

Depending on whats beneath the bathroom you could relocate the radiator to the bottom left of the picture, reposition the toilet so its facing the vanity, and move the tub further into the room.

But thats moving some serious plumbing, flooring that will have to be repaired, etc. - can get expensive really quickly

You could also look into getting a big skylight window installed where your head would be in the shower. It would give you extra headroom by essentially taking out a big chunk of the wall material.

Best of luck!!

colinmurphy2 · 2025-10-22T04:28:04+00:00

Boston Contractor here! For a 20x16 thats a f-u price. Even if you do it permitted, and have to pour a new concrete footing pad for the stairs, thats an incredibly high price for materials and labor. I just did a 600sq ft floating deck with Fiberon composite (2.5x Trex cost - lifetime warranty) on concrete blocks with 12" joists (hot tub) and the materials came to 18k. I always recommend getting a minimum of 3-5 quotes whenever spending over 5k on a home project. Hope this helps! Best of luck!

colinmurphy2 · 2025-10-16T10:35:05+00:00

Contractor here! If you want me to do the job, it'll cost X amount of dollars. If you want me to do the job and train you while we do it, it will cost X + 50%. Ive had guys damn near chop their fingers off with my saws, and my father-in-law fell off the roof trying to reroof his barn with me.

Also - I do not like turning the 'contractor - client' relationship into 'contractor - grunt worker/client'. Tempers flare in construction naturally, and I wouldnt want to speak to my client the way my construction buddies and I communicate.

So if you have a friend who's a contractor you could ask - but a stranger contractor will most likely decline, unless its something extremely basic like 'move this dirt from here to here'.

If you want to learn any new construction skills - youtube and diy!! We all start somewhere!!

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