Sometimes you have a vision for a centerpiece in your home that can't be accomplished with out-of-the-box cabinets from the hardware store. When that happens you might think of having custom cabinets made.

But custom can be expensive, so here's a trick to save money: ask about semi-custom cabinets.

​Today I'll show you an example of a semi-custom job and how well it turned out.

It started with a phone call from local interior designer Liz Hackett.  One of her clients, a couple living in West Asheville, loves to entertain and wanted to create a cocktail bar in their dining room.

After meeting to look at the space and review the project budget, we determined that a semi-custom project would be the best choice.

We started with these cabinets from Lowes...

...and then carefully considered them from all angles. They were very plain on the sides, and would look odd sticking out into the room like that, so we suggested adding end panels.

Liz also wanted to incorporate a mini-fridge, so we designed an end panel to surround the fridge, too.

Once the cabinet arrived at our workshop, we got busy building and attaching the panels.

We also sourced custom pull-out drawers to make it easier to access the items in the cabinets. This is another advantage of semi-custom: the pull-outs wouldn't have worked in the stock cabinets. We had to add interior supports to attach them to.

When we stepped back and snapped a photo, it looked a lot like our original drawing. (Except for the countertop, which was installed by another company.)

Liz's clients were thrilled with the way it turned out, and tagged us in their story on Instagram.

There are times when semi-custom cabinets won't work well. If the cabinet will be fit into a niche, it really does need to be custom built for the space, like on this project:

Semi-custom works best when the cabinet will be free-standing, like a kitchen island...

...or placed up against the wall with three sides visible, like the dry bar we just showed off.

So if you've got a "custom" cabinet project, it may be possible to save a little on cost by doing a "semi custom" installation. All you have to do is click the big orange button and contact us to find out.

Not long ago I had a customer who wanted to replace a big recessed can light with a more ordinary light fixture. Of course, she had the electrician come out first to remove the existing can light and install a box for the new fixture. But that left a big hole around the new box.

This is one of the more tricky drywall repairs because of course, you can't just fill in this hole with skim coat and be done with it!

I started by adding a support made of thin wood which I screwed to the existing drywall.

Then I added a custom-cut patch to fill in.

My first patch was actually a bit small, and I soon realized I needed something with a little more coverage.

Wasn't there a spaceship in Star Wars shaped like this?

With my new patch installed my next step was to add a piece of screen. This will allow me to make a nice even skim coat, and it will give something for the mud to grab.

It's serving the same purpose as the drywall tape you install on joints when you're finishing out a wall.

Then it was time for a couple coats of mud.

By the way, if you ever do this yourself, don't try to get everything perfect on the first coat. Only the best of the best can do that; I've only met a few people with that level of skill in my life, and even with all my experience, I'm not one of them.

The trick is to put down each layer fairly thin, and sand well between coats.

All in all, this is a fairly tricky drywall patch job to get right. This is one of those times you'll want to call in the pros. Luckily, that's what we're here for!

Summer is almost here, the weather is fine, and calls to our Asheville handyman service are picking back up! As an essential business, we're still open during the COVID-19 shutdown, although of course we're practicing safety precautions.

​Luckily I already have a pretty good mask:

As calls have picked up, we've been getting a lot of service requests from people who really need a plumber or an electrician, not a handyman.

So when do you need a licensed specialist?

For electrical work, a good rule of thumb is that most handymen are willing to make changes that happen at the electrical box. The best example of this is swapping out one light fixture for another, like I did for this customer.

Here's another view of that room - I've always liked that unusual chandelier. It sure was tricky to hang... there were lots of extra connection points to the ceiling.

For plumbing, most handymen can make repairs on the "downstream" side of the shut-off valve. In other words, we can swap out kitchen faucets, replace sinks, and repair toilets.

You need a licensed plumber or electrician when you're going to be working upstream of the shut-off valve (for plumbing) or outside of the electrical box (for electricians).

So you'll need an electrician if you want to put a light fixture where there isn't one right now, or if you're having mysterious problems with your lights, that aren't fixed by changing the bulb.

And if you have a plumbing leak, or if you want to install a new bathroom where there aren't any fixtures now, you need a plumber.

By the way, there's one more repair that usually requires a plumber: repairing a leaking hose bib. That's because these are often installed without shut-off valves in the line behind them, which is a shame considering that even frost-free bibs are easy to damage if you leave your hose connected during a cold snap.

I think a lot of people are disappointed when they call us and we have to refer them onward, because they think licensed technicians are more expensive. But using an unlicensed repairman can be expensive in other ways. It's just too easy to make a mistake that could burn your house down or flood your living room.

And here's an insider secret: it doesn't always cost more to use a specialist.

The trick is to find an electrician or plumber in Asheville who will take on small jobs. Fortunately I have a free gift for you, courtesy of my wife Faith.

She keeps a little book of all the local tradesmen that have been recommended to us by our customers over the years, and now it's available free of charge.

This includes the best electrician we know of in Asheville, as well as the one plumber we trust to work on our parents' homes.

All we ask in return is that you sign up for our (occasional) newsletter.

​Here's the link to sign up:

And if you decide you still need a handyman instead of a plumber or electrician, be sure to come back and contact us to schedule an appointment.

As an essential infrastructure operation, we continue to be available to the residents of Madison and Buncombe counties for the performance of home maintenance and the maintenance of essential businesses.

We will be performing safe practices such as social distancing. Please get in touch with us if you need assistance.

I just got a new toy to tinker with at home (because even on my days off I'm not content to sit around and do nothing... I need a project to mess around with).

​Stick with me, there are money-saving and life-saving lessons in this.

My new hobby is a vintage Mark Twain speedboat from 1977, and it needs a little work.

That is to say, all of the interior wood is rotten. I need to strip it all the way down to the hull and totally rebuild it.

At first I was let down. This is a huge repair and I definitely won't have the boat on the water this summer. Just call me Captain Drydock.

But once I got used to the idea, I got excited and started researching the right way to fix it. Now whenever I'm working on my custom cabinets and need to stop for a minute while the paint dries or the glue sets up, I'll hop in the boat and rip out the floor for half an hour.

Since boating is a new world for me, I've been studying boating forums and Youtube channels to see how this kind of project is done. A lot of the guys doing the demonstration are hobbyists as well, and outside of boat remodeling, many of them don't have a lot of experience doing handyman or carpentry work.

And there's a big mistake I've noticed amateurs making again and again when they DIY their boat repair: They use cheap materials.

Think about it: you're about to spend the only resource you can't recover or get back... a resource that in some ways is even more precious than your money... your time.​

In the case of a total boat repair like this, you'd be spending about 300 hours of your life.

Yet instead of choosing marine-grade materials that will last for a long time, some of these guys are using the cheapest plywood available and just trusting in their fiberglass coating to do the work.

Since it's hard to add a perfect waterproof coating, changes are that the plywood is going to rot in ten years and all of that time will be wasted. And the money they spent on the cheap materials will be wasted, too.

And here's another mistake to avoid making... and this is one that even the pros make all the time... and it drives me crazy because it's really dangerous...

They don't wear proper masks or safety gear.​ Heck, some of them don't even use ventilation!

Your health is just as precious as your time. And wood dust causes cancer.

When you breathe wood dust, you're basically breathing in silica (the stuff they make glass out of) and the worst part is, the most dangerous dust is the finest dust. It hangs in the air longer, you can't see it, and most masks don't filter it out.

If you are going to DIY a project, always buy the best mask you can afford and work with the best available ventilation.

​That's why even though ​I have a professional workshop with the best ventilation I can buy...

...I still leave the windows and doors open in good weather, and I wear my powered-air dust filter.

Is it overkill? I have good reason to believe that it is not.

​I'm fortunate (if that's the word) to have an allergy to wood dust because I spent so many years breathing it in. If I expose myself to a dangerous cancer-causing level of dust, my body reacts as if I've just inhaled a handful of pollen. And if I don't wear my powered air mask and use good ventilation for even a few minutes of light sanding, I get that allergy.

If you're not "lucky" enough to have a wood dust allergy, you can easily expose yourself to a dangerous level of carcinogens without ever knowing it. Don't believe me? Ask the American National Cancer Institute and the Canadian Center for Occupational Health and Safety. Those are just the first two that came up on my Google search. The evidence is there.

And speaking of carcinogens, I have an outdoor work table which I like to use when painting, because even with low-VOC paint there can still be dangerous fumes, and I don't trust my spray booth to clear the air as well as a strong breeze.

I'm not saying you shouldn't DIY your household projects. But don't save money at the expense of the more important things in life... the things you can't get back once they're gone... your time, and the health of you and your loved ones.

OK, I'll climb down off my soapbox now.

If you have a project that you'd like to DIY, but don't have the time, know-how or safety equipment, give us a call. We'll take care of it for you.