Lessons from a Contractor’s Wife – Part 9

In this blog series, I’m going to share what building a custom home looks like from the non-professional’s perspective. Settle in for the surprises, the lessons learned, and all the little details that no one tells you about until you’re in the thick of it. Come see how the sausage is made!

Lost in Translation

Since Lucas has other clients he’s completing projects for, he’s working on their projects during the week and building our house mostly during nights and weekends. Which means he’s stuck with me as his assistant.

Whether I’m clinging to a beam with a grip stronger than Stallone’s in Cliffhanger or manhandling a tape measure, I am decidedly not what you’d call a master tradesperson. You see, my day job is in Human Resources and Operations. I build processes, not houses. Lucas builds actual physical structures and provides guidance to me with the patience of a saint—something that has become increasingly evident throughout this build.

Take window installation, for example. Lucas can handle it solo, but it requires a lot of back-and-forth, so we figured I could help. He’d place the window, we’d shim it up and level it into place, and then Lucas asked me about the “reveal.”

Knowing absolutely nothing about window installation, I gave him my best jazz hands through the glass.

I thought it was hilarious. Lucas did not.

Turns out, the reveal is the visible part of the window frame that remains exposed once the wall finishes are installed.

Construction Has Its Own Language

There are countless words I’m learning new definitions for—or discovering have multiple meanings entirely.

For instance, when Lucas mentioned getting mud delivered, I pictured a dump truck full of wet dirt. Nope. It’s concrete. Unless you’re drywalling, in which case it’s joint compound.

Plumb can mean something is perfectly vertical, or it’s a verb describing the act of plumbing. Rock can mean actual rocks (like gravel), or it can refer to Sheetrock or drywall.

Then there’s the issue of multiple words meaning the same thing. Sheetrock is drywall—it’s a brand name, much like Kleenex is to tissue. So all Sheetrock is drywall, but not all drywall is Sheetrock. Hardie board is fiber cement siding. A Sawzall is a reciprocating saw. Tyvek is house wrap.

And don’t even get me started on sheathing. It’s the layer of wood on a structure’s roof, walls, and floors, and can be made from OSB or plywood (similar products, but not the same). When it’s placed on the floor, it might be called a subfloor. But sheathing doesn’t always mean subfloor, and it doesn’t necessarily mean plywood or OSB.

Confused yet?

LESSON: If this isn’t your trade, ask for clarification.

You’re going to get confused if this is your first time building something. Ask questions. Get clarification. And maybe save the jazz hands for after work.