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Recently, I did something that typically goes against one of my own philosophies, “let a professional handle it.” So, I’m not a “handy man” by any means. My father-in-law is however. Truly, this guy is a master craftsman. I’d like to think being around the guy for 20 years I would be somewhat of an apprentice…nope. I mean, I can cut wood with a miter saw, and screw things in. I can even figure my way around a shop and even put furniture together, but it almost always takes me twice as long because I typically make a mistake (or 2…or 3) at some point. Well, this time was no different.
My in-laws live with us first off. (Gasp) It's really not that bad. So my father-in-law’s shop is basically our garage. I’ve been waiting for them to go out of town so I could do a project on my own and explore “the shop” freely. So, it happened. They left. A trip to South America for a couple of months! And I already had planned what my project would be, the fireplace. Basically I wanted to rip out the old mantel and install Spanish tile, a new frame, a floating beam (mantel) and shiplap. I know.. I watch too much Fixer Upper. Anyway, I had all materials and ready to go!
I started with ripping out the old mantel which was quite a job. Then of course sanding, patching holes, etc. That took a good half day. Then I installed the tile. My tile were cement, definitely heavier (not easy to cut) than normal ceramic tile. I got them set, and when I was almost done, I noticed (after I thought I perfectly calculated the space) it was off center by a good inch and a half! Maybe not that big of a deal, but it was to me. So you know what? I ripped them all out AND STARTED OVER! Ouch. So that delayed everything again by another day. After that was finally finished, I moved on to the framing. Not too hard, but not easy either. Cutting, sanding, measuring and so on. After that came the shiplap. So I actually got a guy at Home Depot to cut the panels for me, but still, I came home, had to sand, paint (wait for them to dry) and then install. These were almost 8 ft long and went all the way up into a vaulted ceiling. Last, my mantel. I decided to build to save money, but this was another day process from cutting the wood, sanding, putting it together - and then staining. I must’ve watched 10 youtube videos on this! And you know what?? It’s still not installed because I’m still figure out the best way to hang the darn thing.
With all of that said, this “fun” weekend project ended up be weeks of a job and a lot of headaches. Now that everything is almost said and done, I keep thinking, why didn’t I get a professional to do just some of this? Was it because I needed to prove to myself I could do it? Or just save some money? Then I think about how much time I spent on this project and we all know how valuable time is!
I’ve had so many experiences with clients over the years that wanted to save money and decided to produce a video themselves only to come back to us and ask us to do it. It’s not to say they couldn’t create a video, but it didn’t meet their expectations or what they had envisioned. The right kind of video, that helps your company grow, takes an individualized type of strategy and experience of a professional video production company to produce it. There’s certain things we probably could do ourselves, but just like my fireplace mantel project (and/or lesson), if we want it done right, we leave it to the professionals.
If you’re exploring the idea of producing a video to help your business grow, we’d be glad to discuss your project with you!
-TP