Order of Man - OoM 020： DIY Home Repair with Jeff Patterson

00:00:00.000 Today we talk all about DIY home repair, what tools every guy needs to have, how to save

00:00:04.740 money on home repairs and renovations, and where you can get the very best home repair

00:00:08.640 tips.

00:00:09.420 You're a man of action.

00:00:10.860 You live life to the fullest.

00:00:12.320 Embrace your fears and boldly chart your own path.

00:00:15.240 When life knocks you down, you get back up one more time, every time.

00:00:19.720 You are not easily deterred or defeated, rugged, resilient, strong.

00:00:24.760 This is your life.

00:00:25.860 This is who you are.

00:00:27.280 This is who you will become.

00:00:28.560 At the end of the day, and after all is said and done, you can call yourself a man.

00:00:34.640 Men, welcome back to the Order of Man podcast.

00:00:36.600 Got a great one lined up for you today.

00:00:38.080 If you listen to many podcasts, I'm sure that you're familiar with Jeff Patterson.

00:00:41.700 He has the podcast Home Repair Tutor.

00:00:44.040 I love the show.

00:00:45.000 I learn a ton about fixing things around the house and how I can check off some of those

00:00:48.360 items that are on my never-ending list of things to do around the house.

00:00:52.360 For example, this week, I am in the process of building a fence.

00:00:56.120 I did part of that over the weekend, and I'm also roofing the kid's tree house, and I'm

00:01:00.620 sure that I will have more to do by week's end.

00:01:03.960 As always, a couple of housekeeping items before we get into the meat of this podcast with Jeff.

00:01:07.900 First, I want to tell you thank you.

00:01:09.780 Please keep those reviews coming.

00:01:11.340 I'm loving what you guys have to say.

00:01:12.900 Really enjoy the feedback.

00:01:13.940 And I want to give you a really big thanks for your support and appreciation for the

00:01:19.040 Order of Man podcast.

00:01:20.420 Now, while you're there leaving your review, do not forget to subscribe.

00:01:24.600 I have some big-time guests coming on in the next four weeks.

00:01:27.800 I just had two interviews this morning.

00:01:29.280 I have another two later in the week, and we are on a roll.

00:01:31.900 I am not going to root any surprises by letting you know who are the guests, but I promise

00:01:36.460 you, I promise you that you'll want to tune in.

00:01:39.520 So please, please subscribe.

00:01:40.920 I do have a new resource that I want to make you aware of, and I want you to check out.

00:01:45.000 It's based on one of our most popular blog posts and YouTube videos, and it's called

00:01:48.640 The 8 Skill Sets Every Man Must Master. 0.59

00:01:51.180 So if you go to orderofman.com slash skills, you can get access to that resource, and that

00:01:56.680 outlines the skills you need to develop as a man and exactly how to do it step by step.

00:02:01.100 So again, go to orderofman.com slash skills.

00:02:03.800 Now, remember guys, if you're working out or you're in the car or you're hiding in the

00:02:07.400 bathroom stall at work listening to this, the show notes for this show will be

00:02:10.900 available at orderofman.com slash 020.

00:02:14.780 Now, let me introduce you to our guest, the founder of the Home Repair Tutor Podcast,

00:02:18.620 Mr. Jeff Patterson.

00:02:20.120 Now, not only is Jeff a handyman expert, but he's also a real estate entrepreneur, which

00:02:24.540 you'll hear a little bit more about in our conversation.

00:02:27.320 His big focus is on teaching simple home repair projects.

00:02:30.620 You'll hear this in his interview that he has a huge passion.

00:02:33.420 You can tell and you can hear it in his voice for helping his fans complete their own DIY

00:02:38.040 experiments.

00:02:39.380 I'm a huge fan of his YouTube videos.

00:02:41.000 They've actually been viewed more than 2 million times, mostly because his approach

00:02:45.460 to home improvement and repair is extremely simple.

00:02:47.880 It's thoughtful.

00:02:49.060 And they actually inspire me to get going on some of the projects that I've been putting

00:02:52.640 off for a long time.

00:02:54.000 Jeff, excited to have you on the show.

00:02:55.420 Thanks for joining us today.

00:02:56.380 Yeah, thanks, Ryan.

00:02:57.300 I really appreciate it.

00:02:58.480 We're going to have a good time.

00:02:59.500 Part of being a man, I think, is being handy with a set of tools and knowing how to fix things

00:03:03.940 around the house.

00:03:04.520 So I'm excited to have our conversation today.

00:03:07.080 Well, anything I can do to help out and add to that conversation is good.

00:03:10.540 So I know a little bit about your backstory just in the limited conversations that we've

00:03:14.780 had.

00:03:15.020 But I'd like to know how you came to Home Repair Tutor and how you've got things started

00:03:20.900 and your background, if you wouldn't mind sharing briefly with us.

00:03:23.480 Yeah, for sure.

00:03:24.280 So I live in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and I'm married to my high school sweetheart.

00:03:28.520 I went to school for chemistry, stayed here in Pittsburgh, got into sales and marketing.

00:03:35.360 And soon after we got married, we started our family, bought our very first house.

00:03:39.700 Housing is pretty affordable in Pittsburgh.

00:03:41.540 You can pick up a house pretty cheaply.

00:03:44.920 And then after that, we bought our very first rental property.

00:03:47.980 And that's kind of how things began in terms of the home repair.

00:03:51.060 And the very first year that we lived in our house, we needed a new roof, new hot water

00:03:56.360 tank, and a boiler.

00:03:58.900 And so after you spend that much money, you tend to try and figure out DIY to save a little

00:04:04.580 bit of bucks and also just basically learn as you go so that you can save money moving

00:04:11.840 forward.

00:04:12.300 But the rental properties that we have definitely has contributed to my skill set and has helped

00:04:16.880 me out quite a bit.

00:04:18.000 It turns into one of those like money pits, that movie with Tom Hanks, right?

00:04:22.580 Yeah, it does.

00:04:23.180 I have a lot of stories.

00:04:25.060 Yeah.

00:04:25.300 I bet you do.

00:04:27.140 What's the craziest thing that you've had to fix?

00:04:29.480 Is there something that stands out immediately that you've had to fix or adjust or take care

00:04:33.240 of?

00:04:33.600 Well, the last rental house that we bought, we went over budget because we basically had

00:04:39.560 to implode the porch.

00:04:41.660 And that created a huge gap in what I thought we were going to have to spend and what we

00:04:49.180 really did spend.

00:04:50.820 Yeah, right.

00:04:51.420 I spent the next nine months basically doing the whole inside of the house myself.

00:04:57.340 So hardwood floor refinishing, installing the kitchen, doing some of the bathroom at that

00:05:01.920 time, lots of drywall and plaster work and painting and plumbing.

00:05:06.040 So that was a huge mistake that showed me the power of, okay, if you get into trouble

00:05:11.360 with your home, you can get out of it if you learn how to use a set of tools, develop some

00:05:15.920 skills and aren't afraid to step forward.

00:05:18.800 So has it still been that property, has it still been profitable for you or are you underwater

00:05:22.980 on that one?

00:05:23.980 It's profitable because the tenant that moved in, she's been there for about over four years 0.96

00:05:29.920 now.

00:05:30.180 So she's a great tenant and that's the thing about rental homes, you can fix them up, but 0.98

00:05:35.560 then you have to find really awesome tenants.

00:05:37.620 And fortunately, I was able to develop that skill set too in terms of screening people and

00:05:42.700 just finding the right fit.

00:05:43.840 And a lot of our tenants have been in their houses for years.

00:05:47.420 At least, I think the tenant, I've had one tenant in our house for almost six years now

00:05:51.940 and the other ones are two years or more.

00:05:54.860 Really, that's nice to have somebody that locked in that secure like that.

00:05:58.280 I think we've got a tenant in one of our rental properties that same thing has been

00:06:01.160 there for just over two years and I could not ask for better tenants, which is a huge

00:06:04.740 blessing.

00:06:05.520 It helps out a lot, especially when you've got a family, you've got a full-time job and

00:06:09.360 you're doing the online stuff.

00:06:12.540 To have reliable tenants, it helps out a lot.

00:06:15.880 So with some of these properties, you say, you know, you see the value in DIY and taking

00:06:20.420 care of things yourself and getting handy with the tools.

00:06:23.040 Is this all trial and error or do you have somebody in your life, whether it's a buddy or

00:06:27.620 family members that come over and help you and teach you these sort of things or how

00:06:30.680 did you gain your skills?

00:06:32.340 Well, I learned my skills a lot through, well, through the internet and through reading books

00:06:37.060 and magazines like Family Handyman or Fine Home Building.

00:06:40.680 And then over the years, I developed a really nice set of contractors that I would go to

00:06:45.620 for help.

00:06:46.740 And one of the guys that I like talking to is Steve White.

00:06:50.380 He's the contractor who helps me out with Home Repair Tutor and he is a master bathroom

00:06:57.180 remodeler, but he's also a general contractor that knows a lot of stuff.

00:07:00.760 And his brother's an electrician and they have a group of friends that are in the trades.

00:07:05.360 So anytime I have a question or I actually need to hire them, I really lean strongly on

00:07:10.000 those guys and they help me out a lot.

00:07:12.260 And I think picking up tips from pro contractors, it's one of the best things that you can do.

00:07:16.520 So if you hire somebody and they come over to your house, try to stick with them for a

00:07:21.140 little bit.

00:07:22.060 And not that you want to make sure they're doing the right job, but you want to pick up

00:07:26.760 some skill sets from them so that you can use them maybe next time you run into a similar

00:07:31.180 problem.

00:07:32.160 Yeah, no, I get that.

00:07:32.920 I actually had, we bought my wife's grandparents' home that was built in the mid-70s and they

00:07:38.520 took really good care of it.

00:07:39.880 And the only problem is that it's outdated.

00:07:41.920 So we've had to update carpet and paint and there's some plumbing problems.

00:07:45.880 And I had a plumber come over and he charged me the fee to come over and I kind of shadowed

00:07:49.920 him and just watched what he was doing.

00:07:51.360 He snaked out the drain in our shower.

00:07:52.980 I'm like, oh man, I could do that.

00:07:54.220 That would take me five minutes.

00:07:55.360 I don't need to pay 75 bucks for him to come out anymore.

00:07:58.240 Yeah, right, right.

00:07:59.060 The first time you see a plumber do it, that's the first thought that goes through your head.

00:08:03.420 I mean, they're magicians though with all the tools that they know how to use.

00:08:08.020 And to become a master plumber, it takes years.

00:08:10.980 And you got to respect what they do.

00:08:13.960 But certainly when you need to save money, it's nice to learn some skills from those

00:08:17.900 guys.

00:08:18.780 Okay, so that brings me to a good question then, which is where is the balance?

00:08:23.360 Like when do you do it yourself and when is it best to hire a professional to come in

00:08:27.900 and take care of some problems around the house?

00:08:29.860 You know, that's a great question.

00:08:31.200 It actually came up on a video series that I was doing with Steve's brother, Bill, who's

00:08:36.100 an electrician.

00:08:36.860 And basically, my rule of thumb is this, if you're uncomfortable or you think you're going

00:08:41.340 to cause danger to yourself or your home, that's when you need to call on a pro.

00:08:45.740 I mean, even if there's a shadow of a doubt going through your head, especially when it

00:08:49.320 comes to electricity or plumbing, HVAC, stuff like that, you should definitely think twice

00:08:56.120 before you act just to stay safe.

00:08:58.800 Yeah, I know exactly what you're saying because I actually was on the wrong end of that.

00:09:02.820 I was trying to set up in my basement a studio so I could do YouTube videos and the outlets

00:09:09.500 were on the bottom near the floor and I wanted to put one a little higher behind the TV so

00:09:13.820 that outlet was hidden.

00:09:15.260 And I thought I had turned the breaker off, but I had flipped the breaker for a different

00:09:19.640 area of the house.

00:09:20.980 And I hit the wire and not only did it trip the breaker, like it fried the breaker or something.

00:09:26.580 I can't remember exactly what it did, but the basement wouldn't work.

00:09:29.780 The entire left side of the house wouldn't work, and then I finally called an electrician

00:09:33.800 to come and do it right.

00:09:35.100 Fortunately, it wasn't too big of a deal, but we got it fixed.

00:09:37.480 It's a little bit scary when it's electric.

00:09:39.280 It was scary, for sure.

00:09:41.940 Yeah, and I'm fortunate enough in our family, my wife's father knows electrical.

00:09:48.220 He does heating and air.

00:09:49.220 He does a lot of commercial work.

00:09:51.120 And so every time something goes wrong in the house, I'm on the phone with him trying to

00:09:54.040 figure out how to do it.

00:09:54.800 And he's so good that he can literally just walk through the problem over the phone with

00:09:57.900 me, so that's a really nice resource for me.

00:10:00.120 Yeah, that's priceless to have somebody in your family like that.

00:10:03.740 So what are some of the common problems that go out around the house that guys have with

00:10:09.940 their homes that they should at least learn some basic skills in how to handle and fix

00:10:14.500 and take care of?

00:10:15.400 Well, you brought up a good one, and that is snaking out any kind of plumbing fixture.

00:10:19.920 So whether it's a sink in the bathroom or the kitchen, a bathtub or shower, just learning

00:10:25.340 how to use a hand auger right there is something that could save you a ton of money.

00:10:29.540 Like you said, it was $75.

00:10:31.460 And sometimes it can be even more.

00:10:33.200 I think learning how to handle copper pipes and how to solder copper pipes, some basic skill

00:10:39.400 sets that you could pick up either online, like at Home Repair Tutor, my website, or

00:10:44.500 somewhere else, you're going to not only learn those skills, but you're going to use them

00:10:48.860 over and over again.

00:10:49.880 And you can help out your friends and family, like you were saying a bit earlier.

00:10:53.320 So plumbing is a big one.

00:10:55.260 And then some basic electrical, just learning how to take an outlet, replace an old one with

00:11:00.780 a new one or a switch.

00:11:02.160 Those are some really great places to begin.

00:11:04.120 And then get yourself a good set of tools.

00:11:07.300 Yeah.

00:11:07.540 So let's talk about that because, you know, everybody has a hammer and a screwdriver and

00:11:12.320 some of those basic things.

00:11:13.340 But what should every man have in his toolbox for things around the house?

00:11:17.660 My go-to tool, one of the biggest tools that I love is the oscillating multi-tool.

00:11:22.480 And if you get yourself a good oscillating multi-tool from like Fine, which is a wonderful German

00:11:28.920 company, actually, they're headquartered in the States here in Pittsburgh.

00:11:32.440 And Fine makes, they came out with one of the first multi-tools ever.

00:11:36.740 And if you get yourself one that is built like they build theirs, it'll last you.

00:11:42.600 Basically, you can pass it down to your kids.

00:11:45.220 And they cut, they sand, they abrade.

00:11:49.440 I mean, just having one of those, I think, is a great beginning.

00:11:53.280 And then an impact driver.

00:11:54.680 An impact driver usually comes with a drill driver kit.

00:11:58.020 So if you get yourself a good drill and a good impact driver, that's a great place to

00:12:02.960 begin.

00:12:03.380 And then some basic things like screwdrivers, some wrenches, crescent wrenches, and some

00:12:08.280 channel locks.

00:12:08.900 And that's what you should have in your toolbox to begin with.

00:12:13.680 Right.

00:12:13.920 Yeah, I use my impact.

00:12:15.420 Like, I can't tell you how much I actually use that piece of equipment.

00:12:19.400 So it's so valuable to have.

00:12:20.920 Do you have a shop?

00:12:23.060 Or where, like, how do you store all your tools?

00:12:25.540 I want to know a little bit about that.

00:12:26.960 Yeah, I think at this point, I have so many tools, I'm trying to give some of them away.

00:12:31.700 But I have storage bins both in my garage and in my office here in the basement.

00:12:38.180 So I have a lot of space where I put all my tools.

00:12:41.760 So how do you suggest that maybe somebody with not a lot of space, I'm fortunate enough,

00:12:46.180 I've got a big 1,500 square foot shop in our yard, in our backyard, which is really nice.

00:12:50.980 But how do you suggest somebody store their tools and their equipment if they've got limited

00:12:57.600 space?

00:12:58.160 What have you seen to work really well?

00:13:00.340 Well, if you can get yourself some storage bins from Home Depot or Lowe's or just, like,

00:13:06.580 cabinets, almost like you put your clothing in.

00:13:09.340 But if you cut some plywood to size, you can add several levels within the cabinet.

00:13:15.180 And that way, you can store things like saws, impact drivers and drills, sanders, things

00:13:20.140 like that.

00:13:21.040 And if you just have one of those and you put it in the corner, that's a really great

00:13:24.760 place to begin.

00:13:25.640 And that's what I did.

00:13:27.160 And although I would like to see your 1,500 square foot shop, because that sounds awesome.

00:13:32.060 It is.

00:13:32.500 I'll take a picture.

00:13:33.360 I'll send it over to you.

00:13:34.500 That's definitely one of the perks of buying the house that we did.

00:13:39.160 And everybody that comes over is, like, super jealous of that shop.

00:13:42.720 So I kind of have, you know, bragging rights when it comes to that a little bit.

00:13:46.000 Yeah, I would say so.

00:13:46.940 That's pretty sweet.

00:13:48.060 We've got these pipe wrenches in the shop.

00:13:49.820 They're literally four and five feet tall.

00:13:52.340 My wife's grandfather was in plumbing and heating and air.

00:13:55.160 And so he's got these huge pipe wrenches.

00:13:57.180 And so those are pretty cool.

00:13:58.220 There's some old tools out there that we have now that are ours that it's pretty cool.

00:14:02.420 You got to hang on to those because they just they don't make them like that anymore,

00:14:06.560 especially in plumbing.

00:14:07.660 I mean, you can use those tools forever.

00:14:09.640 Yeah.

00:14:09.940 Oh, definitely.

00:14:10.480 So you said Lowe's, Home Depot.

00:14:13.560 Are there some stores that we just as men need to become, like, really familiar with when it comes to doing things on our own?

00:14:20.220 Yeah, definitely.

00:14:21.260 The one store that I think a lot of people ignore is the plumbing supply warehouse.

00:14:25.280 All cities have them, but most do-it-yourselfers kind of ignore them.

00:14:33.460 But if you go in there, those people are very knowledgeable and you can get supplies that the pros get.

00:14:39.160 And that's what I really suggest is finding one-off stores for specialty items like plumbing or tile.

00:14:44.760 So you can go here in the Northeast, we have Best Tile.

00:14:48.280 And if you go in there, they carry products that you simply cannot get in the home stores.

00:14:52.820 And these are the products that professionals use.

00:14:55.540 So if you're talking with a professional, like I'm talking to Steve or Bill,

00:14:59.620 and they tell me to get a certain type of thinset, like I went to Best Tile today

00:15:03.940 and I had to pick up some thinset for our bathroom project that we were doing,

00:15:07.360 you simply cannot get that at Lowe's or Home Depot.

00:15:10.260 So find a plumbing supply warehouse and then also find a really good tile store

00:15:14.900 that has the other supplies like thinset, grout, and waterproofing materials.

00:15:20.040 Right. Okay. Yeah, cool. That makes sense.

00:15:22.020 I know those are some of the things like whenever I have to go to Home Depot, I'll tell my boys,

00:15:26.900 I'm like, all right, guys, it's time to go to the man store.

00:15:29.400 And that usually means one of like two or three different things.

00:15:33.080 It's Sportsman's Warehouse, it's Home Depot.

00:15:36.180 It seems like there's another store, I can't think of it.

00:15:38.260 And they're always curious which man store we're going to for that day.

00:15:42.000 Yeah, you got to throw Field and Stream in there or Cabela's.

00:15:45.920 Cabela's is nice, but that's four, four and a half hours away from us.

00:15:49.480 So unfortunately, it's a little bit of a commute if we want to get up there.

00:15:52.880 It's a good man trip. That's a good man trip. You know what I mean?

00:15:56.060 That's right. That's right.

00:15:57.460 So I want to know about this bathtub project that you're working on right now,

00:16:01.420 because I know that's a big deal for you. And so I'm really curious about that.

00:16:04.040 Yeah, thank you. So a lot of my fans, the biggest question that I get from them,

00:16:08.560 it has to do with bathrooms and how to install a bathtub, how to put tile in a bathtub.

00:16:14.660 And that's what really prompted me to develop Bathroom Repair Tutor.

00:16:19.440 That's kind of our sister site, the Home Repair Tutor.

00:16:22.160 So the bathtub project, we're going to install a bathtub from scratch, the cement board.

00:16:27.660 We're going to waterproof everything.

00:16:29.020 We're going to show people how to install the tile and grout it.

00:16:33.300 And more importantly, I'm going to be filming a professional contractor.

00:16:38.820 Again, my friend, Steve White, who does this every single week and has been doing it for over 15 years.

00:16:44.960 So people are going to get an inside look into how a professional does it, all the materials and tools.

00:16:50.540 And we're going to break it down step by step so that you can watch the videos,

00:16:54.220 which a lot of them will be free over on Home Repair Tutor.

00:16:57.500 But you can start and stop the videos when you want.

00:17:00.860 And you can basically build out your whole bathtub and tile it for a fraction of the cost.

00:17:07.660 Nice. Yeah, we've actually got a room downstairs that we need to install a shower in.

00:17:12.600 And we're thinking about tiling it.

00:17:13.760 So I know I'll be tapping into that.

00:17:15.520 So that's going to be valuable stuff.

00:17:16.700 One thing I do want to go back to is you talked about professional tools and some things that maybe you just don't need regularly that you just need.

00:17:25.560 It's kind of like a one-time deal.

00:17:26.860 What are your thoughts about buying that type of equipment over renting it or borrowing it?

00:17:31.340 I'd like to know your insights and thoughts into that.

00:17:33.600 Yeah, I think one of those tools would be the hammer drill.

00:17:38.180 You don't necessarily need a hammer drill all the time, but they're pretty affordable.

00:17:43.180 So you can pick up a hammer drill for maybe $100 from DeWalt, and it'll last you years.

00:17:48.640 DeWalt makes really great products.

00:17:50.760 I would encourage people to really think strongly about it.

00:17:53.820 So if you have a house that's got brick and mortar and cement, you probably just want to buy it.

00:18:00.260 But if you're only going to use it to maybe hang one item, like a sign outside, your numbers for your house,

00:18:07.640 maybe try to rent it or borrow it from a friend.

00:18:10.540 Or here's another hot tip, look on Craigslist for a deal, and then when you're done with it,

00:18:16.320 you can just simply sell it back on Craigslist.

00:18:18.820 Oh, that's a good idea.

00:18:19.880 Yeah, that's a really good idea.

00:18:21.300 Yeah, because I'm always curious about that because I do.

00:18:23.820 I have these little one-off projects, and I don't want to spend a ton of money.

00:18:27.660 That's the reason I'm doing it myself in the first place.

00:18:30.620 And so I'm always curious about renting certain equipment or, like you said, buying it and then selling it back.

00:18:36.180 That's a good idea.

00:18:36.800 Yeah, I think if you're tiling a shower, for example, if you have to do your shower, you may just want to rent the tile saw.

00:18:45.140 Right, instead of purchasing that, it just ends up being way more expensive than I need it to be.

00:18:49.800 Yeah.

00:18:50.480 How much time do you spend on repairs?

00:18:54.520 Because I know, obviously, we've got so many different things going on in life,

00:18:57.980 and we can get overwhelmed and consumed with repairs.

00:19:01.060 It seems like I've got a huge list in that list, and when I get one thing checked off, I have two more that I need to do.

00:19:06.960 So what's your schedule like when it comes to repairs?

00:19:09.300 Is that in the evenings?

00:19:10.180 Is that only on weekends?

00:19:11.480 What does it look like for you?

00:19:12.700 I think I'm like a typical person.

00:19:14.300 I do it mostly in the evenings and on the weekends, so Friday night, Saturday, and Sunday.

00:19:20.720 And it really is hard because when you've got a family, you try to balance that between – our girls play softball, right?

00:19:26.800 So we try to balance that stuff between family activities and work schedules and stuff like that.

00:19:32.720 So, yeah, I mean, I usually try to sit down the night before and schedule out what it is I'm going to be doing for the next day to be very efficient.

00:19:42.700 Right, yeah, and that's what it's all about, efficiency, because we have so many things to do, right?

00:19:46.980 Exactly.

00:19:47.380 Have you found yourself as you're working on different projects that being able to be handy with tools and around the house have translated to other skill sets that you've been able to develop in your life as well?

00:20:00.580 I think just learning new things in general, it's a great skill because you can transfer that curiosity to other stuff.

00:20:09.100 So whether it's learning how to become a coach for your daughter or your son or becoming a better father and just exhibiting that patience that you have with whatever skill you're learning.

00:20:20.940 So in my case, it's home repair and using tools over to teaching my daughters how to play softball or just going out on a date with my wife and being patient about that time and when it comes, really enjoying it.

00:20:34.080 What do you do, because we're talking about patience and for me, learning curve comes into mind and I know I've done some things around the house that don't look great or that I get frustrated with.

00:20:45.440 How do you personally deal with and manage frustration when something doesn't work out or turn out right?

00:20:52.160 Because I know it happens, I'm assuming it happens to everybody, not just me.

00:20:55.220 Yeah, it definitely happens to me too.

00:20:57.180 So we had a water leak in our kitchen maybe about a year ago, almost a year ago, and I had to replace the ceiling and there was also a texture on it and it doesn't look perfect.

00:21:07.700 I had to put it together pretty quickly and I want to go back and fix it.

00:21:11.680 But I think with age, you learn to deal with the fact that there really is no such thing as perfection and it's okay for things to not be exactly perfect.

00:21:20.820 Right there, it's character, right?

00:21:22.980 That's what I choose to look at my mistakes as character, not mess up.

00:21:26.440 Yeah, that's a good way of looking at it, yeah.

00:21:29.600 So I want to ask you a question that's not necessarily specific to fixing and doing projects around the house,

00:21:37.040 but I know a lot of the listeners, just because of the feedback that I've gotten, have passions.

00:21:41.180 Some things that they're doing on the side or some things that they're passionate about,

00:21:44.000 but they feel like maybe they're stuck in their job or whatever it may be.

00:21:47.780 And it seems to me that you've taken something that you enjoy and turned it into a profitable venture for yourself.

00:21:56.060 How have you been able to do that?

00:21:57.740 I'd like to hear how you've balanced that and started Home Repair Tutor and some of these other projects you have going on.

00:22:02.440 Well, early on, Home Repair Tutor, I was really trying to just figure out where exactly I was going to go with that and fill a niche.

00:22:10.600 And for me, it was video with video tutorials.

00:22:13.980 And I didn't want to do a post or a tutorial every single day.

00:22:18.300 That was just, as we were saying earlier, it's unreasonable when you've got a family and a job and stuff like that.

00:22:23.300 But so I came to the conclusion that I could only do one tutorial a week at most, and I wanted to do a video tutorial so people could get to know me a little bit better.

00:22:32.760 And videos are a great way to do it because when you post them over on YouTube, once you become a YouTube partner, then you can start monetizing.

00:22:41.520 Now, some people don't agree with that, and some people are okay with it.

00:22:46.800 The primary way through which I make money is YouTube and Bathroom Repair Tutor because that's a paid course.

00:22:54.180 And YouTube has been very good to me because not only does it provide money through ads, but it brings a lot of traffic back to the website, not only via YouTube, but when you can post them on Pinterest.

00:23:06.480 Recently, this has been a huge aha moment for me.

00:23:09.640 I created a board for DIY video tutorials, so a lot of people have been viewing my videos that way, too, and signing up for the email list.

00:23:19.000 And then they'll come back to the site.

00:23:20.780 Exactly.

00:23:21.540 And the YouTube videos, there's a call to action at the end.

00:23:24.360 It's usually subscribe to the YouTube channel and then subscribe to the email newsletter because we do a video pretty much every week, and we give away tools and supplies.

00:23:33.240 So that's huge because then people, if they're still around, and hopefully they are at the end of the video, then you have a really strong call to action.

00:23:40.700 And at that point, they're most likely going to do it because they've stuck around.

00:23:44.920 Right.

00:23:45.280 That makes sense.

00:23:46.160 So do you have a full-time job outside of this, then, that you're doing, too?

00:23:49.800 Yeah.

00:23:50.140 Yeah.

00:23:50.400 So I have a full-time job.

00:23:52.000 I do the rental properties.

00:23:53.240 I do Home Repair Tutor and Bathroom Repair Tutor.

00:23:55.980 It's a lot.

00:23:56.760 Yeah.

00:23:57.040 You've got so much going on.

00:23:58.540 It is.

00:23:59.140 Yeah.

00:23:59.880 It's a lot.

00:24:00.580 But it's good.

00:24:01.260 It's exciting.

00:24:01.860 And that's part of the reason that we even started Order of Man is it was something that I was engaged with anyways, and I was doing a lot of reading and self-development and figuring these things out.

00:24:09.860 And so what you're saying is what I'm hearing you say is that take something that you're doing anyways that you have an affinity for doing or a passion about, and then just see if there's ways that you can turn that into a profitable side business for yourself, right?

00:24:23.500 Exactly.

00:24:23.900 Yeah, if you have a passion for something, whether it's finances, home repair, knitting, whatever it might be, you can take that passion.

00:24:33.460 And the cool thing with the Internet is you can share that with other people, grow a community.

00:24:37.320 That's probably one of the most important things is grow a community and surround yourself with like-minded people.

00:24:43.120 And I think you can make whatever it is that you're interested in a super success.

00:24:46.860 What are some of the challenges that you've run across when it comes to starting this new venture on the side?

00:24:54.460 Are there some things that you can think of that have been difficult that you feel like you've been able to manage or overcome?

00:24:59.680 Yeah, I think probably it's the squirrel syndrome where you see something new and you want to try that out.

00:25:06.000 So whether it's podcasting or posting videos or posting over on Twitter.

00:25:10.800 So trying to stay focused on maybe one or two things, that's the hardest.

00:25:16.240 And because the Internet is so neat and new and there's always creative ways to get your message out,

00:25:22.480 it's easy to fall into that trap of trying everything that is coming out rather than focusing on the one or two things that are really going to make you successful.

00:25:32.160 Yeah, and so it sounds like YouTube has been the biggest thing for you.

00:25:35.520 And lately, Pinterest, right?

00:25:37.220 Maybe even the podcast as well.

00:25:38.520 Yeah, so for me, my three goals are to grow our community, grow my YouTube subscription base, and also my email newsletter.

00:25:48.420 And then from there, I can kind of spread out and get the word to my fans about Bathroom Repair Tutor and Home Repair Tutor.

00:25:55.740 Well, Jeff, this has been a great conversation.

00:25:57.900 I know it's so important.

00:25:59.660 I cannot overemphasize the importance of being able to be handy with tools.

00:26:04.060 And like you said, it translates into every area of life.

00:26:07.220 So I've got a couple other questions just to conclude our conversation today, if that works for you.

00:26:12.000 Sure, yeah, shoot away. 0.71

00:26:13.260 So I didn't prepare you for this question, so I'm kind of shooting off the cuff here, but I think you'll be able to answer that.

00:26:18.460 And that is a question that I ask everybody, and it is, what does it mean to be a man?

00:26:24.740 To be a man means to, in my mind, treat everybody how you'd want to be treated and show empathy, courtesy, and try to help people out, even if you don't know who they are.

00:26:37.960 And those are some of the character qualities that I'm trying to pass along to my daughters, and I hope that they remember that that is what I wanted to teach them.

00:26:48.820 Awesome, awesome.

00:26:49.940 Great explanation.

00:26:51.220 How involved are your daughters with what you're doing? 1.00

00:26:54.460 Are you teaching them, and how do you teach them some of these skills that you're learning and you're working on for yourself?

00:26:59.360 Well, I'm hoping that they'll eventually want to learn this stuff.

00:27:03.400 They're still kind of young.

00:27:04.540 They're 11 and 12.

00:27:05.940 But as they get older, I'm definitely going to be pulling them into more tutorials.

00:27:10.860 And the cool thing is, if they want to learn any of this stuff, there'll be a video tutorial online, so they know where to go to watch the skill set that they need to get stuff done around their house, hopefully.

00:27:23.080 Yeah, that's right.

00:27:23.720 It is so, so valuable.

00:27:25.560 I know I can tell with my wife that sometimes she knows more about a certain task than I do just because she grew up with it, and her dad and brother is teaching her and showing her things and how to use tools and all that stuff.

00:27:37.980 Yeah, just being exposed to it sometimes is enough to kind of get you over that fear factor that you're willing to dive in and at least explore improving your house yourself.

00:27:48.840 And I think it's such a critical skill because, for me, it's problem solving, right?

00:27:53.880 Like you look at a leak or you look at the tile that needs to be fixed or you look at the electrical outlet that you need to work on, and there's a lot of problem solving and critical thinking that goes into that beyond just, hey, I need a new outlet, right?

00:28:06.860 Yeah, definitely.

00:28:07.640 And that's why sometimes I feel bad when people are bashing contractors.

00:28:12.120 They don't realize how much thought process goes into the actions that these ladies and gentlemen have to do every single day when they're out there trying to help homeowners. 1.00

00:28:21.560 So why do you think that people look at contractors and maybe beat them up a little bit?

00:28:28.660 What's the perception there as far as in your eye and your experience?

00:28:33.760 I think one of the things that factors in is when contractors do stuff really quickly and efficiently and then they still charge the $75 or $95, people don't like that.

00:28:43.980 And I heard a story one time when there was a locksmith.

00:28:47.000 When he was first starting out, he said he would charge people $100 and it would take him an hour, hour and a half to pick the lock.

00:28:55.340 And people were thrilled to pay him the money because they could see it took him a long time.

00:29:00.880 But then as he got more and more efficient, he could pick a lock in maybe 15, 20 minutes and then still charge the $100 and people would get upset with him.

00:29:08.800 And it's kind of that same theory in my mind.

00:29:12.600 The quicker the contractor is, he or she is almost being punished for being efficient.

00:29:18.660 And I think we all have to keep in mind that contractors and tradespeople have to feed their families too.

00:29:24.940 And oftentimes they may not have a job tomorrow.

00:29:28.300 So they're trying to do as much as they can with the time that they have on that particular project.

00:29:34.280 So we have to be fair to our tradesmen and women as well. 0.82

00:29:38.980 Well, and it's easy to look and say, okay, that took you 15 minutes and then overlook the literally hundreds if not thousands of hours that you're also paying for because of their experience and getting it done that way.

00:29:48.760 Yeah, that's a great way of looking at it.

00:29:50.760 And I think too is we don't have that appreciation sometimes until we do it for ourselves.

00:29:55.200 I think that's a lot as a server who rely on tips.

00:30:02.240 It's hard for you to appreciate and understand what that's going to be like unless you've gone through that experience for yourself.

00:30:08.180 And so repairing stuff at home and being frustrated and throwing tools and grown men throwing temper tantrums.

00:30:13.840 I'm not speaking from experience there.

00:30:15.700 But yeah, you don't get it until you've done it yourself.

00:30:18.960 Yeah, I think everybody should try to do at least one plumbing project and one electrical and drywall project.

00:30:24.960 Then you'll probably appreciate just how hard it can be.

00:30:28.280 That's right.

00:30:28.840 That's right.

00:30:29.300 I'll have to post some pics on the show notes for this show of me trying to do a drywall project.

00:30:34.820 It was a nightmare and I made a mess.

00:30:37.740 So I'll have to post some pics on the show notes page.

00:30:40.340 I'd love to see those pics.

00:30:41.600 I'm sure the fans would too.

00:30:43.600 We'll do it.

00:30:44.360 So Jeff, if somebody wants to get a hold of you, learn more about what you're doing and connect with you, join your newsletter, whatever it may be, how do they do that?

00:30:51.940 What's the best way to connect with you?

00:30:52.880 My home base is homerepairtutor.com.

00:30:56.180 And so if you want to connect with me, check out our weekly DIY video tutorials on Friday.

00:31:01.940 Go to homerepairtutor.com.

00:31:03.380 I'd be happy to invite you into our community, which is full of awesome do-it-yourselfers.

00:31:09.080 We're also over on – our community is also over on Facebook too.

00:31:12.300 So if anybody wanted to join that, we're 1,000 people strong.

00:31:16.040 It's really fantastic to have a support group that's behind you when you don't know exactly what it is you're doing or you have a question.

00:31:23.160 So, yeah, you can find me on homerepairtutor.com.

00:31:25.780 Awesome.

00:31:26.220 Thank you so much for taking the time today explaining some of the things that we need to know as men about how to fix some of those projects around our house.

00:31:33.520 I appreciate being on the show today.

00:31:34.660 Yeah, Ryan, thanks so much.

00:31:35.480 I appreciate your time too.

00:31:37.660 There you go, guys.

00:31:38.440 Big thanks to Jeff for showing us the way with home improvement and renovation.

00:31:41.020 I think that this is a skill that all of us could improve on as men.

00:31:44.960 Not only will it save us money, but it will, as Jeff mentioned, help us with our critical thinking and problem-solving abilities in every area of our lives.

00:31:52.780 If you need to pick up any of the resources that Jeff and I talked about today, again, go to orderofman.com slash 020.

00:31:58.420 Now, if you enjoyed the show and or learned something new, head over to orderofman.com slash iTunes.

00:32:04.700 Show us some support for the show by leaving us your rating and review.

00:32:07.820 And remember, you'll want to subscribe because this next four to six weeks is an incredible lineup of guests.

00:32:13.860 Next week, I do have an inspiring conversation with a man who has been so incredibly successful as an entrepreneur.

00:32:19.260 We talk about fitness.

00:32:20.320 We talk about exercise.

00:32:21.460 And, of course, we talk about what it means to be a man.

00:32:23.660 You don't want to miss that show.

00:32:24.660 So, guys, I look forward to talking with you next week.

00:32:26.920 But until then, take action and become the man you were meant to be.

00:32:31.060 Thank you for listening to the Order of Man podcast.

00:32:34.020 If you're ready to take charge of your life and be more of the man you were meant to be,

00:32:38.020 we invite you to join the order at orderofman.com.

Order of Man - August 04, 2015

OoM 020： DIY Home Repair with Jeff Patterson

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