In the “old days”, if you had a project at your house, you had to have a friend who knew what he was doing and would come by to help (I’m looking at you Chris K.) . It was part of the neighborhood tradition- knowing who was a plumber, who knew electrical, etc. Today, everyone looks to social media. There are millions of people putting videos up on YouTube and beauty shots on Instagram. Owning a smartphone doesn’t make you an expert contractor though. I’ve seen more *bad* advice than good advice on social media. As a result, I’ve gotten pretty selective about what channels I follow, and who I trust for advice. This is my personal curated list of who I watch for what…
| Publisher | Area of Expertise | Content Description |
| Fine Homebuilding | Everything | I’ve been a subscriber to Fine Homebuilding magazine for over 25 years. The web site is more useful than the YouTube channel, but to get the really good stuff, you have to subscribe (web-only subscriptions are available). Well researched and vetted. (link to website) As a website member, you can post on the forums and get advice from industry pros. (Not as good for newbies- much better for nuanced discussions of deeper questions, like “does anyone have experience with xyz product? I’m doing a bathroom install…”) |
| This Old House | Everything | Tom Silva has been a general contractor for 40 years, and Rich, Norm, and the gang have decades of expertise. TOH only work on multi-million dollar projects, and their clients expect the highest quality work. TOH *brand* that is all about quality, so if they say “this is how to doit”, I believe them. Bonus: The “AskTOH” series is all about helping home owners do their own projects, so it’s a great resource for people just starting out. |
| Vancouver Carpenter | Drywall | I’m not knocking his other content, but he’s my personal go-to resource for drywall and finishing questions. He is thorough and explains the nuances well, so you get a good sense of how to replicate his work. |
| HomeRenoVisionDIY | General renovations | Jeff is an experienced contractor (also in Canada). The videos tend to be long and full of detail, so you aren’t left guessing how he got from one step to the next. He also tends to work through an entire project (e.g bathroom remodel) so you get to see how the various trades interact. He also shares his thoughts on particular products, though we can’t always get the same materials in the US that he gets in Canada. |
| InsiderCarpentry (Spencer Lewis) | Trim carpentry | Spencer is a trim carpentry god. He does exceptional quality work – lots of stain grade stuff, so there’s no way to hide the flaws if you screw up. His videos tend to start with an overview, then break it down step-by-step while sharing all of the tricks (big and small) you’d expect a 16+ year professional to know. |
| Schluter Systems | Tile substrates | I attended Schluter training a while back, and it was an incredibly well-spent 2 days. As a result, I’m a total Schluter convert. They have very helpful videos that explain how to use their products- great to brush up on what you learned in the FREE class. (Hint: go to the class!) |
| Wood Whisperer | Fine woodworking | This may not apply to your projects unless you’re doing a lot of higher end work. I was a furniture maker before I got started on this work, so I admire his quality of work. Great info, but hard to define the niche it fits in for this discussion. |
Feel free to share your own links with me. I’m always open to learning about great new resources!
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