Article contentDo all your wiring with the safety cable attached to the metal box. This means you don’t have to both hold the light and work with the wires.Article contentLucas’ oldest child, April, was fascinated with wiring, so Lucas let them ‘play’ with it in safe, controlled environments, changing lights, and rewiring plug sockets. When they were 16, they had a plan to fix a panel load problem that even the contractor couldn’t solve. The contractor let them do all the work and double-checked each step. Her budding electrician then read electrical books, watched videos and read electrical code manuals.Article contentWhen April was 18, Lucas let them wire another house. When the electrician came to inspect the work, he gave her tips and tricks. April repaired any mistakes, and the electrician came back and signed off on it.Article contentApril is now going into her third year of electrical engineering.Article contentArticle content“Wiring doesn’t have to be scary, but it does need a ton of respect and careful planning,” says Lucas.Article content When it comes to DIY, you have to start somewhere, says Shawna Lucas. ContributedArticle contentWindow Trim – Custom trim looks nice and is relatively easy if you have patience for measuring and cutting and painting and filling nail holes. Lucas buys cheap shelf pine board and has spent hours making beautiful custom trim for her windows.Article content The after: Lucas turned this closet into an organized, functional and beautiful space. ContributedArticle contentWhen to bring in the expertsArticle contentSometimes you need to save money, and sometimes you need things done quickly, notes Lucas.Article contentFor example, she can mud drywall, but is painstaking slow at it. Depending on her schedule, she says, it is a wonderful treat to bring in a professional taper and mudder when she is in the middle of a project.Article contentLucas also uses a professional when rerunning water lines or when doing a lot of complex plumbing that involves working with different types of pipes and connections, especially if the connections are in a floor or ceiling that is hard to get at, should a leak occur.Article content After three weeks living in what she describes as chaos, Shawna Lucas was thrilled with the final result. ContributedArticle contentWhere to start?Article contentThe thing with DIY, says Lucas, is you are always going to be better at something after you have done it once.Article contentThis means the first time you do it, it isn’t going to be your best.Article content“I have redone things I did 20 years ago with a little shake of the head, both frustrated with what I didn’t know and amazed at all I know now,” she says.Article contentYou have to start somewhere, she adds.Article content
How to get handy at DIY projects in your home
