I am working almost every day on remodeling my house. How is that "prepping"? Because I have very little experience doing that. So for the last couple of years I have made it a goal to do as much home repair and home remodel as I can myself. This way I will build more hands on skills other than my total dependence on computer/management work.

Of course I do a lot of the other more typical prepping of beans bullets, and band-aids, too.

So far I have really stretched myself beyond what I am confortale with, but gain a tremendous amount of satisfaction taking my time and doing things much better than standard construction, but a bit less than journeyman craftsman.

- Tore out a funky walkin closet in master bedroom that was not framed properly. Lead to tearing out all the wallboard and carpet, particleboard underlayment too. I rebuilt the closet including proper reinforcement in the rafters. Then I added soundproofing and hung new drywall. I chickened out and hired a a contractor to tape and mud the drywall and lay hardwood floors (gorgeous work).

- Built three garage cabinets with 3/4" plywood and a self-designed cat hutch (compact way to store cat food, eating platform, and elevated sleeping platform. I had never built cabinets before and learned a lot about joints and shelf supports (used Kreg pocket hole tool, routed dados, etc.).

- Laid a 13' x 4.5' porcelain tile hearth in the den, after moving the 350 lb wood stove and 400 lb concrete hearth by myself. I learned why most people do not lay 18" tiles and stick with much lighter 12" tiles! Turned out pretty good. Got help moving the stove back though!

- Have removed all the carpet and vinyl from the kitchen and adjoining den. TIP: Removing particle board underlayment from around the cabinets and cooking island is a PITA! Learned about proper leveling of the subfloor. Found a great local supplier for the select Hickory 2.25" strips and trim and it has been acclimating in my den for a couple of weeks. Have laid half the plywood underlayment and will finish this weekend.

- I have the power nailers and everything to start nailing the strips down later this week. Then lots of sanding and Waterlox finishes.

- TODAY, I finished rebuilding about half of my central air duct work (4" - 10" round) as it was damaged and installed wrong anyway. Learned all about duct work, elbows, hangers, mastic tape, and working in dusty 18" crawl spaces (use a dust mask).

Next year I will install hardwood floors (white oak) in the living room and stairs. And re-roof the house, though that may be contracted out for. Although I roofed houses and apartments in my youth, at 57 yrs old and earning good money it seems silly to work on the roof myself. Still debating with myself.

Overall it is a TON of work. Every project is a new set of codes, procedures, tools, and materials. But I am learning a lot, getting tremendous satisfaction from a job well done, and building up a set of tools to tackle nearly any house job.

I am gaining a lot of knowledge but have not done any project enough times to where I am as speedy as a tradesman. But if worse came to worse and I had to find another job or start a business in a non-computer area, I feel I have much more knowledge and experience than before. I could never earn anywhere near what I do now, but I might be able to eke out a survival income.