Had a talk with a lady who rewired her whole 1920s house solo

Met an older homeowner on a service call last month who did her own knob and tube replacement over 6 months. She said she learned from YouTube and old code books, and honestly her work was cleaner than half the guys I know. Makes me wonder if we overcomplicate this trade sometimes.

3 comments

3 Comments

craig.sage1mo ago

That line about her work being "cleaner than half the guys I know" really hit me. It's amazing what people can do when they take the time and actually care about the details instead of just rushing through a job. I've seen so many "professional" fixes that look like someone was fighting with the wiring, it's refreshing to hear about someone who actually respected the work. Honestly, if she learned from YouTube and code books and still made it look that good, maybe the trade really isn't as mysterious as we make it out to be.

jesser791mo ago

The real kicker nobody's talking about is how YouTube might actually be making tradespeople better. I've seen guys who've been doing this for twenty years still use the same sloppy methods they learned from someone who learned from someone who didn't give a damn. Meanwhile she's watching a guy in his garage explain the proper way to torque a breaker lug and she's actually doing it. Makes you wonder if the old guard is gonna get shown up by people who never set foot in a trade school.

abby_wilson5114d ago

My uncle has been a commercial electrician for thirty years and he still wires outlets with the ground loop pointing up because that's how his first boss showed him in 1988. I told him about @craig.sage's comment and he just shrugged and said if it works it works. But that kind of thinking is exactly why YouTube tradespeople are gonna leave guys like him in the dust. He spent twenty minutes last week trying to find a stud with a knuckle knock and I could have done it in two with my phone.