What we believe, in writing.
Eight commitments we make to the reader, every time, on every guide. Some of them are inherited from older publications we admire; some we have learned the hard way, in our own homes.
We update this page whenever we change our minds about one. The list has changed twice in the last two years; the changes are noted in the issue colophon.
Five quiet rules we refuse to break.
Every editorial publication has a posture. These are ours — taped to the wall above the desk where the next issue is being written.
- 01
Beginners first, always.
Every guide assumes you have never opened a wall, never sweated a pipe, never owned a multimeter. We define every word the first time we use it. We show the photo. We name the part. If a step would scare a beginner, that step gets rewritten until it doesn't.
In short"No prior knowledge required."
- 02
Real numbers, not vague ranges.
When a project costs $1,847, we tell you it cost $1,847 — and we list the line items. When it took two long Saturdays, we say two long Saturdays. The honest number is more useful than the optimistic one, and the optimistic one is how people end up halfway through a job they cannot afford to finish.
In short"Receipts, not estimates."
- 03
We test what we recommend.
No product appears in a guide unless someone on the team has used it on their own house, in their own life, for at least one full project. We do not accept review units. We do not run "best of" lists for things we have only read about. If we are unsure, we say so out loud.
In short"Used it. Kept it. Or didn't."
- 04
When you should call a pro, we tell you.
There is a quiet category of internet advice that pretends every job is a DIY job. It isn't. Gas lines, structural changes, panel work, anything behind a permit — we will tell you to put the wrench down and pick up the phone. Knowing the limit is part of the craft.
In short"Knowing when to stop is a skill."
- 05
No sponsored content disguised as advice.
We do not take affiliate kickbacks for the tools we suggest. We do not run paid placements wearing the costume of an editorial review. Sponsorships, when they exist, are labeled in 16‑point type at the top of the page. The trust is the product.
In short"The trust is the product."
These principles are the agreement between us and the reader. When we break one — and we will, eventually — we will say so on this page, in this list, with the date.
Last revised · MMXXVI · Issue 14
The rest of the masthead.
Each of these is a short page. Most readers walk all five in one sitting; some come back once a year to see what we have changed our minds about.
Who writes this
Four editors, three states, three first houses they will not stop talking about.
How we test a guide
Seven steps from a Saturday-morning question to a published article.
Write to the editors
We read every reply. Here is the kind of letter that gets answered fastest.
Press & syndication
Logos, recent mentions, syndication terms, and how to commission us to speak.