Things I’ve Built

And the Lessons They’ve Taught Me

Patrick Winters
Sep 9, 2018 · 6 min read

I’ve been a DIY builder since I purchased my home in 2011. Building things with real materials complements the enjoyment I get creating and experimenting digitally. I have a number of large projects under my belt that have taught me lessons that have analogs in software engineering.

Large Projects Involve Repetition and Require Commitment

My first major project involved installation of over a thousand square feet of hardwood flooring. Without any previous experience or tools, I decided it would be a good idea to tear up my second story, replace the subfloor, and install the wood myself. When the materials were delivered, I’ll admit that I had a minor panic attack.

Before I made the purchase, I discovered that I had a particle board subfloor that would be an unsuitable substrate for hardwood installation. What already felt too large, unexpectedly became overwhelming. Despite the surprise complications, I examined my budget and decided to move forward anyway.

It turns out that installing flooring is a rather repetitive process. After some creative brainstorming to figure out how to tackle the project in increments, I was left to repeat the same tasks for hundreds of hours. What I thought would be a tremendous learning opportunity started to feel monotonous. I had to dig deep to find the commitment to finish, with a little help from a fast approaching deadline, the birth of my first child.

Flawed Plans and Designs Lead to Rework

With a weed filled front yard, Natalie and I decided to add some character to our home with a flagstone path. Hours of digging, leveling, and organizing delivered us a charming walk to our front door.

After a few months, however, the sand and soil we’d intentionally left between the stones filled in with the worst kinds of weeds. I couldn’t get creeping thyme to fill the gaps like I had wanted, and over the course of the next year or two I must have dug out and reseeded the space a handful of times.

To make matters worse, we’d removed a tree and a small hill in front of the porch steps to the door. Rain water would flow uncomfortably close to the foundation, and I eventually dug up the first 10 feet of the path to bury drainage. Today, the path blends in nicely with a reasonably grassy front lawn, but poor planning and unexpected problems resulted in a lot of rework.

You Ain’t Gonna Need It and You Have to Maintain It

So you move to North Carolina from the big city and you want to use your new space to grow a big garden. I hear you. I wanted to try my hand at growing vegetables and flowers. It turned out that I was pretty good at it, and I built a rough kitchen garden.

What I didn’t anticipate was how much work raising children would be. For the past five years, my garden hasn’t really flourished. Even still, I constantly seem to be out there weeding, mulching, and repairing boxes. We haven’t really had much of a harvest since it’s inaugural run, but we’re still maintaining it.

As another embarrassing example of YAGNI, consider the wood shed that I built to house fuel for all the beautiful fires I would burn in my brick fireplace. It’s sitting empty right now, and has since it was built. We love a good fire in the winter, but unless I install a wood stove in my living room, I’ll never need enough wood to stack that shed.

You Need Help

Despite my enthusiasm, I’ve been unable to complete a single project without the help of friends and family. Not only have I benefitted from a helping hand or a strong back, I’ve received invaluable feedback before and during projects that has helped me stay focused and tamper my ambitions. Besides, the kids love to stand around and pretend to pitch in. When I’ve included others, I’ve enjoyed the work more and had better outcomes.

You’ll Make Careless Mistakes

Exactly a week before my daughter (and third child) was born, I had intended to repair and insulate an exterior wall that had some ancient water damage and a porous membrane. The cold would chill our laundry room in the winter, so I wanted to replace some rotten studs and wrap it up with insulation. Unfortunately, I nicked a copper water pipe with a reciprocating saw and sent myself into a panic. I had to shut off my main water line and call a plumber, on a Sunday. I can’t begin to tell you how much I was shouting in my backyard; thankfully, the kids weren’t at home. It might be my most epic screw up, but like all things, it worked out in the end. On the day that my brother helped me hang some insulation board and wrap it all up, Auri decided to she wanted to join us. After a midnight trip to the maternity warn and some sleepless nights thereafter, I forgot all about it.

Sometimes, Simple is Best

We built a fort! It was simple.

You’re Going to Love Every Minute of It

Smile, you’re doing what you enjoy

All the tricky problems, confusing details, and inevitable mistakes help to increase the sense of self satisfaction you feel when you finish and deliver your project. Each experience makes you better and more prepared for the next, and you’ll build some things you’re really proud of. Do not despair in the hours you pour into your work; you’re doing something you enjoy and building valuable skills.

Make the most of it, and don’t fret about the difficulty. Some things are outside of your control, but you’re still getting to do something that thrills you.

You’ll Impress Yourself

A WIP picture of my personal “Duke Gardens”

I have at times outdone myself, and I find it hard to believe in what I’ve achieved. If I’m careful and committed, I’m able to do things that I wouldn’t have thought I was capable of.

My initial plans for my garden rebuild were much more modest. Yes, I know I said YAGNI; but sometimes you gotta go for it and try something difficult. I’ll admit that I’m still not entirely finished with my garden, but I’m proud of what I accomplished every time I look at it. I put caution to the wind and took a chance, and the rewards made it worth it.

You’ll Impress Others

Your work will get better and provide more value as you improve. The recipients of your projects will notice, and you’ll be rewarded for your hard work. Just remember to self-evaluate and take efforts to learn something new or try something just a little more complicated next time. Self improvement should be a big part of your work.

A tree fort for my boys.
Excited for veggies!
My kids love playing in the “Pirate Ship Mud Kitchen” I built them out back with a sink and running water

Patrick Winters

Written by

Engineer @ Citrix

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