THE THREE PHASES OF EVERY FIX

1 Preparedness

Your local fire department is the perfect example of preparedness. When a call comes in, no one rummages around to find the truck key, nor does the squad roar out only for the truck to run out of fuel. There are only a few key things to know for preparedness: Think through every job beforehand and try to make one run for supplies. Make an inventory of your bits and blades before beginning. If anything is dulled, damaged, dirty, or disappeared, deal with it now, not mid-project.

2 Execution

Keep tools, hardware, and materials off the floor as you work. I use a couple of sawhorses spanned by a piece of plywood for nearly every job I do, from construction to replacing a sink. I’ve written before about my fondness for magnet trays to keep screws, bolts, and parts in one place. As you work, pay attention to assembly. Make a record using your phone. As to accuracy and workmanship, learn what scale suits the job. A house isn’t built or repaired like a piece of furniture.

3 Clean-up

Clean-up in the mechanical realm is not unlike doing the dishes before you go to bed. No one likes to wake up to a kitchen that looks like the scene of a drone strike. So it is with your garage and work area. If the job requires a second day (or more), you can still remove scraps, sweep the floor, gather your tools, and take inventory. If the job is complete, the work area should be restored to a pre-project level

of orderliness, which leads you right back to number one.