10 things I've learned during the house renovation

1. Don't use silicone caulk on places where you still need to paint. Oopsie. (This mistake I made cost us at least 3 hours scraping out and sanding the caulk, replacing with new acrylic caulk and priming.)
2. The holes in the top of the ladder are for tools, so they don't fall when you move the ladder or fall off the ladder while you're working. Brilliant.
3. Trust your gut when hiring for a job.
4. Wonder bars and pry bars rule. I love leverage.
5. Ain't nothing a little caulk can't fix.
6. The house painter says to paint last, the floor guy says to do the floors last, and the drywall guy says do the drywall last. I hire the guy who has the availability to do the job. It all has to be done.
7. I'm so grateful for people who have skill sets that allow them to do things that seem very hard & frustrating to someone else.
8. McCoy's is cheaper than Home Depot.
9. Listen to your mother and don't wear flip-flops on the job site!
10. In order to avoid big nail holes in the trim you want to re-use, pry nails out of the back - don't hammer them out. See below.

Leverage. see #4.