Cooking Up Mistakes

I read Dawn Dominy Mayeda’s article about remodeling her kitchen (“Ad Was Recipe for Cooking Up New Kitchen,” Sept. 20), and it reminded me of so many stories I’ve heard before. I’m a professional carpenter, and am often surprised at how willingly non-professionals dive into complicated building projects on their own. It’s not that easy.

We’ve already made most of the mistakes Mayeda tells about, and our goal is to make each of those mistakes just once. And, with the guidance of a good contractor, we all work together--framers, electricians, plumbers, etc. We try to make things easy for the next tradesman down the line.

My point is that a building contractor earns his money, and I’m not convinced that homeowners always save money, anyway, considering the problems and inefficiencies that they usually encounter on a difficult project.

And--with all due respect--I can usually spot a homeowner-run project from a mile away, in the end.

MURRAY NIES, Coronado