That detail about switching to a crew that tracks output really got me @ruby659. 50,000 bricks is insane when you stop and think about it. I've laid maybe 2,000 in my entire life on random weekend projects and my back still hurts just thinking about that. You must have hands of steel after 12 years of that.

Bet that napkin budget would've been considered a "sacred document" or something. Amazing how fast trust turns into a blank check when there's a pulpit involved.

Pat, you're reading too much into it. The guy's just trying to not waste food or money, which is a solid goal. We all have those weeks where the kitchen turns into a clown car of duplicate ingredients.

Cheap stuff always costs you twice" - yep, learned that the hard way with a $40 blender that caught fire.

My buddy Lenny tried that trick on a Victorian with those curved interior walls. @brooket43 you might have steady hands but he ended up with a 6 inch gash in the plaster. Took him two hours with joint compound to fix it. Said his banjo was slipping all over the place on that radius.