My Dad's This and That

06/12/2026

Old-Fashioned Values

It's how I was raised, and it's the foundation I wanted to build my small contracting business on.

Be reliable. Show up when you say you will, and do what you said you would do. When a homeowner hires a contractor, they're expecting a service in exchange for their hard-earned money. Don't disappoint them. Disappointment is a hard debt to pay back.

Being lied to sucks, so be honest. It costs you nothing, and it pays dividends in the long run.

Communicate. Call the customer back. Check in a few days before the appointment, and follow up a few days after the work is complete. Let people know what they can expect from you and what the process will look like. I like to walk customers through a project during the interview process and hear any expectations they may have so I can meet them. And if I can't, I'll tell them. If they choose another contractor, that's okay too.

Be trustworthy. Do the things above, and trust tends to follow naturally.

Be clean. For me, it starts with something simple: being presentable. Leave the ratty T-shirt with last week's paint stains at home. Wear a clean work shirt. Remember, the customer is meeting a complete stranger for the first time and inviting them into their home. Looking professional is one of the easiest ways to put a homeowner's mind at ease. And when the job is done, let the only evidence that you were in their home be the completed work.

I had the benefit of watching my father build his own company around these same values, and I worked alongside him from the time I was 16 years old. Back then, a handshake and a man's word were as good as a contract.

I still believe they should be.

-Brandon Wright
My Dad's This and That
804-517-6854
[email protected]

06/01/2026

I like my Dan steely

ISOtunes

05/27/2026

05/25/2026

Stephanie and Clayton needed their daughters’ bathrooms refreshed.

New paint, new mirrors, and more storage.

The surface mounted mirrors were replaced with in-wall mounted mirrors for added storage for those small things that typically find themselves on the countertop, and I installed niche cabinets in the walls as well. The 3-gang light switches were moved down to be in line with the outlet, to accommodate the new niches.

05/20/2026

Most don’t show up.

I’ve developed a clear understanding of common concerns by consistently listening to feedback from my customers regarding their experiences with other contractors. The most frequent issue they report is surprisingly simple: reliability.

Many contractors express interest in taking on a job, but fail to follow through. Missed appointments, lack of communication, and unreturned calls are all too common. Ultimately, professionalism is not just about the work itself—it’s about showing up, communicating clearly, and doing what you say you will do.

05/09/2026

Replacing the floorboard heaters with pine baseboard in this mid century addition to a circa 1816 home was a challenge in a few ways-

Trying to find a stain that would match the 60+ year old walls took a few tries, but I found a winner. The amber shellac gave the new pine baseboard just what it needed to fit in.
The other challenge was finding a baseboard that would even work. Most baseboards are 4” tall, and I needed to fill the hole that the heaters left. I had a local lumber mill match a profile and gave them exact height requirements, and they turned out a great product.
The most difficult part of this job was carrying 12 foot pieces of 8” pine through a house that had civil war relics, very old antiques from the early 20th century, and older, without knocking anything over!
I told the customer that it was like playing Operation, but with very expensive artifacts instead of tweezers.
I’m thrilled with how it turned out.

05/04/2026

Noel purchased this set of pre hung glass doors from Home Depot and hired me to install them.
I had an audience that day from a very inquisitive young lady as well as Mr Flash Gordon who was the goodest boy. Flash doesn’t like pin nailer guns and let me know that. He also loved on me and made sure that I did a good job.