SideQuest 02: The Magic of Trim, Toilet Levers & Why We DIY
Welcome to the second Side Quest!
In these mini-episodes, we step away from the technical tutorials to share stories from the field, get personal, and dig into the why behind what we do.
This week, Samantha, Arly, and Emily discuss taking that first scary step into home repair, why "choice" is the most powerful tool in your box, and the tiny design details that make a huge difference.
Start Small (Like, Really Small)
When Samantha asked, "What is one step a woman could take to dip her toe into home repair?" Emily’s answer was simple: Pick one small thing that bugs you.
Maybe it’s a wobbly doorknob. Maybe it’s a picture frame that isn’t quite level. Maybe, like Samantha, it’s the cracked caulk in your bathtub that you’ve been ignoring for a year.
You don't have to renovate your kitchen to be handy. Fix the annoying thing. Feel the relief. Get the dopamine hit. Then, tackle the next thing.
The Power of Choice
Arly made a brilliant point about why we focus on teaching women. Home repair has traditionally been an "inherited male skill"—something dads pass down to sons.
But knowing how to fix a toilet isn't just about saving money (though swapping a $5 wax ring yourself vs. paying a plumber $300 is a nice bonus). It’s about choice.
"You can choose to clean your own home, or if you can afford it, you can have someone else clean it... Sometimes it's not about not having the resources, but about preferring to put those resources somewhere else."
When you know how your home works, you aren't at the mercy of a contractor. If they say you need a whole new toilet, you have the knowledge to say, "Actually, I just need a new flapper." That confidence prevents you from being taken advantage of.
The "Magic" of Design
We also celebrated a big milestone for Emily: completing her first full design project (a half-bath renovation!).
Emily’s superpower is seeing things that don't exist yet. She reminded us that design isn't just about knocking down walls; it’s about details.
Did you know you can change the color of your toilet lever to match your faucet?
Did you know the shape of a mirror can change the entire mood of a room?
Whether you are looking for function (Arly’s satisfying trim carpentry) or beauty (Emily’s design vision), My Handyman is here to help you with both.
Links & Resources Mentioned
Community: Join the How to Handyma’am Facebook Group to ask questions and post your project pics!
Products We Love: Find the tools mentioned in this episode at our storefront:
Connect with Us!
Socials: @howtohandymaam
Credits
Host -Samantha Pearl
Host- Arly Streed
Host - Emily Pearl Reist
Music- Thomas Streed
Transcript
0:00
Welcome to the side quest.
I had a song earlier which we.
Did before we descended into I.
Can't remember it, but anyway, hello friends, welcome back to Side quest #2.
So these little snippets are so we can tell you about stories from the field that have nothing to do with the education that we do on Fridays, some crazy experiences we've had.
0:24
Help you or have me help you get to know these two ladies a little bit more and probably me in the meantime also.
And just be able to talk about why educating women on how to take care of their own homes is so important to us.
Emily, I wanted to ask you what is one step, besides our podcast of course, that a woman could take to dip her toe into home repair?
0:52
I think honestly, just picking one small thing that bugs you.
So like once you figure it out, you feel that relief in your home and fixing it.
So like if it's like this wobbly doorknob, your bathroom door doesn't lock or something like that, or this picture isn't hung quite right, or I want to hang this picture or something.
1:10
That's smart.
Just I.
Think one thing that kind of like now at.
You.
And then accomplish that.
And then it's like like you get like a like fun feeling from.
That's true.
Yeah, I I know the one I did most recently in my house and this is true.
1:28
Like the old saying is like the Cobblers kids never have shoes.
Well, the construction workers house is never done.
Nope.
So I went, I don't know, a year where the cock was cracking in our bathtub and it just needed to be fixed.
And that was one small thing that I was not necessarily excited about doing.
1:45
But then when I was done, I was like, Oh yeah, Oh yeah, the cock is done.
The cock.
Is done.
And then?
Just be able to cross it off.
So yeah, just pick the thing that's like right in front of you.
That thing, whatever that thing is, you know you're gonna look to the left right now and you're gonna see that thing that's bugging you or to the.
2:02
Right.
Unless you're driving, please keep your eyes on the road.
Yes.
Harley, why do you think it's important for women to learn basic home repair skills?
I think it's, I mean, first of all, I think it's like important for anybody to learn basic home stills.
The reason I think it's more important maybe for us to teach women is because it's almost like an inherited like male skill currently, you know, dads are like, I'll give you this toolbox box when you turn 16 son or something.
2:31
Like, you know, this is obviously stereotypical or whatever, but my dad taught me how to use tools like since I was really young and since I have lived on my own, I can pretty much fix anything for the most part with that.
2:50
Doesn't need a permit, which but anyway, and it's important to be able to fix things.
And also, like, a lot of people can get like, hired to fix your doorknob or like help you get that little thing of that little nail into your baseboard and stuff.
3:11
But you'd have to spend money to do that.
And a lot of us are perfectly capable of doing it on our own.
And I think that women should have the ability to choose whether they want to give that responsibility to somebody else because they don't want to, or do it themselves because they can.
3:29
And it's very much about choices like you can choose to clean your own home, or if you can afford it, you can have someone else clean it, but it doesn't.
Well, that's a great example because if you pay a plumber to come and change like your toilet is leaking and you come have them fix that, they're going to change your wax ring and that will cost you a few $100.
3:47
You could change your own racks, wax ring for $5 and then spend that money on having somebody clean your whole house for you.
Yeah.
So sometimes it's not about not having the resources, but about like preferring to put those resources somewhere else.
Or maybe you know you're not going to be good at trim carpentry, so you do your toilet repair and save up to have a master Carpenter come in and do what you want.
4:08
Choices where to spend your money and how to spend your time.
And if if you know, say you decided you know what is wrong with your toilet and you want to hire a plumber and you say I want to hire this out and your plumber says, oh, I got to replace this whole thing, you got to get a new toilet, you'll be able to say, no, I understand what the problem is and I do not need a new toilet.
4:32
Yeah.
You know.
You're not always going to be right sometimes, but you have enough knowledge to be able to say what yes and and so you can feel confident that you can have a contractor come into your home and you won't be taking advantage of.
4:52
Well, you've been at this professionally now for 2 1/2 years, Arlie.
What is the project, the specific project that you think maybe it's not the one, but one of the most satisfying projects that you've completed over the last 2 1/2 years?
I got to say, like fun trim carpentry, that's really fun.
5:13
It's just when I can kind of get a little crafty and like maybe there's a couple of spots that are a little bit tricky to get around or we have to get creative because there's existing trim or there's some kind of Wonka fide area in somebody's house that that needs to be fixed or something.
5:33
I think that's the best.
That's my favorite.
You can make such an immediate difference with.
That especially because like you can do like the functional area of trim, which is still satisfying because you can get like nice clean miter cuts and stuff, but you can also do like decorative trim like something that really transforms like the mood of a space and all of that is really fun and I get to be a little bit creative and also it's satisfying at the end when you're done, you've made all your measurements and you've nailed everything into the wall you've done your caulk, you've done your wood fill and then you drag a paintbrush over it and then all of like the little imperfections that have been sanded down but are still like visually you can still see them because it hasn't been painted yet just.
6:25
Disappear.
Disappear.
It's so satisfying and.
As we built the this business over the last few years, Emily, what is something that you're very proud of?
The completion of my first design project.
Which was this?
Was this year whenever you hear this?
6:43
It was in 2025.
I designed 1/2 bath and it was like stepping out on a limb but it was honestly amazing Like I really want to do more design projects and so seeing one from start to finish and like the little things I noticed like the toilet lever I had matched all the accessories and the client was like I would have never thought of that so like.
7:06
The little.
Everybody listening here wouldn't have thought of that.
You can change the color of your toilet lever.
Yeah.
And it makes it look like like when you think about those little details, that's when it starts feeling like designer level and stuff.
And so just seeing that project through and also like the crew cared so much to make sure that project went well.
7:25
And I felt really loved cuz like I would check in and they'd.
Be like this is my yeah, this is my first design project.
How's it going?
Would be just executed it poorly be this.
Yeah, so it.
That was really like and I was very happy the client took a chance on I'm.
Always amazed at your talent for seeing things that don't exist.
7:45
Yeah, like actual, like visual things, like I can see like a business that doesn't exist yet.
I can imagine what that looks like.
But when it comes to like, like physical things, like in a house, I just can't.
And I know Arlie can do that.
But Emily, you're particularly good at that, which is great because some people are just like, I don't know what I want, but I will know if I like it if I see it.
8:09
And you're able to show that to them.
I.
Have like some ideas of like not design really, but like like when I, when we talk about picking a color for a room or something, like I know how I want a room to feel and like cozy or kind of like sterile, you know, or whatever it might be.
8:29
And sometimes I'm like, I really like these things and I want it to be this and this and this.
And I can't really do that thing where you magicify it.
But I'm also.
You're a wizard, Harry.
Yeah.
I'm also a little bit more like reserved when it comes to like design choices and stuff like that because I always thought like I wanted things to be kind of neutral and then I could add in my own personality.
8:56
But I have been learning from you that like, I do like things that are a little bit more out there than I originally thought.
And I, I see some of the things that you do and I'm like, Oh, I really like that.
Never would have thought about it or never would have like noticed that like that specific shape of the mirror or something and be like, oh, this is really, this is really making it, you know?
9:21
I think the trademark of an artist of any kind, whether it's a painter, you know, someone who sketches a singer or like Emily with her design work, in addition to many other things, is they can create something that captures the way you feel If you ever listen to a song that is just like the exact right song for that moment, moment in your life.
9:43
Well, artists do that on the on canvas in many ways.
And Emily really is able to like you're like, where where am I am in my life right now?
Emily's able to capture that.
So it's fun that on the main podcast that we share, I mean, our sort of one of our unofficial tag lines for the main business, this is we make it beautiful, we make it work.
10:04
And Emily really captures that that part that we make it beautiful part.
And so for those of you that are listening, you can ask us about useful things that are functional, but you can also ask us about things that you want to be beautiful.
10:20
And if you come to the how to Handyman group on Facebook, you can, you can upload pictures which color is better, this color, this color.
And Emily will answer those questions for you.
Well, thanks for joining us for this side quest and we'll see.
See you again this Friday for our next episode.
Bye.
