Pinetree Home Services

Pinetree Home Services Over 30 years of designing and completing home enhancement projects large and small. Minor electrical, lighting, plumbing, carpentry, trim and finish.

Former US Army NCO. Call, text or message me to discuss your ideas!....Ross Statham

From time to time I get tasked with major drywall repairs- BIG holes in the wall that need to be patched like new. I fir...
08/29/2026

From time to time I get tasked with major drywall repairs- BIG holes in the wall that need to be patched like new. I first found the vertical 2 x 4 studs, and using my large level I drew vertical lines on each side of the hole in the centers of the two studs.

Using the same level, I then drew lines below and above the hole, so I would be able to repair as a squared up rectangle. Using a sharp utility knife, I cut out the rectangle, except for the two places where I found screws in the centers of the studs that I needed to work around. (Not a problem.)

Once I was sure I had cut all the way through the drywall I tapped it with my knuckles until I could remove the pieces and set them aside. (Two or three of the clean pieces I gave to The homeowner so that they could match the paint.) as you can see in the picture I had a nice squared up rectangle to then patch, and wood on three sides!

I carefully measured the needed cut, and using some spare 1/2 inch drywall I cut out the rectangle and set it into the new hole. I screwed it down using five drywall screws, then I put some fiberglass reinforcement tape over all four joints.

About a year ago, I started using fast set drywall compound. In this case, I used my favorite “20 minute set”, and having mixed up a small batch in my plastic bucket. I applied it using a small putty knife. I made sure to work the compound deep into the cracks and to completely cover the fiberglass tape. This is very similar to how you would mud any other drywall joint. In this case, I used the small putty knife to apply the compound where it was needed and to actually over-apply it a little bit. Using my favorite 6 inch putting knife, I began smoothing over the next five minutes until I had a nicely built up joint.

If you’re not good at using drywall compound, don’t sweat it. Just stay after it.

I cleaned up my mess of course since the drywall compound starts to sit in about 20 minutes. I had set my timer when I first started mixing up the compound, so I knew that I needed to be back working on it at about the 2 1/2 to 3 hour mark. So that’s what I did.

Typically, you need three applications of drywall compound to get a pretty patch. Using the faster drying compound, you wait hours, not days, in between layers.

This one was ready to paint the next morning by about 9 AM.

Wrapped up an interesting, complex project yesterday afternoon- stained and polyurethaned pantry shelves. The customer...
08/09/2026

Wrapped up an interesting, complex project yesterday afternoon- stained and polyurethaned pantry shelves. The customer has a wonderful home that's over a hundred years old, so rather than putting boring wire pantry shelves into her large pantry room (a great space, by the way), she wanted to have me put in stained and polyurethaned wood. It was quite an undertaking, and came out great.

I found her some nice 16 inch wide pine and Douglas fir shelving boards from Lowe's (had to go to two stores). Six of her shelves are 16 inch deep, and the wrap-around "L" on the side of the pantry are 12 inches deep. Total of 12 shelves.

Project involved staining the tops, bottoms and edges of all shelves (I used Provincial stain, a warm medium brown), then multiple coats of "fast dry" oil-based polyurethane (which still needs 4-6 hours to cure between coats). Of course, I lightly sanded between coats using 220 grit sandpaper and a sanding block.

I used 1x2 pine boards (stained and polyurethaned with multiple coats!) as wall mounts, then five upright 1x2's to provide support. I drilled out and used gold-colored counter-sunk screws into the walls as well as for the uprights.

The major work for this project was done in my shop before the install-- at one point I had four pairs of sawhorses holding lumber for staining and coating and a VERY full shop. To make sure the dust and grit weren't an issue (and to speed drying), I even ran the A/C in my shop.

Installation day was yesterday (Saturday), and things went smoothly. Had my chop saw set up on a stand in her carport with the pre-finished lumber ready for me to trim and install. I screwed the last board into place at 3:15 pm, cleaned up my mess, took a few final pictures and left behind a delighted customer. "Love it!" she said. I did too.

Furniture assembly isn't particularly difficult-- but it's time consuming, detailed oriented and requires attention to d...
07/01/2026

Furniture assembly isn't particularly difficult-- but it's time consuming, detailed oriented and requires attention to detail. (And sometimes it requires an ability to understand "Engrish", too.) When Audrey and I bought our 122-year-old house in Chipley, it needed more pantry space in the kitchen, and a new six foot cabinet in the bathroom. So... I "get it".

Typically these come in large, heavy boxes that are delivered to your front door. You get to do the rest.

Obviously we put these together for people-- I had an outreach this morning via "Angi" from a couple in Panama City looking for someone to assemble their furniture. Easily done, and in fact, we have a page on our website that describes it:
https://pinetreehome.com/furniture-assembly/

So here's a few tips for those of you who want to do this yourself:
1. Pull everything out of the box and set the items where you can see the numbers. Position them in number order, so that you can find them when needed.

2. Read the instructions through FIRST, look at the box to see if it has an illustration of the finished product.

3. Go slowly, and look carefully at the parts shown (to make sure you're not putting something together upside down, for example).

4. If things aren't looking right, backup.

5. If it says to hold off on tightening until "X", then do what it says!

Be patient. You'll love the result.

Let's talk about china cabinets- a project this past Winter. This is the built-in that came with our 122 year old house...
06/19/2026

Let's talk about china cabinets- a project this past Winter. This is the built-in that came with our 122 year old house, and while it had been loved in the past, it was in need of some "maintenance" to return it to prime time. The hinges and latch were painted over, doors didn't align or even fully close (because they'd been painted over, duh!).

First thing was to fix the doors, and repair the shelves. Combination of sanding, a bit of using the hand plane (just like the good old days), new latch. The old brass hinges had at least four different layers of paint on them, and rather than use a chemical st****er on them, I chipped off the paint while they were installed.

The shelves were in pretty good shape, just a matter of adjustment for most, but did need to replace one. (That's why we have table saws.) A new coat of semi-gloss Valspar (one of my favorite paints), and a like-new cabinet.

But what really made the project was the addition of a series of two "puck" lights above each shelf, with hidden wires down to the controller and transformer hidden out of sight. Then used a bit of white trim to cover the wires above and on the sides. The lights came with a controller that included a timer and dimmer, and all for less than $75.

My wife loves to light this up when we have guests over for dinner, since it's in the dining room. It really lights up that corner of the room in a most pleasant way. She has it dialed down to just the right amount of light, and it shuts off automatically later.

This was one of those projects where I got to use my carpentry, painter, lighting guru and electrical skills. Fun.

This has been one of my most satisfying lighting projects. My buddy Ken and I put high powered solar powered streetlig...
06/18/2026

This has been one of my most satisfying lighting projects.

My buddy Ken and I put high powered solar powered streetlights up at each of the two driveway entrances for the Chipley Church of Christ. No power to hook up, no permit needed with the city. We used Ken's bucket truck to set the two poles, but these will also mount on barns, houses, other buildings. (Ken's a commercial electrician, but again, no permit was needed. But I did make sure to go to "Call before you dig" first and get things marked!)

We’ve had them up two years now and they’re doing great, even on long winter nights. As you can see, they’re strong lights and really do the job. The members at the church have been quite pleased.

If you're looking to add real value to your home- the sort of value that causes potential buyers down the road to want t...
06/17/2026

If you're looking to add real value to your home- the sort of value that causes potential buyers down the road to want to pay your asking price for your property-- consider your landscaping. Landscaping is something that just about anyone that doesn't mind getting dirty can do, and there are several nurseries in the area that are more than willing to look at your current areas and sketch out what they suggest to make it better.

When installing, use a top quality landscaping fabric first, place the plants where you want them, then mark out a circle and cut the fabric. Dig out the dirt and save it for other stuff-- and use a top quality topsoil like Black Kow below and around your plant. Make sure you mulch! I like to use washed brown stone or rubber mulch at my house, just because I'm lazy. Another excellent choice is the relatively inexpensive bagged wood chips. I do NOT recommend pine straw. Looks pretty, but requires annual maintenance- and it's a pretty mediocre mulch.

What about watering? Glad you asked. Use digital timers (these use AA batteries) and half-inch tubing (which you can buy at Lowe's.) Put some small blue watering "heads" at each shrub that are plugged into the tubing, set the timer to water for about a half hour every three days, then leave it alone.

And of course, install plants that make you happy!

I've learned the best way to build customer loyalty is to practice these three things, in all of my dealing with people:...
06/12/2026

I've learned the best way to build customer loyalty is to practice these three things, in all of my dealing with people:
- Care about them.
- Take ownership of their problems.
- Do everything you said you would do, when you said you would.

Your comments appreciated.....Ross Statham

Barn doors are an interesting way to separate rooms. I designed and built this one from plywood and 1x6. (I like the p...
06/07/2026

Barn doors are an interesting way to separate rooms. I designed and built this one from plywood and 1x6. (I like the plywood because it made for a sturdier and robust door, and was easily stained.) The boss lady loved the results!

Ripped the plywood into “boards” that glued and screwed onto the 1x6 frame. Used pocket screws to assemble the frame, similar to furniture construction. These doors can be a challenge, but are great if you have the space.

This was in a shop; also works well for home interiors.

I’ve also installed these from online “put it together” kits. Either way, I do like the results!

Need a split rail or privacy fence? Can do.
06/07/2026

Need a split rail or privacy fence? Can do.

I should have taken a few photos “before.” Completely transformed this back foyer. New trim, glass insert, major light...
06/07/2026

I should have taken a few photos “before.” Completely transformed this back foyer. New trim, glass insert, major lighting upgrade.

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Chipley, FL
32428

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