Just realized I've been overthinking attic runs after a talk with an old timer

I was helping a guy who's been doing this since the 90s on a job in Springfield last week... we were in a tight attic with blown-in insulation, and I was about to start moving it all to lay a clean line. He just looked at me and said, 'Kid, you're making a dust cloud for nothing. Just push a fish stick through the fluff, find the joist, and zip-tie the cable to the side of it. The insulation will cover it, and the homeowner never goes up here anyway.' It hit different because I've always been taught to keep everything neat and visible... but his way saved us an hour and the cable was still secure and out of the way. Made me rethink all the 'right way' stuff they drill into you that just adds time without real benefit for the customer. How many other little time-wasters are we doing just because it's how we learned?

3 comments

3 Comments

ninah102mo ago

That old timer logic is solid. Reminds me of a plumber who would just notch the back of a cabinet toe kick to run a supply line instead of opening the wall. Some guys just see the direct path.

henderson.mason2mo agoMost Upvoted

That direct path thinking can cause problems down the line though. What happens when someone remodels the kitchen and rips that cabinet out? Now there's a pipe exposed in the floor with no protection. Or a future homeowner tries to install a dishwasher and finds a supply line in the way. Sometimes the longer way is the right way because it thinks about the next guy.

logan64813d ago

Shook me when I pictured that cabinet getting ripped out and a homeowner finding a water line just sitting there unprotected @ninah10. That's a lawsuit waiting to happen or at least a messy repair job. I get the old timer's speed logic but skipping basic protection feels like gambling with someone else's house. Maybe the real trick is learning which corners to cut and which ones will come back to bite you.