Biggest Issue With Any Home Project

Summary

Podcast Summary: You Betcha Radio

Episode: "Biggest Issue With Any Home Project"

Date: November 17, 2025
Hosts: Myles (You Betcha Guy), Ryan, Tyler, Jerrod

Overview

In this episode of You Betcha Radio, the gang dives deep into the quirks, pitfalls, and best practices of tackling home improvement projects—Midwestern style. Bringing plenty of humor, personal anecdotes, and practical advice, the hosts dissect everything from shiplap installation to the mental hurdles of “finishing” a project. They also riff on Midwest culture, manly project mindsets, and a very pressing question: bear crawling or doing up-downs?

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The "Flexible" Home Project Timeline

• No Concrete Plan? That's the Midwest Way
  • Host A (Myles) sets the stage, asking for tips on shiplap and LVP flooring, admitting he has a very loose timeframe (00:00-00:13).
  • B (Tyler) celebrates the luxury of not setting a hard start date:

    "That has gotta feel so good to not have a concrete plan...for me, knowing that, you know, this winter I should put up the studs in my basement...that feels good." (00:13)

  • They discuss how rigid deadlines can actually take the fun out of home projects.

2. Shiplap Wisdom

• Tongue-and-Groove (TNG) All the Way

  • Ryan (C) shares:

    "Tng, you gotta. I mean, you gotta get the tng. I've did shiplap with just using, like, the spacers. That's pain in the ass." (01:06)
    "Gotta go tongue and groove." (01:13)

  • Practical Tip: Always measure about a quarter inch longer than you think you'll need—"if I got to go cut twice, it’s fine." (01:14)

• Orientation Matters

  • B explains:

    "Which way the planks go matter in the room...if you're going vertical ship lap or horizontal ship lap. Completely different game." (01:52)

  • They humorously compare this to striped shirts:

    "It's like a fat guy with like a striped shirt. Looks skinnier with a vertical shirt." (03:08; A)

• Visual Tricks

  • Vertical shiplap makes rooms feel taller; horizontal “brings the ceiling down.” (02:51)

• Paint Before You Install

  • C advises:

    "If you're gonna paint the ship lap too, I'd paint it before you put it up...otherwise you got to get in the fucking grooves." (03:39-03:49)

• Embrace the Rustic

  • B shares a shortcut:

    "Try and go rustic feel in the room because then you don't got to fill the nail holes...if you got some exposed ones, that’s just character." (03:50-04:10)

3. The Biggest Issue: Mental “Finish Lines”

• Defining When a Project Is Actually Done
  • B offers a key insight:

    "I mentally have a I'm finished point and I usually have that point be wrong." (04:16)

  • Example: He stopped at "bench is there" when it really wasn’t done until stained and caulked.
  • Same with shiplap—the real end is: “once it’s up and the trim is on, then this project is done.” (05:11)
  • B:

    "The house wasn’t finished once it was...Once the house numbers were up, the house was done." (05:33)

  • Their advice? Set the correct mental endpoint, or you’ll move on before it’s truly finished.

4. Shiplap Installation Logistics

• Staggering Planks
  • A asks if rows should be staggered or uniform; B clarifies:

    "If your wall's not very big...no splices needed. If the wood piece isn't long enough...definitely should not have it all splicing in the same spot." (06:42-07:04)

5. Midwest Fitness Hypothetical

• Bear Crawl vs. Up-Downs
  • A offers: "Would you rather bear crawl 50 yards or do 50 up downs?" (07:07)
  • C and B quickly agree bear crawling is better:

    "I'm bear crawling 50 yards for sure." (07:15; C)
    "Remember...the last time you did a burpee, but burpees suck." (07:39; B)

  • Laugh about sore muscles after projects:

    "People love saying that...‘I must have been using muscles I didn’t normally use.’" (08:04; B)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Deadlines:

  “For me, knowing that...this winter I should put up the studs in my basement...that feels good to me. Like, to me, that’s a plan. But to be like, all right, on December 18th, I am going to start doing this. I’m, like, dreading that day.” — Tyler (B) [00:13]

• On Shiplap Orientation:

  “It’s like a fat guy with like a striped shirt. Looks skinnier with a vertical shirt.” — Myles (A) [03:08]

• On Rustic Aesthetics:

  “If you got some exposed ones, you’re like, that’s just character.” — Tyler (B) [04:10]

• On Mental Finish Lines:

  “Mentally I should have been like, once this thing is stained and cocked, then the project’s done.” — Tyler (B) [04:34]

• Project Wisdom:

  “Make sure you set the right end point mentally for the project.” — Tyler (B) [06:33]

• Midwest Humor:

  “Remember...the last time you did a burpee, but burpees suck.” — Tyler (B) [07:39]

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:13 – Celebrating the freedom of a loose project plan
• 01:06 – Shiplap tips: Go with TNG, measurement tricks
• 02:01 – Importance of plank orientation (visual effects)
• 03:39 – Painting shiplap before install
• 04:16 – Pitfall: wrong “finished” points on projects
• 05:33 – Example: House not done until the numbers are on
• 06:42 – Staggering vs. uniform shiplap rows
• 07:07 – Bear crawl vs. up-downs hypothetical

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Final Takeaways

• Flexible timelines make home projects more enjoyable—don’t sweat set start dates.
• Go tongue-and-groove for shiplap; paint before installing; embrace “imperfections” for rustic charm.
• The mental endpoint for a project defines how “finished” you’ll actually get—set it right!
• Burpees are universally despised—bear crawls are the Midwest pick.
• The guys blend real advice with classic Midwestern humor, making even DIY woes sound like part of the fun.

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Missed the episode? This summary captures the DIY wisdom, relatable struggles, and signature You Betcha banter.

Transcript

[A]

Terry Aki. Still plan on doing shiplap in the next 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 weeks. Gotta put some LVP flooring in in the next 2, 3, four, five weeks. First, any new tips or tricks that I need to be aware of?

[B]

Well, first of all, that has gotta feel so good to not have a concrete plan. You know, like, a lot of people. A lot of people get stressed about not having a concrete plan. But for me, knowing that, like, you know, this winter, I should. I should put up the studs in my basement, start finishing it off, you know? Like, that feels good to me. Like, to me, that's a plan. But to be like, all right, on December 18th, I am going to start doing this. I'm, like, dreading that day.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

But if I wake up on a Saturday and I'm like, I'm gonna go get some lumber.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Great feeling. So kudos to you for not having a concrete plan. That sounds awesome. And, Ryan, you're the shiplap guy, so I'll maybe defer to you on the ship lap. I've hung ship lap before.

[C]

Yeah. Tng, you gotta. I mean, you gotta get the tng. I've. I've did shiplap with just using, like, the spacers. That's pain in the ass.

[B]

Gotta go tongue and groove.

[C]

Gotta go tng. On top of that, I. And I always measure, like, quarter inch longer than what I actually need. It depends on if you're putting it over hardwood or carpet. Now, I've put, like, when I did it at my old house, I already had trim on the bottom. It took the trim off, but it was in a carpeted room, so there's some play there. I always measure quarter inch longer. If I got to go cut twice, it's fine.

[B]

Yeah. Another, like, something to think about when you're doing it, too, is where the line's going, you know, because if you're doing lvp, right, you're doing planks.

[C]

Yep.

[B]

Which way the planks go matter in the room. And also depends if you're going vertical ship lap or horizontal ship lap. Completely different game.

[C]

Makes a big difference.

[B]

You got to think about those things, you know, is the. Is the flooring going this way and then you go horizontal? Might be weird. Maybe you want the planks to go the same way as the ship laps. So they're all going like that.

[C]

Yeah, you could do it. You could also do herring bone.

[B]

Could do herringbone. Might be a little. Little more than you bargained for, though.

[C]

Yeah. And we only got two, three, four, Five, six weeks to do this. So.

[B]

So yeah, there's a lot to think about. You know, you want, you want all your lines in the room to be leading to the thing that matters the most. So if it's a bedroom, you want it leading to the bed?

[A]

Hell yeah.

[C]

The show.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Hell yeah. Now you're speaking my leg. Now we're talking, boys, you know, now we're talking.

[B]

That's pro. Just chat. GPT it like there's some science behind if. It's got to be that if the ship laps, going vertical probably makes the, the room feel taller and, and, and larger. Where if they're going horizontal, it'll bring the ceiling down a little bit. Stuff like that.

[A]

It's like a fat guy with like a striped shirt.

[B]

Correct.

[A]

It looks skinnier with a vertical shirt.

[C]

Yeah, yeah.

[B]

The stupid bumblebee ones that the Steelers wear.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

All those guys look so tall in those uniforms.

[C]

I agree. Yeah.

[B]

Those are vertical lines, right?

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

And then you look at the rugby shirts. Rugby guys are short, stocky.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

They're taller than, than, you know, but they just look short in their rugby.

[A]

Shirts to use that.

[B]

So just think, you gotta think about the lines and you got to be getting some tng.

[C]

Gotta get tng. If you're gonna paint the ship lab too. I'd paint it before you put it up. I know it's a super simple idea, but yeah, otherwise you got to get pretty standard.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

You got to get in the fucking grooves.

[B]

Oh, yeah. You know, also try and go rustic feel in the room because then you don't got to fill the nail holes.

[C]

That's a good point. Yeah, it's.

[B]

Yeah, it's like, if you're like, oh, this is supposed to look rustic and vintage, then just blow holes in the whole thing.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

If you got some exposed ones, you're like, that's just character.

[C]

Not.

[B]

Don't do what Ryan did either. Because I've, I've done like, I did this with the bench. Right. And this is what. Maybe this is the best way to describe where I run into most issues when I'm doing a project. Okay. I mentally have a I'm finished point and I usually have that point be wrong. So mentally I, I was like, once I've built this bench and it is there and it's not going anywhere, this project is finished. But mentally I should have been like, once this thing is stained and cocked.

[A]

Yeah. Yeah.

[B]

Then the project's done.

[C]

Yeah. It's a two step process because.

[B]

Well, no, it's so like where Ryan did it. Getting the ship lap on the wall. Ryan was like, I'm done with this project. When he should have said, once it's up and the trim is on, then this project is done.

[A]

That's where he messed up.

[C]

Ryan. I mean, I was moving out anyway. I did this. Like I did this. Let's see. Yeah, I mean I did this like a year or so before moving out. Two years before moving out.

[B]

It's just something to think about, you know, Like I did the same. I built those fake beams in our.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

In our kitchen. And thank God, mid project we decided we weren't going to stain it. Oh, yeah. But I still was supposed to put a sealer on it. But mentally, once the beams were up, project was done. So I just had the clear coat just sitting there still. And that's, that's like, you know, once I, to me, the house wasn't finished. Once it was. Once the house numbers were up, the house was done when the house was done, you know, and that's why it just takes me so long to finish these projects. Because mentally I'm done with it. I moved on. I'm down to bigger and better things.

[C]

Well, I think and I need to.

[B]

Reframe my mind is like once, you know, if I ever build a house again, the house isn't done until the house numbers are up.

[C]

Well, you'll be moving out eventually anyway.

[B]

Exactly.

[C]

Whether that's 10 years from now you'll.

[A]

Be moving out or 30 year mortgage, you know.

[B]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. 30 years I'm moving out.

[C]

Yeah. Gone. So it's like, I don't know.

[B]

So that's the final icing here is make sure you set the right end point mentally for the project.

[A]

That's great advice.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

With Shiplap, do you like stagger each row or is it more uniform? You know what I mean?

[B]

Well, if, if like the, if your wall's not very big and it's going to go the whole span, you don't have to put any splices in it.

[C]

That's how mine was. Yeah.

[B]

But if the wood piece isn't long enough to go the whole thing, then you definitely should not have it all going splicing in the same spot. Vary that up.

[C]

Yeah, gotcha.

[A]

I eat mannequins. Would you rather bear crawl 50 yards or do 50 up downs?

[C]

Oh, that's easy, dude. I'm bear crawling 50 yards for sure.

[B]

I was thinking the same.

[C]

We're talking probably burpees.

[A]

Yeah. Up, down.

[C]

Yeah, same thing. Yeah, I'm bear crawling 50 yards for sure. Yeah. Like let's say it takes you, I don't know, a couple minutes to do 50 yard bear crawl. It's going to take you 10 to 15 minutes to do 50 burpees because you're gonna stop.

[B]

I don't know. Remember, I don't know if you remember the last time you did a burpee, but burpees suck.

[C]

Yeah, that's big. In the mud running community, we used to do them a lot, me and the. Me and the community.

[A]

Because it was bear crawls. You're more so your arms are tired. You're not like cardio tired.

[B]

Yeah, it's just a. You're just using muscles you don't usually use.

[C]

Yeah, that's what it is.

[A]

Let's see.

[B]

People. People love saying that. Like if you like do a whole day of painting a room or your house or something, wake up the next day, you're like, God, I'm sore. I must have been using muscles that I didn't. Don't normally use.

[A]

And your neck's just crazy.

[C]

Yeah, it's like you go for a walk one day, you're like, my legs are kind of. So it's like, yeah, using muscles. It's like, well, I'm just using my legs. I'm just walking like I normally would.

[A]

You're walking backwards.

[C]

Ye guys.

[D]

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[B]

You bet your radio, baby.