Running a trades business, written plainly.
Pricing, getting paid, winning work. Everything here is free and stays here — the archive is open to anyone.
Switching to 12-foot sheets cuts your drywall order by a third
See the exact sheet and screw count for 4x8 versus 4x12 drywall on the same room, waste included.
Standard brick runs seven to the square foot
See the exact bricks-per-square-foot and mortar-bag math ToolHut's brick calculator runs before you order.
One block per square foot runs every wall short
The block calculator uses 1.125 blocks per square foot, not 1, and the gap between those two numbers is bigger than it looks.
One ton of asphalt covers about 83 sq ft at 2 inches compacted
How the asphalt calculator's 145 lb per cubic foot constant turns square footage and thickness into a tonnage order, waste included.
Your gravel order is bigger than the hole you dug
A 12 by 20 pad at 4 inches finishes at 2.96 yards but orders at 3.41. Here is where the difference comes from.
A yard of concrete is 45 bags, and that changes how you order
The concrete calculator turns length, width and thickness into yards or bags, and shows why those two numbers are not the same decision.
Why the extra quarter yard is the cheap one
Running short on a pour costs more than the concrete you did not use. The math on waste, short loads, and why the calculator rounds up.
Getting paid faster starts before the job does
Late payment is usually a terms problem, not a chasing problem. Here is how the trades who get paid on time set it up before the first swing.
A trade school for the business of the trades
ToolHut Trade School opens with the first intake — three courses on pricing, getting paid, and winning work, with a coach in your own private channel.
The hourly rate you copied is lying to you
Most trades rates are copied from the shop across town — a number built out of their costs, not yours. Here is the arithmetic that shows what an hour really costs.