Hunky ‘Trading Spaces’ carpenter’s advice to Tacoma homeowners: Don’t be afraid to make mistakes
Brett Tutor is a carpenter who makes a lot of mistakes.
Not that you’re likely see many of them when you watch him work on “Trading Spaces,” the show that made his predecessors, Ty Pennington and Carter Oosterhouse, into celebrity carpenters.
“On TV, sometimes, they portray you as this heroic character and you do no wrong,” Tutor said in a recent phone interview. “We make mistakes all the time.”
Tutor will be talking about those mistakes — but mostly his successes — during appearances Friday and Saturday at the upcoming Tacoma Home and Garden Show at the Tacoma Dome Jan. 24-27.
He’ll speak twice a day and answer questions from show-goers.
Tutor, 33, has a long resume of jobs he’s held since dropping out of college after only one semester.
“It just wasn’t for me,” he said.
Currently, he’s the carpenter-in-residence on TLC’s “Trading Spaces.” The reality show was a hit in the 2000s and ran for eight seasons.
Then, as now, the show’s premise follows two sets of neighbors as they redesign a room in each others’ homes with a tight budget.
After going dark for a decade, the show returned in 2018 with Tutor replacing Pennington as the lead carpenter. Much has been made over Tutor’s good looks and brawny sex appeal.
TV, is relatively new for Tutor. He has worked as a stuntman, medic, wilderness guide, singer, to name just a few.
“I’ve never wanted to do one thing,” Tutor said. “I wasn’t that kid who was, ‘I’m going to be a veterinarian when I grow up or be a doctor.’ I just wanted to go try everything and go to as many places as I could.”
His first foray into TV was as a security and survival specialist on Discovery Channel’s “Treasure Quest”.
Make no mistake, he’s not just a pretty face and muscular arms. He got into the family business — home inspections — early on and now has nine inspectors working for him. He estimates he’s done 1,500 home inspections himself.
“Home-renovation TV is not something I’d ever thought I’d do,” he said.
He grew up in Georgetown, Texas, just outside of Austin.
For three Christmases in a row he and his brother were given piles of dirt as presents.
“That’s all we really cared about,” he explained. The boys were BMX and dirt bike racers.
“We started making a track in the back yard with a shovel,” he said. Once a year, their dad would rent a small bulldozer.
Today, Tutor bounces between Austin and Southern California.
Tutor says “Trading Spaces” is the most fun he’s had on a job. But it’s not an easy living.
“‘Trading Spaces’ is no cakewalk,” he said. “The schedule is nuts. We’re usually three days on in one city and then we travel to a new city on the fourth day.”
Every episode has a new designer who sometimes has one chance to make a name for him- or herself.
“It’s a whole lot of fun getting to work with these incredible interior designers,” he said. “But it’s a lot of early mornings and late nights.”
HOMEOWNER TIPS
Shows like “Trading Spaces” make it seem like everyone on TV is an expert, but that’s not always the case, Tutor said.
“There’s a lot of time on ‘Trading Spaces’ where I’m trying something for the first time,” he said. Tutor spends a lot of time fixing mistakes.
His advice to wanna-be home renovators?
“Cut yourself some slack,” he said. “Don’t beat yourself up if you’re trying something for the first time.”
Tutor’s secret weapon for learning new skills and how to solve problems is YouTube. A how-to video exists for every problem you might encounter.
“The reality is I still learn so much on YouTube,” he said. “You’re not born knowing how to fix appliances. I taught myself how to weld just off of YouTube.”
Knowing what to take on and what to leave to the pros is key to successful home renovation work, he said.
“I see people get scared to do things I know they can do and at the same time do things they shouldn’t do,” Tutor said.
Tutor offered some confidence-boosting projects for new homeowners.
Paint: “You can make such a difference,” he said. “Don’t go in there and just paint it beige. At the end of the day, if you don’t like it, just paint it over.”
Floors: “Wood floors are not that hard to do,” he said. Roofing and floors were his first carpentry jobs. “You learn how to use a tool. You learn how to use a miter saw and nail gun and cut angles.”
Kitchens cabinets: “I often see people waste money by buying new cabinets,” he said. “If you can remove the doors you can refinish them yourself. You can sand it and stain them. You can paint them. You can get new hardware. It’s a huge transformation. You can get deals at the slightly damaged section at IKEA. You can mix and match.”
In the professionals-only category, Tutor advises any work that can lead to a safety issue is best left to the experts.
“Don’t mess with electrical,” he said. “Don’t watch a YouTube video on that. Don’t mess with anything that has to do with safety. Get a professional.”
When he’s not on stage this weekend he said he’ll be dispensing advice on homeowner projects.
“Bring me pictures, let’s talk about it,” he said.
OTHER HAPPENINGS AT THE SHOW
Vancouver, B.C.-based interior designer Jamie Banfield will speak on transforming and maximizing spaces for function and beauty.
Other speakers include News Tribune columnist Marianne Binetti, gardening author Sue Goetz and experts from the WSU Pierce County Master Gardeners and Tacoma Rose Society.
Display gardens created by Tacoma’s Father Nature Landscape, Olympic Landscaping and Nature Perfect Landscape of Olympia.
“Artist Row” and “Vintage Market” will sell the work of regional artisans.
A new workshop series offers D.I.Y activities including, “Art of Natural Dyeing,” “Succulents 101,” “Plant Mounting” and “Succulent Birdhouses”.
Tacoma Home and Garden Show
When: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday-Saturday (Jan. 24-26), 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday (Jan. 27).
Where: Tacoma Dome, 2727 E. D Street
Parking: Free
Tickets: $12 adult, $10 seniors (60+), children 12 and under are free. On “Hero Day” (Friday), all military, doctors, first responders and law enforcement get free admission. On “Teacher Appreciation Day” (Sunday), all teachers with valid ID are admitted free.
Information: tacomahomeandgardenshow.com
