r/WomenInConstruction

Ladies (and the fellas who actually get it),

I’ve spent my whole adult life as a one-woman wrecking crew and rebuild crew. I’m not a “tradeswoman” in the union sense — I’m a handygal and fanatical house flipper who has done it all myself. From sketching the new layout on a napkin, to framing walls, running electrical and plumbing, hanging and finishing drywall, laying tile, installing cabinets, and everything in between.

I’ve crawled through attics in the summer heat, carried 4x8 sheets of plywood down shitty steep steps of my Idaho lake front cabin, and turned nightmare disasters into beautiful spaces... Just me, my tools, and pure passion…

And I’m damn good at it.

But here’s what motivates me: women like us barely have a voice in this market.

•  Tool companies still market everything in pink or “petite” like we’re playing dress-up instead of actually swinging hammers and solving real problems.

•  Supply houses and big box stores don’t feature real women who do full-scope renovation work.

•  Customers still look shocked when I tell them I did the framing, plumbing, and tiling myself.

•  Young girls have no clue they could make great money doing this kind of work — especially flipping houses or running their own handywoman businesses.

We’re out here closing the skilled labor gap one project at a time, yet we’re still invisible in the bigger conversation. The housing market needs more of us. The renovation boom needs more of us. The trades desperately need more of us.

I want to see real representation, better-fitting gear, honest marketing, and actual economic power for badass women who build and rebuild with their own two hands.

Who else is out there doing it all yourself? Drop your trade or specialty, your biggest “I can’t believe I did that” moment, and what you think we should demand from the market. Let’s make some noise.

#WomenInTrades #womeninthetrades #Handygals #Handywomen #HandyHer #Handygal #HouseFlippers #SkilledTradesWomen #NorthernIdaho #PanhandleBuilders

Thanks ladies. I’m serious about building something real — maybe a Northern Idaho network of women who flip, renovate, and do handywoman work. DM me if you’re in the Panhandle or nearby and want to talk. Lets promote ourselves! There is a demand for women like us! Other women that don't have the time or the desire to be a bad ass trade expert like us want us on their project and would love to work with us!

I am too embarrassed to ask my project manager about this, but how do people usually feel about wearing a fanny pack out on the field? I am a girl, so I would rather carry my sunscreen and phone and all my other necessities in a fanny pack (the Everywhere Belt Bag 1L) rather than my pockets. I would keep this fanny pack on my hip underneath my vest, as to not obstruct it. This is also my first internship ever, and I will be working as a field engineer, so my knowledge on this is a bit more limited. Will I be the laughing stock with my fanny pack, or is it somewhat normal? Thank you to anyone who responds.

Hi all, I am writing to see if any of you have the same issue and could offer me any advice on how to get myself together. So im an electrician apprentice almost halfway through my apprenticeship. I've built my mechanical skills and understanding tremendously in the last few years. The last job and year of my apprenticeship i was able to work fast, efficiently and had a good understanding of the steps to take to get my tasks done, but as of recently I cant get it together. I've started at a new job with a new crew and the work is a little different, but all things that i have done before. Piping, working with cement, etc. Its been a little over a month and theres been such a shift in the way i work i can not stop second guessing everything im doing. Its frustrating me and slowing me down...it feels like everything i learned in the last year is just void, my confidence is gone and i know my crew may feel im not reliable because i've been making really dumb a$$ mistakes. My crew is a bit rough at times with their comments about how im working or what i ask maybe its that, but my confidence is so shot and it feels like I'll never find my groove with my work again..i know im capable of doing the work maybe not the same stuff but ive done it before. My career is very important to me and i usually enjoy going to and doing the work...Im just so frustrated I dont know what to do or how to get back on my shit please help</3