A)

10th Priority MAINTENANCE

About 8% of my energy/focus/time or 9 hours/week … 1 hr per weekday and 3 hrs on Sunday [reading, thinkering, doing background research, not skinning my knuckles on plumbing repairs], since Sunday is my “wrap my head around the bs and sort through the stuff that’s maybe gonna chaos day”– it’s REST or RELAXATION away from what I consider work.

You could also say that MAINTENANCE is effectively my MISCELLANEOUS JUNK box to collect everything that doesn’t fit into the other priorities. MAINTENANCE is for the stuff that I didn’t really plan or think about before and I’m not really going to ever be in the home repair or fix-it business but things have a way of bubbling up – so I need to acknowledge that some of my time is just going to need to go to uncategorized miscellaneous stuff to sort through and address.

MAINTENANCE is not all bad, many more unexpected GREAT things pop up than negative ones … but the surprises that have to be planned/timeblocked and miscellaneous things that haven’t yet forced me to re-categorize my whole list of priorities. These surprises can be ignored if they are not important – but if they actually are important, they will be urgent [and maybe BAD] when they arise again … the time lost to these things is significant enough to demand it’s own miscellaneous class, but they just don’t neatly really fit under the other headings.

Key MAINTEANCE Points – Home Ownership

My prmimary interest, right now is older Homes, although I sorta wish that I didn’t have to own a home … I don’t really have to own a vehicle anymore and that’s liberating … and my highest priority home renovation project would be my the bathroom and then addressing nagging issues with tree roots in the sewer drain … I would probably leave HVAC install and electrician work to guys who do that, just because I don’t find it at all entertaining … the next highest priority is IT gear, higher-end performance workstations, primarily for AI work, but I might go back to CAD, computer vision stuff for microscopy/imaging of soil quality … as you might guess, I spend far too much time looking into IT gear, memory, storage, comparing GPUs, etc – I should just rent the capability, but it still intrigues me for reason that I cannot really explain.

There are almost too many experts on YouTube, social media, and blogs can help with remodeling older homes, especially bathrooms and plumbing projects Channels like This Old House and Home RenoVision DIY offer valuable content for these specific needs, but so do the commenters on their social media pages. I do not really know what I am doing in this realm, so I will look at A LOT of other guys for ideas … AI really helps for this … but I kinda lean toward going back popular name-brand influencers who have built a repuation doing this like Bob Vila and the Property Brothers being worth following for broader home improvement insights.

YouTube Channels

Here are 25 somewhat preferred [which is maybe too strong of a word; I definitely hesitate to say recommendeded] YouTube channels that specialize in home remodeling, with a focus on older homes, bathrooms, and plumbing projects. These channels provide tutorials, project walkthroughs, and expert advice … AND through their social media presences or blogs, which is a really important source of entertainment for me, because it ALSO provide ways for frustrated homeowners to VENT, share useful insights and make observations about stuff to avoid at all costs.

This Old House: Known for detailed renovations of older homes, including bathroom projects (YouTube).

Home RenoVision DIY: Offers step-by-step guides for home improvement, including bathroom and plumbing work (YouTube).

Wabi Sab - E: Documents the restoration of a farmhouse, relevant for older home enthusiasts (YouTube).

Xomacenna: Features a series on renovating an older Texas home, with a focus on salvaging materials (YouTube).

DIY Network: Covers a wide range of home improvement topics, including bathroom remodels (YouTube).

Build.com: Provides product reviews and design ideas for home renovations (YouTube).

House Improvements: Offers easy-to-follow DIY videos for various home projects (YouTube).

Ask This Old House: Answers viewer questions with expert advice on home improvement (YouTube).

Fix It: Focuses on home repairs and renovations, with practical solutions for older homes (YouTube).

I Built It Home Improvements: Showcases building and renovation processes, useful for inspiration (YouTube).

Steven Lavimoniere: A professional plumber sharing expertise on plumbing and home repairs (YouTube).

Roger Wakefield: Provides tips and tricks for home improvement and restoration (YouTube).

PlumberX: Specializes in plumbing content, essential for bathroom renovation projects (YouTube).

BestPlumbing: Offers videos on plumbing and home improvement, suitable for DIYers (YouTube).

Uncle Knackers: Known for humorous, straightforward DIY guides, including home repairs (YouTube).

Bunnings Warehouse: Provides comprehensive DIY project guides, including home renovation (YouTube).

Three Birds Renovations: Follows friends renovating homes, offering relatable content (YouTube).

Vikkie: A UK-based creator sharing her home renovation journey, with budget tips (YouTube).

The Craftsman: Focuses on woodworking and carpentry, key for home renovation projects (YouTube).

Make $ or Cost $ (Zachary Dettmore): Offers tool and product reviews for builders and remodelers (YouTube).

Odell Complete Concrete: Covers concrete work, relevant for foundation repairs in older homes (YouTube).

That Tile Chick: Provides expert tiling advice, crucial for bathroom renovations (YouTube).

Home Addition Plus: Focuses on home additions and renovations, with practical guidance (YouTube).

The New York Times Home and Garden: Features expert insights on home design and renovation trends (YouTube).

Bob Vila: A veteran in home improvement, offering timeless advice and tutorials (YouTube).

This Old House Older home renovations, bathrooms https://www.youtube.com/user/ThisOldHouse Yes, they’re regularly on social media (Instagram, Facebook) Yes, they also have a blog

Home RenoVision DIY Step-by-step home improvement, plumbing https://www.youtube.com/user/HOMErenovision Yes (Instagram, X) Yes

Wabi Sab - E Farmhouse restoration, older homes https://www.youtube.com/user/wabisab-e Yes (Instagram) No blog

Xomacenna Renovating older Texas home, salvaging materials https://www.youtube.com/user/xomacenna Yes (Instagram) No blog

DIY Network Broad home improvement, bathroom remodels https://www.youtube.com/user/DIYNetwork Yes (Instagram, Facebook) Yes

Build.com Product reviews, design ideas https://www.youtube.com/user/BuildDotCom Yes (Instagram, X) Yes

House Improvements DIY tutorials, general home projects https://www.youtube.com/user/HouseImprovements Yes (Facebook) No blog

Ask This Old House Expert advice, viewer questions https://www.youtube.com/user/AskThisOldHouse Yes (Instagram, Facebook) Yes

Fix It Home repairs, renovations https://www.youtube.com/user/hardwarehelper Yes (Instagram) No

I Built It Home Improvements Building and renovation processes https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMlfKvFrEpzg1PEpTzJDWoA Yes (Facebook) No

Steven Lavimoniere Plumbing, home repairs https://www.youtube.com/user/StevenLavimoniere Yes (Instagram) No

Roger Wakefield Home improvement tips, restoration https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGIMKh92vaL0_Yc0u4GYhHA Yes (Instagram, X) Yes

PlumberX Plumbing content, bathroom projects https://www.youtube.com/user/PlumberX Yes (Facebook) No

BestPlumbing Plumbing and home improvement videos https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6t8lu_gEEDHtEsXJvav2Nw Yes (Instagram) No

Uncle Knackers Humorous DIY guides, home repairs https://www.youtube.com/user/UncleKnackers Yes (Instagram) No

Bunnings Warehouse Comprehensive DIY guides, home renovation https://www.youtube.com/user/BunningsWarehouse Yes (Instagram, Facebook) Yes

Three Birds Renovations Relatable renovation projects, inspiration https://www.youtube.com/user/ThreeBirdsRenovations Yes (Instagram) No

Vikkie UK-based home renovation, budget tips https://www.youtube.com/user/VikkieDIY Yes (Instagram) No

The Craftsman Woodworking, carpentry for home projects https://www.youtube.com/user/TheCraftsmanChannel Yes (Facebook) No

Make $ or Cost $ (Zachary Dettmore) Tool reviews, builder insights https://www.youtube.com/user/ZacharyDettmore Yes (Instagram) No

Odell Complete Concrete Concrete work, foundation repairs https://www.youtube.com/user/OdellCompleteConcrete Yes (Facebook) No

That Tile Chick Tiling advice, bathroom renovations https://www.youtube.com/user/ThatTileChick Yes (Instagram) No

Home Addition Plus Home additions, renovation guidance https://www.youtube.com/user/HomeAdditionPlus Yes (Facebook) No

The New York Times Home and Garden Home design trends, expert insights https://www.youtube.com/user/nytimeshomegarden Yes (Instagram, X) Yes

Bob Vila Timeless home improvement advice, tutorials https://www.youtube.com/user/BobVila Yes (Instagram, Facebook) Yes

Key Links on Older House Home Improvement and Plumbing

The Top 10 Home Improvement YouTube Channels

Allura USA https://allurausa.com/blog/home-improvement-youtube-channels

The 10 best UK home renovation youtube channels

Fifi McGee https://fifimcgee.co.uk/blog/best-uk-home-renovation-youtub-channels

5 Best DIY Home Renovation YouTube Channels

Just Skips https://justskips.net.au/best-diy-home-renovation-youtube-channels/

r/Renovations on Reddit: What’s your favorite home renovation YouTube channel? https://www.reddit.com/r/Renovations/comments/tvqyaa/whats_your_favorite_home_renovation_youtube/

The best home renovation show isn’t on HGTV, it’s on YouTube

Mashable https://mashable.com/article/farmhouse-restoration-show-youtube

60 Home Improvement YouTubers You Must Follow in 2025

Feedspot https://videos.feedspot.com/home_iprovement_youtube_channels/

Best Home Improvement YouTube Channels DIY’ers Need to Follow

Eastern Architectural https://www.easternarchitectural.com/blog/best-home-improvement-youtube-channels-diyers-need-to-follow

11 Great Home Renovation Youtube Channels To Follow

Sleek-chic Interiors https://www.sleek-chic.co.uk/2023/01/10-great-home-renovation-and-improvement-youtube-channels-to-follow.html

Discover quality channels from YouTube

Favoree https://www.favoree.io/top/diy-youtube-channels

r/centuryhomes on Reddit: Home renovation channels on YouTube https://www.reddit.com/r/centuryhomes/comments/171h14x/home_renovation_channels_on_youtube/

7 TV shows about historic homes and renovations

Curbed https://archive.curbed.com/2017/5/4/15542294/best-tv-shows-old-house-restoration-renovation

Resources for Historic Homeowners — Preservation League of NYS https://www.preservenys.org/resources-for-historic-homeowners

The Top 9 Restoration YouTube Channels to Follow

MiniTool https://youtubedownload.minitool.com/news/restoration-youtube-channels.html

5 Relaxing YouTube Channels for Furniture Restoration and Makeovers

How to Geek https://www.howtogeek.com/44675/5-relaxing-youtube-channels-for-furniture-restoration-and-makeovers/

16 Best Remodeling Websites for 2025

Contractor Gorilla https://contractorgorilla.com/blog/best-remodeling-websites/

Home Remodeling companies near me

Angi https://www.angi.com/nearme/home-remodeling/

Finding The Best Local Home Remodeling Contractor – Forbes Home https://www.forbes.com/home-improvement/contractor/home-remodeling-contractors-near-me/

Top 500 2023

Qualified Remodeler https://www.qualifiedremodeler.com/top-500-2023/

Home Remodelers near me

Houzz https://www.houzz.com/professionals/home-remodeling/probr0-bo~t_34257

Best 15 Los Angeles, CA Remodeling Contractors

Expertise.com https://www.expertise.com/home-improvement/remodeling/california/los-angeles

Your Maryland Remodeling & Design Company

Experts Remodel https://expertsremodel.com/

Grand Rapids, MI Remodeling Company

Top Home Improvements https://www.tophomeimprove.com/

NYC Home Remodeling General Contractor

MyHome https://www.myhomeus.com/

Top 14 Home Updates That Pay Off in 2024

HGTV https://www.hgtv.com/lifestyle/real-estate/top-home-updates-that-pay-off-pictures

Top 100 Home Improvement Influencers in 2025

Feedspot https://influencers.feedspot.com/home_iprovement_instagram_influencers/

Top Remodeling Influencers

Collabstr https://collabstr.com/top-influencers/renovation

Leading Home Improvement Influencers to Follow

IZEA https://izea.com/resources/top-home-improvement-influencers/

Top Home Repair Influencers

NeoReach https://neoreach.com/top-lists/home-garden-top-lists/top-home-repair-influencers/

Social Influencers Showing Their Home Renovation Handiwork

Easefix https://www.easefix.com/blog/home-renovation-social-influencers

Key MAINTEANCE Points – Affordable AI Workstation Builds

Hardware Specialists

Jeff Geerling - Renowned for his practical hands-on testing of mini PCs, NUCs, and SBCs for various workloads including AI. His YouTube channel and blog feature detailed benchmarks comparing performance per dollar across different hardware configurations. His “Raspberry Pi Cluster” series has evolved to cover more powerful systems with Oculink capabilities.
Craft Computing - Focuses on budget-conscious homelab setups and mini PC builds with an emphasis on performance optimization. Recently published several videos on connecting consumer GPUs to compact systems via Oculink, with particularly valuable insights on cooling and power management in small form factors.
ServeTheHome - Patrick Kennedy and team provide enterprise-grade insights adapted for prosumer use. Their STH forums contain numerous threads about Oculink implementations and using datacenter-grade hardware in home settings. Their detailed benchmarks are particularly valuable for scientific computing workloads.
Wendell Wilson (Level1Techs) - Specializes in workstation builds with extensive knowledge of Linux compatibility issues. His community has developed several open-source tools for monitoring GPU usage in AI training scenarios, and he regularly benchmarks mini PCs with external GPUs for ML workloads.
Lon.TV - Lon Seidman offers thorough reviews of mini PCs and compact computing solutions with a focus on real-world performance. His methodical testing approach provides reliable data on thermals and sustained performance, crucial for extended AI training sessions.

AI Practitioners with Hardware Focus

Tim Dettmers - Machine learning researcher who publishes detailed GPU benchmarks specifically for deep learning workloads. His “Which GPU for Deep Learning” guides are regularly updated and include performance-per-dollar metrics across various models and frameworks.
Andrej Karpathy - While known primarily for his AI expertise, his practical insights on hardware configurations for running and fine-tuning models are invaluable. His “Build your own GPT” series includes hardware recommendations for different scales of model training.
Yannic Kilcher - Provides insightful analysis of AI research papers alongside practical implementation advice. His commentary often includes hardware considerations for efficiently running the models he discusses, including budget-conscious setups.
Aleksa Gordić (The AI Epiphany) - Creates detailed tutorials on implementing AI models with careful consideration of hardware requirements. His content specifically addresses how to optimize performance on consumer-grade hardware.
Dr. Rachael Tatman - Computational linguist who provides practical advice on running NLP models efficiently on limited hardware. Her tutorials often include optimization techniques for running sophisticated models on consumer hardware.

Homelab Specialists

TechnoTim - Creates comprehensive guides for homelab setups that balance performance and cost. His documentation is particularly helpful for those looking to integrate AI workloads into existing homelab environments.
NetworkChuck - While broader in focus, his homelab series includes practical setups for running AI applications locally. His approach emphasizes learning by doing, with accessible explanations of complex configurations.
Jeff Atwood (Coding Horror) - Co-founder of Stack Overflow who occasionally writes about his personal workstation builds. His pragmatic approach to hardware selection focuses on value and reliability rather than chasing specifications.
Lawrence Systems - Tom Lawrence provides practical IT solutions that scale from small business to home use. His videos on repurposing enterprise hardware for home applications offer excellent value perspectives for AI workloads.
IBRACORP - This team creates clear, step-by-step guides for setting up self-hosted services, including AI infrastructure. Their documentation on containerizing AI workloads for homelab use is particularly valuable.

Open Source AI Community Leaders

Hugging Face Team - Beyond their platform, team members regularly share insights about hardware requirements for running various models. Their optimization guides for running transformers on consumer hardware are essential reading.
Simon Willison - Creator of Datasette and prominent voice in the self-hosted AI space. His blog details his experiments with running various LLMs locally on modest hardware, with practical performance insights.
Jason Phang - Researcher focusing on efficient training methods. His work on parameter-efficient fine-tuning is particularly relevant for those working with limited GPU memory on consumer hardware.
Sebastian Raschka - Machine learning educator who provides practical guides on model training with hardware considerations. His “Machine Learning with PyTorch and Scikit-Learn” book and associated content include valuable insights on hardware selection.
Cheng-Zhi Anna Huang - Google Brain researcher working on MusicLM and other generative models. Her insights on training creative AI models on constrained hardware are particularly relevant for hobbyists.

Systems Optimization Experts

Bronzewing AI - Specializes in optimizing consumer hardware for AI workloads. Their tutorials on efficient quantization and pruning methods allow running larger models on modest GPUs.
Jim Dowling (Hopsworks) - Expert on feature stores and ML pipelines who regularly discusses infrastructure optimization. His practical advice on managing data flows for efficient training is valuable for homelab setups.
Adrian Rosebrock (PyImageSearch) - While focused on computer vision, his detailed guides on optimizing inference performance on limited hardware apply broadly across AI domains.
Oculink Hardware Labs - A small but growing community specifically focused on external GPU setups using Oculink. Their benchmarks comparing various mini PC and GPU combinations provide valuable reference points for budget planning.
Jeremy Howard (fast.ai) - Co-founder of fast.ai whose teaching emphasizes practical AI implementation. His approach to democratizing AI includes detailed advice on cost-effective hardware configurations for different learning scenarios.