ArcaMax

I had the most interesting experience in the past few days. I made a great new friend, a doctor who hired me to solve a vexing problem in his wife’s bathroom.

Within hours of first making contact with this retired Chicago cardiologist, I felt as if we were best friends from college days. This doctor is a regular reader of my column in the Chicago Tribune.

This is a two-part column. The first part is about how I made his wife very happy. The second part is about you and how you might start to do what this good doctor did.

Years ago, the doctor and his wife built an addition on their home. They had enough space to do something that I feel many would love. They created his and hers bathrooms. The wife’s bathroom has a wonderful soaking tub, complete with massaging jet sprays.

The builder and plumber, however, made a common error. They didn’t provide an access panel allowing one to switch out the tub faucet and tub drain assembly. These are hidden inside a short wall about 30 inches tall covered with white ceramic tile.

Architects of old went to great lengths to provide access panels. I grew up in a house where the clever architect put the access panel for our vanity sink in a small hall closet. The access panel for the tub and shower was in a bedroom closet. Access panels have already passed from history to legend. Years from now they may be mythical.

The tub faucet needed to be replaced. A plumber exercised great care and cut out a rectangle of tile in the center of the short wall. He salvaged the tile in case it was to be reinstalled.

The plumber also installed two new shutoff valves in this low wall. The valves and hole needed to be covered up. The issue the doctor faced was how to do this so that his wife would be pleased with the outcome. I knew I could help him achieve the goal. I wanted the doctor’s wife to smile each time she looked at this tile wall, not grimace.

My solution was simple. I asked the doctor about the things his wife liked, including colors, hobbies, etc. He told me she likes flowers and plants. Bingo. I decided the best way to cover the gaping hole in the wall is with a painting of spring flowers and plants — flowers that happened to be her favorite ones.

You’ve heard me rail against artificial intelligence (AI) in past columns. There are some instances where I find it useful, and this was one. I used a photograph the doctor sent to me of the opening in the wall and asked ChatGPT to cover the hole with a framed painting of spring flowers and plants. The doctor’s wife loved my idea after looking at the image the AI created.

The painting would be mounted to the tile using a French cleat. A handyman can install the cleat on the painting and inside the opening in about an hour. It’s a very simple job.

The doctor had read a very interesting article in the New York Times about expert service problems. He sent me a copy of the article before I shared my solution with him on our phone call.

I’d venture to say that most readers have been in a compromised spot a time or two. You have an issue at your home or condo and call one, two, or three contractors to get bids. Can you see what the problem is before I go any further?

The experts, or contractors, are now the ones providing you with a solution that may or may not be in your best interests. After all, how can you know if the inside of your furnace is really dirty and in need of being cleaned? Do you know how to tell the difference between types of asphalt roofing shingles? Is one really better than another, or are you paying extra money for very little extra benefit?

Your best protection comes from a person who doesn’t have a dog in the fight. This person might also bring to the table innovative solutions to problems, as I did for the doctor. The doctor’s plumber and handyman knew they had to create an access panel, but they fell far short when it was time to tackle the job with a tasteful solution that would satisfy the doctor’s wife.

The doctor and I had a very interesting email exchange about the article. He shared with me, “You combine excellent technical knowledge and experience with a good aesthetic sense. … You are an antidote to the expert service problem. Additionally, as you often point out in your columns, the experts are often not so expert.”

Earlier, I shared with the fine doctor that all too often homeowners reach out to me to extract them from horrible situations where they had depended on experts. I said: “It’s such a shame that homeowners don’t do what you did. You knew you were facing an issue and decided to get expert advice about the access panel before a contractor created an ugly one your wife would hate.”

My advice to readers: Stop and get great advice from someone who doesn’t have a dog in the fight. It’s the best money you’ll spend on your next project. I guarantee it.

Subscribe to Tim’s FREE newsletter at AsktheBuilder.com. Tim offers phone coaching calls if you get stuck during a DIY job. Go here: go.askthebuilder.com/coaching

©2026 Tim Carter. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.