Scott Brown's carpentry 'how to’ videos are helping DIYers get the job done not just in New Zealand but around the world.
The YouTube channel is a family affair with Scotts partner Jessica Bell lending her creativity to the tutorials.
Scott Brown Carpentry now has over 280,000 YouTube subscribers and more than 50,000 Instagram followers.
Scott Brown Photo: supplied by Jessica Bell
In the videos, you can find Scott tackling tasks such as hanging a door, replacing house piles or building a floating shelf (one of the most popular).
It was a bit tricky transferring renovation skills into furniture-making, Scott says.
People are also enjoying Scott's video about making a plywood feature wall with a bi-folding door.
"That was super popular because we put the plywood on without nail holds, it was just glue."
Tool review videos have also helped grow their YouTube audience, Jess says.
"One of our more successful review videos was Scott saying what he didn't like about a particular tool, it was 'why I don't ever use this screw gun'. And then the company MAKITA contacted us and said 'oh you're just using the wrong one, we'll sort that out'."
Although their viewership has grown beyond New Zealand, they still explain the requirements and materials from our perspective, she says.
"We want to represent ourselves fairly and be accountable and also want to communicate good information to our viewers.
"From a New Zealand viewer's perspective, it's like 'oh I hadn't considered that, that's something to think about in my renovation'. For someone, say in America, it's like 'oh those funny Kiwis, look at the way they do that'. We get a lot of comments like that."
The 'how to straighten a wall' tutorial particularly irked some viewers, Scott says.
"That was something that I picked up in like old Building Code stuff that's been in New Zealand for decades and we don't use it so much anymore but in this particular case, it was useful ... The international audience got very upset, 'why do you use laminated timber?', they said."
The confusion came about because New Zealanders don't have the same access to building materials as bigger overseas markets.
Scott's word of warning to fellow DIYers is don't expect everything to turn out the way you planned.
"My YouTube videos have helped with that. They're like 'man, Scott I had no idea that it was that involved, I thought you just cut a hole put a window in', but then you've got waterproofing and flashing tape and sill trays, and all these different things that need to be done that you don't really see when the job is complete," he says.
"All these things are so important," Jess explains, "because these small gaps can compromise the envelope of the building, so there might just be a level of knowledge the DIYer doesn't quite have and some small mistake could become disastrous down the line."
The Scott Brown Carpentry video channel is also attracting new clients to their Auckland business, Jess says.
"They're really excited about it. People love seeing their renovation, they love seeing the process of it. They love sharing it with their friends and family."
