BTD Interview With Sarah The Carpenter

After re-watching Episode 4, we sensed some tension between Carisa and her carpenter Sarah Miller that was never fully explained. We decided to go to the source to find out more:

BTD: After Carisa went shopping at the garage sale, how much money was left in the budget?

Sarah: Unfortunately, she had only $160 left over, including tax, for me to work with. I explained to her that that budget was a problem right from the start. The carpenters had to buy everything that we needed, right down to the screws and paint brushes. I bought what I could with the money that I had to work with, and I was determined to try to make the best of it. I told her that the desk was not feasible, but she told me to “build it anyway.” I did, and you can see how that turned out!

BTD: What exactly were you supposed to build?

Sarah: Carisa wanted a sliding desk that would roll on casters in a slot on the built-in “desk.” The sliding section was to be 10 feet long, and she insisted that it only float about ½ inch above the built in desk, which wouldn’t allow for any reinforcement or support. She also wanted there to be one narrow singe leg at the other end. You can’t have a 10 foot length of MDF being subjected to the stress of being pushed back and forth on one narrow leg. Due to the fact that she wanted it to stand only ½ inch above the built in, meant that I couldn’t give it any support. Any way you slice it, a 10 foot long length of MDF is going to sag, unless she were able to eliminate the forces of both gravity and friction!

BTD: Did you paint it?

Sarah: Carisa did the painting and I did the carpentry, as she was not experienced with many tools. In her defense she was tired and frustrated, and you could see that her painting wasn’t going well. The paint was splattering and spilling, making a really big mess. She stared to freak out a bit, and you can see that I was trying to help fix the problem. Instead of complaining and flipping out, I tried to move forward and fix what was wrong. To me, getting upset and losing valuable time just makes matters worse.

BTD: What was the problem, exactly?

Sarah: I think that the problem boiled down to the design on paper was quite interesting, but translating her design to an actual structure was impossible—especially with only $160! A skyscraper made of toothpicks might be artistically amazing, but ya just can’t build it!

Do you think Carisa appreciated Sarah's effort? Click here to read more...