Not every job needs a feature in a magazine.

Some jobs aren’t full gut renovations or ground-up builds. They don’t involve custom millwork, flush baseboards, or five-figure appliance packages. They don’t get wide-angle shots or drone flyovers. Some jobs may not even need to be discussed.

But they matter. I’m talking about the B-grade jobs. The smaller ones. The ones you take to fill the calendar, keep the lights on, or support a client who’s been loyal for years. A mudroom refresh. A door replacement. A built-in around a fireplace. A modest kitchen update for a family who just wants their space to function better. Chasing a leak or creating more function than form.

These jobs rarely get shared. They aren’t glamorous. They don’t push design boundaries or turn heads on social media. But I’ll tell you this, they’re honest, they’re practical, and they’re often the most human part of this work.

Over the years, these have become the jobs that keep me going. They’re done to serve a need rather than feed an ego. We spend so much of our career chasing leads and trying to win over clients that we forget our true purpose: to help people solve problems with their homes. To create a healthier, more enjoyable space for them. To fix a problem they’ve been living with for years. These projects have proven to be more enjoyable lately than the kind that “I can’t wait to pay to be photographed.”

These simple, no-frills jobs are where we get to solve problems that make someone’s daily life better. They’re where we build trust, one hinge, drawer, or paint touch-up at a time. They’re where craftsmanship isn’t about scale, ego, or vanity. It’s about purpose and intention.

When I started in this business, I used to dream of the big jobs, the showpieces. Don’t get me wrong, I still love those, but over time, I’ve come to realize how foundational the everyday projects are. They’re the glue between the big ones. The lifeblood of consistency. The kind of work that keeps the team sharp, the bills paid, and the relationships strong. They’re the projects where you get to show up, get to business, and focus on utility.

There’s something to be said for stripping what we do down to its most basic purpose, using your exhaustive skill set to create efficiencies within the most fundamental tasks. Some of our most loyal clients came from B-grade jobs. Shoot, most of my career has been built on B-grade jobs. Some of the most fun I’ve ever had was doing B-grade jobs. Often I just couldn’t see the forest through the trees, I was too concerned with what was out of reach to simply enjoy the present. Some of the greatest lessons I’ve learned happened on B-grade jobs, and the stakes weren’t so high as to sink the ship.

You don’t need a million-dollar budget to do meaningful work. You don’t need white-collar clients to feel fulfilled. You need care. Pride. And a willingness to show up with the same level of professionalism, whether it’s a $250,000 remodel or a $2,500 repair.

If you’re out there doing the small stuff, don’t discount it. Understand your value and your worth. Those jobs are just as worthy of good communication, clear scope, and skilled execution as the bigger ones. Approach them the same way, because those clients deserve that from us.

They deserve systems, they deserve respect, and they deserve to be seen. Keep showing up and doing them like they matter, because they do.