Structural Carpentry: A Woman Who's Leading The Way - Meet Chippie Em

Discover how female carpenter Emily aka Chippie Em turned an unexpected career twist into a thriving profession in the skilled trades. After a plumbing apprenticeship didn’t pan out, Emily discovered her true calling in carpentry. What started as a labouring job turned into a thriving career as she learned from seasoned tradespeople and honed her skills. In this episode, Emily shares the highs and lows of being a woman in a male-dominated/crowded field, from navigating unique challenges to finding unexpected opportunities for connection and mentorship.

She reveals why structural carpentry is her favourite part of the craft, the camaraderie that keeps job sites fun and supportive, and the joy of watching clients’ homes transform. Emily also talks about balancing demanding projects with personal time, building brand partnerships, and how social media has grown from a simple portfolio into a side career. Above all, she highlights the importance of community and solidarity among women in the trades. 

Whether you’re curious about carpentry jobs, looking for tips on women in construction, or simply love inspiring career stories, this episode delivers practical insight and motivation.

Key Takeaways

• Emily's journey into carpentry began unexpectedly after a plumbing apprenticeship fell through.
• She found her passion for carpentry while labouring and learning from experienced tradesmen.
• Being a female carpenter comes with unique challenges, but also opportunities for connection.
• Emily enjoys structural carpentry the most, finding satisfaction in building from the ground up.
• The camaraderie among tradespeople can lead to deep friendships and support on the job.
• She finds joy in seeing clients' excitement as their homes are transformed.
• Brand partnerships have become a significant part of her career, enhancing her visibility.
• Social media has evolved from a portfolio tool to a what you could say was a second job for Emily.
• Emily emphasizes the importance of community and support among women in trades. 

Follow Me:

Instagram: @lifeofafemaletradie_

Facebook: Life Of A Female Tradie

Follow Guest:

Instagram: @chippie.em

Youtube: @Chippie_em

Chapters 

00:00 Emily's Journey into Carpentry

02:03 Experiences as a Female Carpenter

04:49 The Joy of Carpentry Projects

07:41 Balancing Work and Personal Life

10:19 Favourite Projects and Client Relationships

13:06 Brand Partnerships and Future Plans

19:13 The Impact of social media on Tradespeople

22:15 Home Renovation Journey

28:15 Quickfire Questions and Personal Insights

37:41 Thanks for listening 

Transcript

Emily Kitchin (00:11)

Hey, I'm Emily and I'm a carpenter also known as Chipie ⁓ on socials.

Laura (00:16)

thanks for joining me on Life of a Female Tradie. It's great to have you let's start by just getting to know you. What made you choose carpentry?

Emily Kitchin (00:26)

It's long-winded for me. coming out of school I was actually supposed to be a plumber. I went to college, I did, is it like two years? And then I was supposed to have an apprenticeship, but it coincided with 2008, which was the recession. So my apprenticeship fell through and I went to work in a pub. And I was in the pub for...

Laura (00:31)

Wow.

Emily Kitchin (00:49)

Oh, God, a few years. And the old boys used to come in at like three o'clock, right? And they were all tradies. And because I did plumbing in college, they just used to give me a start. So they'd like, what are you doing tomorrow? And i'd like ah nothing, I'll start till three. They'd like meet me here at seven. And I used just be on the barrel and stuff like that. I'm not plastered up. did all sorts. And then it got tiring. Everyone's like, you need to get a real job. And I went and I got real jobs and I hated them. And a friend of mine gave me a start basically laboring.

it was with a carpentry company and that's basically how it went. So I knew I wanted to in the trade, always did, but plumbing was my initial thing. But then as I tried a bit of everything, I was like, I need to get there. And it was just like a long winded road together basically for me.

Laura (01:35)

Okay, wow. So you kind of started by picking up the labouring bits of construction trades. what sort of age did you get into carpentry then if you kind of missed the apprenticeship point from school?

Emily Kitchin (01:40)

Yeah.

I'm

so 2018-19 so I was like 20 28 I'm 35 this year I think and but like I said when I was 16 17 I was in the pub and I did that for probably up until oh god maybe 20 and then I went into the other stuff and

Laura (01:59)

Okay.

Hehehe

Emily Kitchin (02:16)

Some of was practical, some of it was not. I went to fit gyms for a few years, I went travelling and then eventually fell back into the trades. Well, I say fell, I pursued it back in.

Laura (02:27)

sweet. And what was your path once you decided on carpentry? Did you go and work for someone or did you go self-employed?

Emily Kitchin (02:38)

No, so I labored and then I kind of, I was lucky enough that I got stuck with, I say stuck with a group of boys, I got put with a group of boys through lockdown basically. And they were amazing, there was five of us and we were all living in one house because we were working away like our own little bubble. And we lived and breathed carpentry for the two years basically. I went from, very quickly I went from laboring to, what was it called? I don't know what it's called now.

Laura (02:41)

Yep.

Okay.

Emily Kitchin (03:04)

not apprentice but I was just a lacky they were like right go and do this, have you got us tools, start picking up tools and they just put me on the tools straight away. Luckily for me, they really, and they were really, I asked lots of questions and I was keen, I think they just helped me as well. And I was a little bit older I think as well so I can't just keep a crack. So you'll leave us alone then.

Laura (03:14)

Wow.

It's nice that you were given the chance to learn alongside people as well and be able to ask those questions. Did you, by being the only female, did you come across that being a difficulty, almost a barrier at any point?

Emily Kitchin (03:42)

When you first, I don't know if you get this, but you know when you first go on site, obviously like hard hat on, was like, was commercial sites, so gloves on, trousers, high vis, everything. Like nobody knows if you're a boy or a girl do they at the time. And then obviously as it goes on, they see the canteen, you get up and you're like, yeah. I think that was the only.

Laura (04:07)

haha

Emily Kitchin (04:09)

Apart from that, you do get comments. Like when I was like 16, I had like, I remember the plumber and he was just horrible. Just a creature. But I was like, no, it was more than anything. I say this to all the boys, like now I've met a plasterer this week. And he was like, I've never seen another woman on site. I think I ever met one. He's like, no. Yeah. he was, and then I think he's been on site for three weeks now. And he says the other day, said, look, I gotta say this to you. said,

Laura (04:29)

Really?

Emily Kitchin (04:38)

I've never seen a woman on site, said, and if this is what it is, said, then you keep going, love. And I was like, aw, thanks. It's not offensive, but mean to blessing but it was nice to get it. But I think that, and I was saying to him, and he asked the same question, have you ever had any bother and I don't, I don't get bothered. What I do get is when I'm on bigger sites. I always have a bloke kind of wander off after a few days, and he's like, hiya love ya alright I'm like, yeah, good, you.

Laura (04:44)

Wow.

Yeah!

Emily Kitchin (05:05)

And then a couple of days later, chats me a little bit more. And then by like the second week, he's like, I'm going through a divorce. And I'm like, OK. And he's like, I'm just reaching out I suppose for someone to talk to rather than, yeah, rather than having difficulty, it's more like you end up being someone's therapist for like a couple of hours a week. Yeah, like a friendly face. Yeah.

Laura (05:18)

Okay.

Yeah, yeah.

I've had that where I think some fellas want to open up and talk about stuff, but they don't they may not. They may feel like the other fellas will laugh at them. So I can see why you would they would be drawn to the female on site to have that kind of slightly deeper chat. That's quite nice. That's a nice angle to to come across.

Emily Kitchin (05:35)

Yes.

Yeah.

Yeah, it is, it is.

It's not great when you're on price work, but no. But I suppose, like you said, at least, you know, with the percentages of, you know, men in our industry, committing suicide, if I can give an hour to somebody, like you said, doesn't have the confidence to open up to their friends, then I'd still be at your very least worth a couple of credits a minute.

Laura (05:54)

Definitely. Well, no. ⁓ It's like.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Absolutely. And also the old saying of, you mind if I carry on working while she talk, kind of can come into play sometimes, can't it? So, yeah. Brilliant. that's really nice. That's it. That's it. Just get those shavings up for me, would you? They're in my way. Brilliant. Brilliant. So I've seen you obviously do a, you do a varied,

Emily Kitchin (06:22)

Yeah, or hold this. Yeah. If your're gona stand there make use of yourself

Yeah, yeah, grab your bendfist for me.

Laura (06:42)

range of work, don't you? From ⁓ structural to hanging doors and building stuff. Which do you have a preference? What do you enjoy about both?

Emily Kitchin (06:44)

Yeah.

I love it all, don't get me wrong. I have a love hate relationship with doors I think. I don't do a lot of those, I don't do them all the time. like, one of them things that you've got to be quick at to make money, I suppose, because it's a priced item. and I'm not fast. But I'm not this about money, like, because you want to do a good job, but.

Laura (06:58)

Ha

Yeah.

Emily Kitchin (07:14)

I prefer structural carpentry if I'm honest, timber framing, the heavier stuff, roofs, anything that I can really get stuck into. I don't like demolition, it's just dirty. And second fix, I do like second fix, but I think they're such, like my van's massive and it's full because if you do, like I said, I do everything, so I have to have everything. And with second fix.

Laura (07:41)

Yeah.

Emily Kitchin (07:42)

you're pulling up like 20 tools, just to put a bit of skirting on. Whereas with the timber framing, you've got a nail gun, you've got a level, you've got a hammer and a tool belt, know, and away you go. And that's it. I, simplicity and satisfaction, timber framing, but I do enjoy all of it.

Laura (07:45)

Wow.

Okay.

Awesome. Wow. Yeah, structural looks intense. I've seen a couple of your recent videos and stuff. Yeah, it's...

Emily Kitchin (08:05)

Yes.

It's satisfying

though, right? Because like, when do you ever walk in a building, unless you're in the trades and look at a skirting, you don't do. But you know, when you see something go up and it goes up quite quickly, you're like, did that. That was me

Laura (08:12)

Yeah.

That's nice. It's nice that you get to build it from the ground up and see the, well, yeah, just basically the structure of a property that people don't normally see. And you've got that moment of, actually built that and it's gonna be like that for decades, hopefully. Yeah.

Emily Kitchin (08:23)

Yeah.

Yeah, someone's going to love this. Yeah, someone's going to live in this and bring their

children up in it. It is nice. Even when, you know, if you can see a project all the way through and then you end up doing the skirting boards and then you end up taking a step back when it's finished and the painter comes in. It is a massive sense of achievement. It is huge. You're like, started, you know, maybe nothing at all or something smaller and you've, you've, you've, someone's dreamt this and then you've built this for them. You know, it's lovely.

Laura (08:49)

Mmm.

Yeah, that's awesome. Absolutely, absolutely. Have up against, because I know you do a lot of traveling for your work and that is very commendable. And because not many people I don't think would travel and have things like a coffee machine in their van, which is, you know, that is that's next level, mate. That is that's wicked. No, no, not at all.

Emily Kitchin (09:08)

Something to be proud of

Yeah.

It's a bit much init

Laura (09:35)

But with all the travel and the long hours and stuff, how do you manage to balance your personal life with that? Do you find it difficult?

Emily Kitchin (09:44)

What? More personal life? We were just saying, no, my house is not finished. I'm quite lucky my other half is really laid back. We're together, but we kind of live separate lives. They travel a lot for work and Lou does what ever they wants, to be honest. Which is nice, because we've got no children, we've got no pets. I'm quite, not only I'm lucky, it's kind of structured that way to being able to.

Laura (09:46)

⁓ mate, don't!

Okay.

Emily Kitchin (10:11)

go and do the projects that we want to do and the things that we want to do. But as for social life, I've seen my friends twice in the last two weeks and it's probably the most I've seen in six months.

Laura (10:20)

wow.

Emily Kitchin (10:22)

I love what I do and I love the people I work with as well. So it's like, I'm never not having fun, I suppose. Like it's a hobby, isn't it? I get paid to do my hobby.

Laura (10:30)

But that's it. When you love it that much, you can see it as a hobby for sure. And I guess when you are spending so much time working and working with other tradies on stuff, that they also become your friends. So it kind of brings them both together doesn't it?

Emily Kitchin (10:33)

Yeah.

Yeah.

Oh yeah, like at some points, you're on projects with people maybe two years, like I said, through lockdown, I was living with five blokes and we don't see each other, but we speak. Well, I put some work tops in with one of them the other day, it's, you know, just the, we don't need each other's help, we're just like, that kind of thing. They're just bonds that you make, isn't it? And I think everyone that you come in contact with, you take a little bit of them with you.

Laura (11:11)

Haha

Emily Kitchin (11:19)

whether that's the trade side or the personality side.

Laura (11:22)

I like that, yeah, definitely, definitely. So going into the projects you've done, has there been a favourite of yours worked on? Yeah?

Emily Kitchin (11:29)

Yeah.

The one we're on now, I would say. So I'm working

with Alex at the moment. he's on Instagram as a Valley Viking. He's the one with longer hair than I have. They're beautiful locks and they say young couple, they bought a bungalow and they basically took the top off it, took it back. And then I'll send some photos over so you can see it.

Laura (11:39)

Yep.

The beautiful locks, yep.

Emily Kitchin (12:00)

eight dormers on it. It's a phenomenal property and they're the nicest people to work for. They come every couple of days and just had a baby and they just always so I don't know, the sun shining as well, there's a bit of romanticism about it, but they turn up and they're all so happy and then we complete a room and the plasterers come in and it's just phenomenal. It's a big, really big sense of achievement and pride for me, yeah.

Laura (12:02)

Wow.

Aww.

Lovely. It also makes the job more enjoyable when you can see the joy in the customer's face through each phase, isn't it? And you can see that their excitement is building towards when they're going to move in, I guess.

Emily Kitchin (12:35)

Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah, like they started,

like the timers have turned up this week. It's been so, I started the project, September last year, the steels went in and we've started doing the roof. And basically then we had a huge storm, if remember, and the storm took the roof that we started to create off the building, the steels blew off the padstones. It took the whole side of the gable down. It just decimated.

Laura (13:00)

Yeah.

my god.

Emily Kitchin (13:11)

Like what basically are we done? We'd joisted the property already and you broke some of them. So we were back to repairs. And I'll say I had another project dropped booked in. So I went to that project and I've come back to it. And in between the breaks from that project, I've dropped back onto it. So even for me coming along and watching the phases that maybe I the second part of the roof I missed, I came in for the internal structural stuff and then now we're boarding it and seeing.

Laura (13:35)

Okay.

Emily Kitchin (13:40)

their faces as we've gone through the last 12 months and even me being able to kind of show up in and out and see the progress as well. Like it's yeah, it's just dreamy. It's the sunshine in like Alex is more or less my bus friend. They're amazing customers and it's in middle of nowhere and everyone on there is just lovely. Tools out. No like

Laura (14:00)

⁓ nice. So you don't get bothered. definitely.

Emily Kitchin (14:07)

you there's no issues, you we're quite safe. You ask them for materials in terms of, you know, like, you honestly, they're the dreamiest people I ever saw.

Laura (14:12)

Woo. ⁓

that's amazing. And whereabouts is that? Is that close to home for you or is it quite away?

Emily Kitchin (14:23)

It's about 30 minutes. so if I obviously everything's a valley here, so if I go over the valley into the next one, it's in the next one.

Laura (14:31)

Gotcha, gotcha. I've seen on your social media that you're brand ambassador for a couple of One being Velocity Pro Gear and the other, it Stabila? Stabila? Yeah? Do you know? There you go.

Emily Kitchin (14:39)

Yeah.

I get it wrong, what's

Laura (14:54)

Welsh and German, English and German, you know, yeah. How did they come about? Because they're pretty cool brands.

Emily Kitchin (14:56)

Yeah.

And...

I don't really know is the answer. don't know. not at all. It's kind of like, so this is my first year with Velocity and I went to Data Power Tools is my local tool store. So I went to Data Power Tools and I met one of the reps and he was just like, have you had a contract? And I was like, for what? And he's like, oh, we've been discussing you and I was like, that's lovely.

Laura (15:06)

Have you been with them that long?

⁓

Oh

Emily Kitchin (15:32)

No, I haven't. it just kind of, I had a phone call and I had an email and it just kind of turned into that. They, Velocity so lovely to work for. They're really relaxed. You know, if I want something, I'll just, do you think I could get this or something new comes out? They might, like, do you mind testing this? And then with Stabila, they reached out to me two, I think two years ago, but the first year with them.

Laura (15:52)

Okay.

Emily Kitchin (16:01)

unofficial if I make sense. was just sort of like a here's some bits and pieces, hope you enjoy them kind of thing. Like it was no requirements. It was just like we see you kind of thing. And then this year then obviously then we had a I'm contractually with them. So that's cool. I'm actually going to Germany in September. Yeah, 23rd of September I'm going to, this is bad, Anne.

Laura (16:04)

Yep.

Okay.

Yeah.

wow.

Emily Kitchin (16:30)

Alway, Alway, ⁓ Anway is the town that the Sibila factory is in. So there's eight of us going out from the UK and I think there's people coming from other trades. Do you follow Mitch, Mitch Builds on Instagram?

Laura (16:36)

Aw, wicked.

possibly. It rings bell.

Emily Kitchin (16:48)

You probably do, or she...

So Mitch is a Kiwi and she's in Canada. forgot everyone's name, I remember. There's a handful of us anyway, the Roof Slayer. There's maybe like 20 of us going out all together and we're gonna meet and spend four days together and have a tour of the factory. Which I'm really looking forward to, yeah. That's like a once in a lifetime, yeah.

Laura (17:07)

Aw, wicked. Yeah.

Amazing. Yeah, that's gonna be super fun. So September you're going there.

Emily Kitchin (17:14)

Yeah,

23rd, yeah.

Laura (17:18)

Sweet. Have you got any other kind of big things coming up for you projects, expos or anything?

Emily Kitchin (17:26)

No, so I think Screwfix Live is at the same time as I'm going to Germany, so I won't be going to that. We did do installer for a day, that was amazing. Did you go?

Laura (17:36)

Did I

didn't know. This year has been such a whirlwind for me. I've kind of, because I'm a decorator by trade, I'm obviously going to go to a national decorating show in November. So that's always in my calendar. But obviously from starting the podcast and everything, I've realized I need to pull my finger out and go to all the other ones. And it's just kind of, they've all seemed to have passed me by unfortunately this year. So next year I'm going to.

Emily Kitchin (17:43)

Yeah. Yeah, okay, yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Laura (18:03)

Hopefully get down to a couple. Yeah. Absolutely.

Emily Kitchin (18:05)

hit them hard like,

was really good. So I know it was the first year that they've opened it up to all trades. It was so overwhelming. It's huge, like, it's huge. And I don't think I've seen 25 % of it. But you know, because obviously you speak to so many people on Instagram and other platforms. When I got there, it was just, oh, hey, hey, hey, you know, like it was.

Laura (18:14)

Okay. Was it?

Whoa.

Yeah.

Emily Kitchin (18:31)

It's nice because it's more like a social thing because you actually get to meet people in real life. Like some people I've never seen them stood up, you know what mean? And then you talk to them nearly every day and then you get to meet them in these places. yeah, get to have a pint with them, suppose, at the end as well. It's quite nice.

Laura (18:36)

Yeah.

Yeah.

That's awesome. I have to say, the first time I went to the decorating show a couple of years ago, I'd obviously started following the likes of Paint Warrior and people like that. And I saw him at the show and it was almost, it was like seeing Beyonce or blooming George Michael or something. I was like, my gosh, I can't even go near him.

Emily Kitchin (18:58)

Yeah.

Yeah.

Kev's lovely though, isn't

he? Yeah, he's such a good guy. I don't know, oh, me too. He's so lovely. Yeah.

Laura (19:13)

he's a great guy. I still haven't spoken to him in person yet, but no, this year. Yeah.

it's weird because like you say, you talk to so many of these people online, but when you see him in person, for me anyway, there was always that little bit of stardom around them. And I can't go and speak to that person, you know. Yeah. ⁓

Emily Kitchin (19:31)

Yeah.

That'll be you now after this.

Laura (19:39)

Well, we'll see, we'll see.

yeah, trade shows, you went to the installer. Have you done any others this year?

Emily Kitchin (19:46)

No, I'm probably the same as you are. This year has been really hectic for lots of different reasons. And we only went installer because we had a break on a project and we like let's go. It was literally like the day before let's go. I have got something coming up, but it's under my hat. I've got to keep it on just, but it won't be long. When it turns up, I'll send you something.

Laura (19:51)

Mm.

Whoa. OK.

Sweet.

Emily Kitchin (20:10)

So social media is such a weird one, isn't it? Because I started, I don't know about you, but I started my page just to get more customers as like a portfolio. Yeah, and then it's just evolved into this thing now and that it's like a second job almost. Like I'm quite lucky in the sense of, like I said, the two brands I do work for are really relaxed and

Laura (20:23)

Like a yes.

Emily Kitchin (20:40)

Like I've had a Velocity bag pretty much since day one and I've always had, apart from a couple of other bits and pieces, I've always been with Stabila as well. So it's like, it's really easy for me because they're always just there, they're always in the background anyway, they are my brand. But I think I'm grateful for the fact that I know a lot of people have fewer commitments they have to do regimented. But I still find it all a bit strange.

Laura (20:57)

Okay.

Yeah.

Emily Kitchin (21:09)

really change if I'm honest.

Laura (21:12)

I know what you mean. it's it's so prevalent for a lot of people. It's such a big part of their lives. Social media, isn't it? So I think as a tradesperson, you can gain so much from it on so many different levels. But also it can take a lot away from you because of that, because it can take so much time.

Emily Kitchin (21:18)

Yeah.

Yeah.

Laura (21:35)

Can't it? Like when you're on a job, you don't necessarily want to be fannying around with your phone for 20 minutes, setting it up at the right angle when you should be working, you know? And then the customer comes in and it's like, don't mind me. You know?

Emily Kitchin (21:40)

It's not. Yeah. Exactly, yeah.

Laura (21:52)

At this point, we had to stop recording just for a few moments as Emily was actually dog sitting and the little fella needed some attention or some love. yeah, we just had to do a little bit of a pause, but we pick it back up with talking about Emily's home renovation. So let's get back to it.

Laura (22:14)

your house me how that renovation is going.

Emily Kitchin (22:18)

showed you earlier, that is still 4x on my floor. So this room is the kitchen. So the room that's behind me, there was a wall here and a window. So we knocked this through and now, and I had a little lean too, so we've extended into a full extension. But I was, we were living in Southampton and I wanted to move home.

Laura (22:20)

Yeah.

you

Emily Kitchin (22:40)

back to Wales and my partner said you find a house we'll move. So I went on, was like, find the cheapest thing I can find because they, I kind of like bred from Lewin's thinking that we could do a renovation as well as like, you know, it'd be amazing. Could we done some stuff to the flat anyways? like, we've done it once already, we'll do it again, it'll be grand. Found this house, it's been empty for like five in, what's it called?

Laura (22:50)

Yeah.

Nice.

Emily Kitchin (23:04)

Probably, it's not probation, it? Pro-bate, yeah, she's in Pro-bate. There's just myself and our next-door neighbor. There's nothing else around here. Found it on auction. was like, in comparison to most houses, pennies. Came on like a horrible October night for 20 minutes in the dark, no electric here. I had a little battery light, walked around with.

Laura (23:07)

Yeah, was it probate? Probate. Yeah. Wow.

Nice.

Yeah.

Emily Kitchin (23:34)

this woman, she was like, I'm going outside for a fag. I was like, yeah, no bother. So I walked around and it was, it was weird. was like, they'd just left. So like everything, yeah, it was like the carpets were immaculate, obviously very dated. And then I was like, yeah, let's buy this one. So I convinced Lou, Lou, never seen it ,bought this house at auction came in, ripped the wallpaper off and basically the walls fell down with it. So.

Laura (23:38)

Ha

Okay.

my God.

Emily Kitchin (24:03)

Yeah,

we've had a complete rewire. It's completely replumbed Like, so we've put a stench on the back of it. We've knocked through, took it back to stone, basically. And now we're coming out the back end of it. So now we have one bathroom, one kitchen, one sitting room, and a bedroom. And it's for everything. Nothing else is finished. The land on the stairs isn't finished. I started the banister probably a month ago. Still missing three spindles. I'm like, ah, I'll be all right.

Laura (24:21)

Nice! Get in there!

Emily Kitchin (24:31)

My cousin came yesterday

to start the bathroom. He's like, oh, I've got to go. So the toilet's plumbed in, but nothing else. I mean, it's just, like you said, you've got to normalize living like this. think I haven't met a trades person that their house is finished.

Laura (24:38)

⁓

Yeah.

This is it. This is it. It's like we were saying earlier, I don't think I've, I've only painted one room in my flat since I've moved in in 2022. So, you know, it's fine.

Emily Kitchin (24:57)

It's like, well,

don't know what say. I was like, a bus man's holiday. So obviously back in day, drivers, everyone used to go on holiday, on a bus didn't they I was like, oh, it's a bus man's holiday. I'm like, yeah, it is. It's like Grand Dog Day. And then at one point we had, everything was laths and plastering yesterday, it was black. And I remember it was last winter, so no long after we bought it and we were stripping our back. you couldn't, Lou couldn't get in here in the evening. She's like, let's just go and do an hours work. I can't do it.

Laura (25:06)

Yeah.

Emily Kitchin (25:27)

I've already been

soaked through all day during the freezing cold and then we're living with my parents, like we're just down the road really, quite close. But then driving up here, getting changed, getting showered and getting changed because I was soaking and then coming up and then trying to tear down lath and plaster ceiling. I was like, this isn't for me

Laura (25:32)

Yeah.

Yeah.

It's tough going, isn't it? It's tough going, yeah. I've got a house of my own that I rent out and that I bought that probate and same, was riddled with damp so you could literally stick your finger in the wall by a couple of inches. It was rank. So I totally know the feeling of having to do a full day's work.

Emily Kitchin (25:49)

⁓ yeah!

Yeah.

Yeah.

NAH!

Laura (26:13)

but then knowing you've still got to go and do some work on this property. And yeah, and you don't, it's like 12 hour, nearly 12 hour days sometimes because you know you've got to get it done, haven't you? Yeah.

Emily Kitchin (26:17)

Another shift. Yeah.

Easily. Yeah. I think

my partner went away, worked away over Christmas last year. So like three months, I was just on my own. And I was like, I'm going to finish this house by the time they come home. And I remember like finish, I wouldn't even get changed. Right. Even if I was soaked through, had a set of clothes in the van. was like, don't, don't stop. Don't sit down. And I was just coming back and forth for like three months. And I did.

Laura (26:51)

Yeah.

Emily Kitchin (26:55)

We got it plastered, to be honest. I got it plastered, I got the doors done upstairs. We got really close. No one near finished, I had no kitchen. But it was plastered and the upstairs was stuck and fixed. By the time Lou had come back, i'd put myself in such a hole, i was she was like, it's not worth this Em, It's not worth, know, slot. Yeah, and then in the end.

Laura (27:07)

Nice.

my.

running yourself into the ground.

Emily Kitchin (27:22)

We've moved in, we've got a bathroom, we've got a bedroom. I put a couple of shifts in, like said, to get the kitchen done and we were like, let's just do it, let's just move in. And we'll do it as we go along. I haven't touched it for a month, until yesterday. I was like, I better start doing something. Yeah.

Laura (27:36)

⁓ bless you.

Well, at least you're in. That's a win. That's a win. Yeah, for sure.

Emily Kitchin (27:41)

Yeah.

Everything

takes longer than you think as well, doesn't it, when you're doing it yourself? You're like, that'll only be an hour.

Laura (27:48)

really, really

you three hours in, aren't you doing the same thing? Yeah.

Emily Kitchin (27:51)

Yeah, yeah, or

you've not picked something up on the way because like your head's still in work or you're like, you'll know like you go and pick up materials for a job the day before or the week before, know everything's scheduled. When you come to your own house, just like, I haven't got a door to today because I didn't buy any. Yeah, on Saturday, 12 o'clock, everything's shut and I've got some more swinging doors today then. well, yeah.

Laura (28:07)

Yeah.

Hahaha!

well that's that, yeah, that's that. Can't do it, still

can't do it. ⁓ damn. yeah, I know that feeling, absolutely, absolutely. Right, so we've come towards the end of the podcast and I like to do a little mini round of quick fire questions.

Emily Kitchin (28:22)

no, I've got an beach over.

Yeah.

god.

Laura (28:40)

some are work related, some aren't. So it's kind of just to let the listeners know a little bit more about you as well. So if you're ready, no, don't be scared. They're easy peasy. It's just a this or that and feel free to elaborate as well. we'll start with an easy one. Cause I think I know the answer to this. Tea or coffee?

Emily Kitchin (28:46)

Okay, I'm not scared.

Okay. Okay.

Coffee, coffee, you mentioned

my coffee. So the coffee machine was on Facebook marketplace. I didn't just got a brand new one, like I'm not rich. saw at the time, Yaz and I were on that project and we were both sleeping in our van. So Yaz was staying in a roof tent and I was sleeping in the back. I have a camper, but it was in having work done. So I was literally sleeping on a rollout bed in the back of my roots van.

Laura (29:24)

Okay.

Emily Kitchin (29:27)

Yeah, and we were showering in the gym, which was like 25 minutes away from the job. So we're literally on the driveway straight out onto the job site and then back into the other little car and then down into town to get to the gym and shower. And I thought, this, and we're both into coffee. And I was like, there's gotta be some highlight to this. Cause as much as it was fun and know, timber framing and I was like, I need a decent brew. So I thought I went hunting for this coffee machine on marketplace.

Laura (29:27)

wow.

Okay.

Wow.

Emily Kitchin (29:56)

And it's probably the best thing I've ever bought. By far the best thing I've ever bought.

Laura (29:57)

Amazing.

Wow, that's awesome. Brilliant. Working solo or with a crew?

Emily Kitchin (30:04)

always with the crew. I think being in a trade can be quite isolating. I've done long periods on my own and sometimes I feel like I'm just walking in circles and I haven't achieved anything. I don't know if you've ever had that. You've got so many things to do and then you're like, where do I start? then maybe it's like, almost ADHD, you're like, da-da-da-da-da.

Laura (30:07)

Yeah.

Okay. Yeah, yeah. When it's prep days, yeah.

Absolutely.

Emily Kitchin (30:33)

The motivation

wanes as well. feel like no two o'clock. I'm telling myself don't go home, don't go home, don't go home. Yeah. Yeah. You're like.

Laura (30:38)

Yeah, I'm the same. Two o'clock is the moment for me

where I'm thinking, a couple more hours, just do it. Go on, just have a snack. You'll be all right.

Emily Kitchin (30:45)

just do it all, yeah, or just

go home. That's what I'm like, So like with Alex or with Yaz or whoever I'm working with, it's like coming to a clock and just out flagging a bit and then, you know, turn the radio station over or like play your own music on or go make the coffee and then you just, you what I mean, it just gets you back into that flow again.

Laura (31:06)

Yeah, get a second wind going. Definitely. I'm glad someone else has that two o'clock moment. It's definitely, it's a hard point of the day for sure.

Emily Kitchin (31:08)

Yeah.

2 o'clock. See ya.

Yeah, 100

cents.

Laura (31:18)

Cats or dogs?

Emily Kitchin (31:20)

Neither. I say that, I've got Ben with me. Yeah, I'm not a, I don't dislike animals, but I just don't, I don't need any dependents. I can't look after myself like, you know what mean? I've never had a dog.

Laura (31:21)

Neither, ooh, controversial. ⁓

That's fine.

That's totally cool. No worries there. That's fine. A spirit level or a laser level.

Emily Kitchin (31:39)

Ooh, spirit level. You can do so much more with spirit level. Lazers are like easy, but spirit levels. Yeah, like I used one to prop up a shelf the other day while I screwed it in. Can't lose.

Laura (31:43)

Yeah.

There you go.

Yeah.

There you go.

It's almost like a multi-tool. Brilliant. A driver or passenger.

Emily Kitchin (31:56)

Yeah it is, use it for anything.

driver

Laura (32:03)

think I've had one passenger in all of the guests I've interviewed so far. Don't, don't. Oak or pine?

Emily Kitchin (32:06)

princess.

pine, pine because it's easier on my blades and it cost me less money.

Laura (32:15)

Oh, there you go. Good to know. And here's a bit of a curveball one. And I just thought this off the top of my head. I thought it might be funny. Would you rather have a splinter or sawdust in your eye?

Emily Kitchin (32:29)

Oh splinter, every day, every day. I have my eyelashes lifted and tinted and I've constantly got safety glasses on because I've lifted them and they don't work at all. Everything goes in my eyes. All day I'm just like, Alex, I can't put glasses on. I'm like this. He's like, show me the blow and I'm blowing it. Constantly. They just negate their job. They just open now, so it's, they don'twork Yeah, they look all right. ⁓

Laura (32:46)

⁓

You

⁓ ruined. At least they look good. That's the main thing.

Emily Kitchin (32:56)

loads of crap in my eyes.

Laura (32:56)

There you go. Brilliant, brilliant. Okay, so final couple of questions for you. If you could be another trade, what would you choose and why?

Emily Kitchin (33:09)

Mmm.

Does welder count? Yeah, I'd be a welder, I think, yeah. Just, yeah, I think it might be flash dance romanticizing or something. I know it's a bit more sedentary, because I think you have like a welding shop, don't you? But again, you get to create big things. Like one of the boys does just purely steels.

Laura (33:15)

Yeah, 100 %

That's a cool one, innit?

Hahaha!

Emily Kitchin (33:39)

amount of steel work that's going into pots and the main net, I think it's probably quite lucrative. But yeah, I feel well though.

Laura (33:44)

Yeah,

definitely. Good choice, good choice. So saying that, what trade or who do you think I should have on the show next?

Emily Kitchin (33:53)

I reckon like a mechanic or welder or something, you know, just like a different rather than like construction like automotive or something a bit different. Yeah. See, I, cause I wonder, I know, cause we all talk to each other, right? Like painters, decorators, chippies electricians, plumbers, but we don't talk to mechanics, know, and there's, but there's other other females in other parts of life. I went to,

Laura (33:58)

Okay.

Yeah. Alright.

Yeah.

Emily Kitchin (34:21)

First of all, it's called the VC Festival and it started off as a bike club and they've been doing festivals and it's female only and there's lots of, it's awesome, there's lots of tents and, not tents, but know what mean, like exhibitions and you could speak to different people in different industries. they were like, like how to manage your money, how to elevate your business, how to learn to skateboard, learn to ride a motorbike, how to BMX and

Laura (34:24)

Okay.

wow!

sweet.

Emily Kitchin (34:50)

One of them was maintenance on cars. I was like, I've never actually spoken to a female mechanic. straight over, there was an electrician there and a carpenter. The girl was a set builder and then the woman was an electrician. You could go into basics. It was so cool. I just got well over excited. And I just made it feel like, because you speak to electricians and stuff, not like all the time, but cheap.

Laura (34:56)

Okay.

Okay.

Wow.

Emily Kitchin (35:16)

a couple of my friends, Gina and Aimee and now they're electricians. And I was like, mechanics, let's go.

Laura (35:20)

Yeah.

That's a cool choice. I will have to start scouting round for one, for sure. Yeah.

Emily Kitchin (35:28)

Yeah, and I was just

going so one of the girls does like, so she's got a collective basically where they do events for girls in the automotive industry. And she was saying she doesn't call it male dominated, she calls it male crowded. And I was like, that's it? Yeah. So she was like, it's just male crowded. Because he was a young mechanic that was struggling, suppose. And she said, it's not.

Laura (35:38)

wow.

Ooh, okay.

Emily Kitchin (35:53)

dominated, it's crowded, there's just more of them than us, like it doesn't mean that they own it. I was like, I quite like that. Yeah, it changes the rhetoric doesn't it?

Laura (35:55)

Yeah, Okay. I like that. Yeah, definitely. Rewording things.

Yeah, that's got me thinking. Okay. I like that. I'm gonna hang on to that one. Thanks for that. Definitely. Brilliant. So where can people find you on social media, et cetera? ⁓

Emily Kitchin (36:08)

Yeah.

You're welcome. It ends on first, not even

You can find

me on mainly Instagram. I do a bit of TikTok, but it's just the same as Instagram. I don't really know how to use TikTok, I'll be honest. I think I'm too old. I keep pressing the wrong thing and I'm like, why am I looking at this? I don't even open it. I upload a video and I close it again. I'm like, Or YouTube, I started YouTube, but that's harder than it looks. But I feel about YouTube and it's all chippy.

Laura (36:30)

Me neither. ⁓

Yeah

Yeah.

Emily Kitchin (36:49)

C-H-I-P-P-I-E-E-M. ⁓

Laura (36:53)

Okay, awesome. So I'll put your Instagram and your YouTube handles at the bottom of the show notes for people to click on and find you and like your work and everything. But yeah, go and check Emily out and start liking some posts and awesome. She's awesome. Thank you very much again. Thank you very much. It's all good. And hopefully we can continue chatting as well.

Emily Kitchin (36:57)

Thank you.

You're welcome. Thanks for having me.

over in the van for coffee.

Laura (37:19)

⁓ yes please. They look ace. I need one of those coffees in my life for sure. Sweet, awesome. Well thank you again and speak to you soon.

Emily Kitchin (37:24)

You do, I'll make you one.

Thank you, bye!