Tim Uhler Talks Instagram Fame and Sharing Knowledge

Instagram started for Tim Uhler of Pioneer Builders as a place for his photography hobby—much like it did for many in those early days. As the social media platform evolved, so did Uhler, who now shares jobsite updates and tips, sprinkled with some humor, to his 412,000 followers on @awesomeframers.

Uhler began contributing to the Journal of Light Construction (JLC) in 2003 and shifted his Instagram approach to similar content but with more personality. His handle was chosen ironically, but safe to say that it’s worked out for Uhler.

Continue reading to learn about Uhler’s beginnings on Instagram, his personal mantra, and passion for educating.

Custom Builder: So how did Instagram start for you?

Tim Uhler: I started writing for JLC in 2003 and that just kind of morphed. Instagram for me, started as just a hobby for photography, and I would have never thought we could get to where we're at.

When we started my account, it really started as a joke. We called it “Awesome Framers” ironically, and we just posted the fun, dumb stuff that we did because we had lots of friends and family locally that followed us. But then piggybacking that was writing for the trade magazine.

Back in the day, I posted on different forums, and that's where the community really developed. And then once the forums kind of went away over time, it just kind of transitioned into social media.

Uhler: It wasn’t at all serious. There was always somebody in the background doing push ups, dancing, singing—doing jobsite stuff. I think other people related to it.

My editor started to go to some events in like, 2017, and he's said I should take it more seriously. And I didn't.

With social media in general, you just have to be consistent. So there's a lot of people that get into it with good intentions, good content, but it's hard to keep it up. It really is hard. You kind of have to embrace it as a lifestyle. It's 24/7. Obviously, I sleep and don't respond, but there's no day that you're not doing something on social or editing content.

This has really opened up, even for our business, it's like a it's a hedge, as the market's been slow. We can partner with companies that want to focus on education.

We never really knew who was in our area until social media, and everybody's just trying to figure out how to meet the new energy codes, what products do you like to use, tips, and tricks. And we don't hoard knowledge like the old days.

For me, I hope [my videos] help, and then people will improve. This is a builder out East that we just visited, he would read my articles, but now the stuff that he posts is beyond what we do. We inspired him, and now he inspires us, and that spirit kind of just trickles throughout. It's pretty cool to be part of the community.

CB: What’s the community built on social media like?

Uhler: It just kind of evolved. You have like-minded people that we don't do things the same way, but we have the same goal. And it turns out that it's like the sum is far greater than the parts.

We don't always agree with each other. There's different ways that we do things, and sometimes staunchly, it's like, no, I don't think that thing is needed. And here's the reasons why they're like, Well, I think it is. And here's the reasons why, awesome. Let the audience decide. Now, everybody's educated.

CB: With social media and all this knowledge sharing and visibility, people are noting younger generations getting into the trades and construction because of that visibility.

Uhler: Women too. There are some great accounts. We see a lot more of that, which is good because, historically, I don't think I really would have wanted my daughter working in construction because it's just kind of a rough-and-tumble crowd. But it's changing.

All the guys who worked for our company had hurt backs or bodies, and everybody recognized we need to be safer. We need to be more thoughtful, and things have gotten so much more technical—seismic codes, the energy code. It's not just who can swing a hammer or climb a ladder, but it's pre-planning. They're blue collar, but definitely a lot more mental than I think the average person recognizes, and social media has shown that. There are great plumbing accounts, HVAC accounts, and electrical accounts, and you realize we shouldn't be siloed. I think it's just led to overall better collaboration.

CB: What do you get the most engagement and interaction on?

Uhler: It can be so fickle. But ironically, the two things that hit big are these European tilted windows. They're triple pane windows, ultra-high energy efficiency, not at all like we have here in the States, but very common in Europe. Any time I post tilting the handle and the top of the window leans in or rotate the handle and the whole thing swings in—people just think it's novel, but all the Europeans are like, ‘Why does everybody think this is magic?’

I can, I generally will film everything on two cameras. I try not to involve people holding the camera. What the advantage is, when I go to edit, I have multiple camera angles.

CB: What’s your role in Pioneer Builders? Do you balance social media and the jobsite?

Uhler: That's a good question. I still lead ... I have the experience, but [my young team] has the youth. We're huge on learning and teaching. We do a lot of volunteer work, and they always taught us to train your replacement. Something will happen, but the work has to continue. We don't hoard knowledge. And that probably is where this started. All the guys above me that taught me they didn't hoard knowledge. They were just like, here's do this. It'll make your life easier. And it did. So that's a big part of it.

CB: Any final thoughts?

Uhler: I think we've kind of settled on a tagline: “Take your work seriously, but not yourself.” That's our mantra, and it really does make things a lot more fun, even if you have to deal with trolls. If we don't take ourselves too seriously, then it's not so bothersome.