Comments on: Do It Yourself?

By: Judy

Judy — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 15:20:46 +0000

With the internet (epecially youtube) you can research how to do almost anything before you decide whether to tackle it yourself or not.

By: Rebecca

Rebecca — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 21:56:48 +0000

I fall into “can’t sew in even a rudimentary way” category, Gail. But we’ve all got our strengths and weaknesses, right? I can’t sew, but I can perform basic maintenance tasks on computers, create Powerpoint presentations and set up home theater equipment. I consider all these things rudimentary, but I’ve been paid to do them, just as I’ve paid people to hem my pants. I also consider basic punctuation and grammar skills rudimentary, yet I’ve been paid to assist people with those too. And I’ve traded these kinds of skills (especially the computer-related ones) with family members too.

By: Saver Queen

Saver Queen — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 18:59:35 +0000

Wow Cynthia – I can’t believe you got asked that question at Home Depot! They seem better than that – a lot of their staff are women! Crazy.

By: Louise

Louise — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 15:12:45 +0000

I’m also handy and actually like to get into painting, building and fixing stuff (not electrical or plumbing though). I simply can’t imagine paying someone to do stuff that I can do with a bit of time set aside. I come from a family with this mentality though.

to Cynthia – I love it! Your story made me smile over my morning coffee.

By: Cynthia

Cynthia — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 01:29:44 +0000

All this DYI talk reminds me of my visit to home depot when I moved into my new apt in 2005 and decided to get custom blinds made in the colours I wanted. The lady in the dept asked: “Did your husband take the measurements?” Being a handy woman I snorted back, “NO, I measured them myself.” Needless to say the lady was stunned. Why I wonder, I can read a tape measure, it’s not rocket science.

I do most DYI projects myself. I repainted my mother’s brown coffee table and storage end tables one summer white. Those turned out great. I’ve fixed facuets, light switches, changed lightbulbs, and even replaced the screen in our screendoor. The painting, I live to the pros, since I live in an apt, I don’t pay extra for them to do that work.

By: Catherine42

Catherine42 — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 20:37:54 +0000

Thanks to all that commented on my post. Today he actually looked at what I’ve been doing the last few months. He seemed impressed. Looks like with better communication things will run more smoothly.

By: H

Sat, 13 Dec 2008 16:09:37 +0000

There is no substitute for a handy partner. Unfortunately, I’m not the handy one in the relationship, I’m better at making messes and breaking things than anything else, but I make up for it by making the money for when we can’t DIY.

By: Tara

Tara — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 22:34:35 +0000

A man who can fix things is worth his weight in gold! Both my father and my husband are great at fixing things around the house and have saved our families thousands of dollars over the years. Husband is also a computer science major and is the resident hi-tech fix-it man. My mom and I also do each other’s hair and nails.

By: Catherine

Catherine — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 22:24:41 +0000

My hubby and I try to do as much as we can. He’s pretty handy with years of watching and learning from his father and mine do things around the house (we hire in for plumbing, electrical, etc. as ‘I’ think that’s scarey!) He’s an AWESOME painter – and is so very careful. Hope I don’t sound like I’m bragging, but, I’m a good baker and cook. I make ‘almost’ everything from scratch…..tomato sauce takes too much stirring time ;o) when I have better things to do. I don’t eat sugar and my hubby isn’t in to sweets, and I LOVE to bake – so he takes it to work, or I do. I’ve cut way back on that budget since November 1st and his co-workers are whining about it LOL.
I live in a small village and there are many people I know I could count on and have and vice versa. ‘It takes a village to raise a child’ and that is so true. We have all watched out for each others kids (we’ve lived here 32 years) and my hubby taught most of them.
Catherine42,(nice name by the way…is it from Wuthering Heights like mine?) hang in there. We all mess up sometimes. Deep breaths! He’ll come around sooner rather than later.
SaverQueen, hope you enjoy Guelph – that was ‘our first marital home’ while hubby attended U. of G.

By: Sally

Sally — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 21:21:32 +0000

I am all for DIY but please remember that electricians, plumbers, etc go to school for a reason!!! If you want to do it yourself at least get it professionally inspected! Having your toilet leak and ruin your floor is pretty minor compared to burning down your house and losing family members because you did wiring in your house and didn’t know what you were doing.

By: Julie

Julie — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 18:04:58 +0000

When I graduated from university and got a job in my hometown I couldn’t find a place to rent. The vacancy rate was 0. My parents co-signed and helped me buy a mobile home (trailer, whatever you want to call it). It needed repairs badly but it was all my husband and I could afford.

Thank goodness he is handy with a lot of things. The place needed a new roof, windows, siding, etc. The next summer we put a new roof on it since the original tin one was still there. It took us 4 months and A LOT of research but we managed to do it ourselves, saving about $10 000. The next summer we replaced the windows and the siding. We fixed it into our beautiful little first home. We still own it but my husbands parents are living there.

About little over a year ago the area of town that the trailer is in had a devastating hail storm. The trailer had $16 000 worth of damage to it. My in-laws car was written off in the storm (as well as many other people’s vehicles). There was estimated to be millions of dollars of damage total in the area. Of course, because of this, the insurance companies were VERY picky about what they would cover and what they wouldn’t. The insurance company sent an adjustor and a contractor out to check the place out. The contractor said that it would cost $16 000 to repair all the damages (windows, siding, roof). The insurance company would only pay us $4000 because they felt that some of the repairs were not necessary (Who needs a roof without holes?). Well rather than pay the extra $8000, my hubby decided to do the repairs himself. The insurance company sent us a cheque for $4000 and he went and bought the materials and did the repairs himself. We did the work when we bought the place so why not this time!

By: Kathleen

Kathleen — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 17:41:09 +0000

My husband is very skilled with computers and cars. He’s like a one man Geek Squad and mechanic! He would rather do it himself not only to save money but to know that the job has been done right. My brother is very handy around the house. He’s not a contractor but he’s watched enough “Holmes on Homes” to get by on basics. As for me, I’m generally their lovely assistant.

When I was single, I took a course called Automotive Mechanics for Women. So I learned the basics of car care like charging a dead battery, changing a flat, checking your fluid levels, and things like that. It was so awesome using pneumatic tools! I totally get why guys love power tools! And it was very empowering to learn that knowledge. I can look under the hood and not be mystified by all those engine parts.

I know how to play piano and I’ve played at friends’ weddings. I know how to sew though I don’t do it very often. I’ve just recently learned how to crochet so everyone is getting hats and scarves this Christmas. I know a bit of how to cook and how to bake. As much as I can, I try to make my baby’s food rather than buy it in jars. It doesn’t always end up cheaper since I buy organic vegetables and fruits. But at least I know what’s going into my daughter’s body.

By: Debbie

Debbie — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 17:31:08 +0000

Wow. These posts make me appriciate my DIY husdand. He hates to pay someone for something he can do himself & in his opinion better ( although, not always better in MY opinion!). Neverthe less, throughout the years he has gone from adding on to his house trailer ( 1st marriage) to renovating countless fixer-uppers, to building his first house from ground up. All this he learned through trail & error. ( He’s not good at drywall taping!!) He even buys cars at auctions that have been in an accident, fixes them & drives them for a year or so & sells them. Always VW’s & always newer ones with low mileage & lot’s of bells & whistles. When we sell the car usually it is at a profit & that’s tax free income. The downside to a DIY’er is all this has to be done after a full work day- so most times it’s slow going.{ We’ve learned sometimes it is best to pay someone to save our sanity.. not to mention marriage :p } I hate bothering people, so I’m one to pay someone to do it.My husbands parents immigrated from Germany & spoke very little English, so as a family they learned they had to do it yourself. When my husband was 14, he installed the new toilet & plumbing in his house.His father agreed to buy the material, but couldn’t afford to pay someone & not having to use the outhouse was the incentive to figure it out.( how many kids would do that today??!)
ps. is my husdand the only one who comes back from the dump with more than when he left?!! he says it’s amazing what some people throw away.But, I now go with him & ‘oversee’ what he is alowed to bring home.

By: Arthur J

Arthur J — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 17:28:50 +0000

C42,

“I feel very defeated right now.” I actually hear this myself from time to time, so if it’s any small solace you’re not the only one with a nitwit partner who has the page upside down on occasion. She Who Must Be Obeyed likes to console herself by thinking that my mother must have drunk too much when she was pregnant. For myself, all I can say is that sometimes, if it’s shiny or really powerful , it’s “ooooohhhhhhh….’.

I should probably put this on the Excuses post.

By: Amber

Amber — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 17:26:40 +0000

I’m not so good at the DIY around the house, either. I do like to sew and knit for my kids, but with clothing being so cheap that’s rarely a money-saver. I also prefer to cook from scratch when I can, which is way cheaper and tastier.

And I find that the swapping ethic is alive and well amongst young moms. I’ve traded my sewing, canning and child-minding for homemade bread, handspun yarn, baked beans, and child-minding. Sometimes I’m sad that I’m not close with my neighbours, but I’m glad to have this community of mamas and kids to turn to in its stead.