July 11, 2008 at 9:55 am
And I'll add that I don't do projects myself to save money. It's good to do so, but about half the time I spent the same amount because I do something twice.
It's more about tinkering around and learning things. We declined to paint the house because I don't really like working on ladders, it needs to be done relatively quickly since a 4 months half painted house would generate a fair amount of complaints, and I don't want to be hurried. The loafing shed could take a month of an hour a night a couple times a week because it wasn't needed. I spent about 4 months building around 900' of fence, one post at a time, renting an auger to drill 20 holes at a time and then mixing one bag of cement, one hand trowel, one gallon of water, one pole at a time. My neighbor had his son out there, mixed in a wheelbarrow and in a marathon weekend did about 500'. We both thought the other had a bigger hassle, but to this day when I drive by that fence I feel a great sense of pride.
Things like a garbage disposal (that was my last plumbing attempt), need to be fixed, so I call someone. I paid to have someone run the sub panel and first plus, then I extended it to where I wanted 🙂
Reading through more comments, professionals are faster. No doubt. But lots of them also want to get done to move to the next job and cut corners. Having done some building in my past as the payer and the gofer, I found most professionals cut corners. They "shim" things in there that horrify me. It works and is often unnoticeable, but I can "shim" things myself and I find it interesting.
July 11, 2008 at 9:55 am
I agree with your implicit thesis that we tech geeks are by nature curious problem solvers that tend to DIY. However, and this is a big however, in my professional life, I have leared the value of skilled professionals such as DBAs. I am a software developer, and you would not believe the myriad of projects I have been brought in to work on that were hoplessly screwed up by amateurs that didn't know what they were doing.
Therefore, I confine my DIY to low value projects that don't matter. If it is something that simply must be done correctly, like tile or plumbing, I always get a professional. As an added advantage, if the project goes wrong, you have somebody you can sue!
July 11, 2008 at 10:15 am
I'll add my voice. I LOVE DIY. I love working with wood, based on growing up with a father who was a master cabinet-maker (apprenticed in "the old country"). I also love setting tile and painting. For me, it's almost a Zen thing - I really relax when I work with my hands. But I sometimes frustrate others in the house because I am not rushed to get it done. As I like to say, "I may not be fast, but I sure am slow!" I don't like to cut corners - my credo is, "If it's worth doing, it's worth doing right." I also really like the satisfaction of making something that will be useful and used by many people for a long time to come.
July 11, 2008 at 10:15 am
If you are a homeowner in the US then you are into DIY. You have to be. If you had the pros do it all you could not afford it. So we go to the hardware store. And we see most of our friends there.
Plumbing, electrical, plaster, paint, rebuild patio, whatever it takes. I have also repaired the car, lawnmower, and other stuff. I do not do it all but do what I can. Saves money and is kind of a fun break from working on the internals of software and operations.
Miles...
Not all gray hairs are Dinosaurs!
July 11, 2008 at 10:33 am
I'd have to plead a partial on this one. I don't touch most major plumbing tasks, but have no worries messing with faucets, stems, toilets, basic PVC. I also don't really worry about painting. Sure, I may "bodge" it up, but I'm the one who lives with it and frankly for me - it's good enough and I don't complain (much 🙂 ).
I'll do tasks that make sense to be done by me because I can't afford or don't want to pay huge amounts. However, I don't typically rip apart my walls to do wiring. I don't usually do electrical by myself as I don't fully understand everything. I'll either get help or pay as needed. That doesn't come up often, though.
Car repairs are an "it depends" situation. When it involves ripping apart the engine to do something and it starts listing off the parts to remove before I can do something - I'll typically price it out. Example - replacing spark plugs in our van requires taking off several components so I can then rotate the engine forward to change them. I'll pay someone to do it more quickly and efficiently and not waste my time (which is worth something, after all). Ditto oil changes, despite the fact that I can do it myself - it's worth it not to worry about it and let someone else handle it relatively quickly.
July 11, 2008 at 10:33 am
Then there is the DIY humor.
How many Mission Hills (substitute your posh neighborhood here) residents does it take to change a light bulb?
Two. One to mix the Martinis and the other to call the butler to call the electrician.
ATBCharles Kincaid
July 11, 2008 at 10:47 am
I would definitely count myself as a DIYer and, luckily, so is my wife.
I was fascinated with the Reader's Digest Do-It-Yourself Manual, and built a couple of the projects in it, when I was a kid. We lived on a farm that had been built by the previous owners in the early 30's, so there was always something that needed to be fixed. By the time I was 14, I was doing all of the plumbing and electrical repairs for everyone in my family, including all of the new installation work in a couple of additions. I re-roofed several of our outbuildings some time during my teen years, did all of the maintenance on our pool, kept all the yard equipment running, etc.
I got started on auto mechanics in my early teens, too, but I didn't do my first engine rebuild until about 10 years ago, when my ex-wife let the engine in her car run dry and seized it up.
So far, my current wife and I have remodeled both of the properties we've owned (the kitchen and one bedroom in our DC condo, then about 2/3 of our last house). We now own a 100+ year-old home, and are just getting started on the long list of repairs and remodeling we want/need to do.
The only thing I'm not willing to do is natural gas piping, and I also let professionals do refrigerant plumbing, since non-licensed individuals aren't supposed to be messing with freon in the US. As I've grown older, I've gained a bit of weight, so working on the roof doesn't have quite the appeal it once did...I still do it when I need to, though.
In regard to the licensing question someone raised early on...in most US jurisdictions, building codes specifically permit the owner of an owner-occupied, single-family home to perform their own work and/or act as their own general contractor, subject to the usual permit and inspection requirements. In some places, there's even an exemption from permits and inspections for "small" jobs (when I lived in South Carolina, "small" meant $1,000 or less) performed by the homeowner. When I lived in Maryland, I had to pass a basic knowledge test before I could pull electrical or plumbing permits, but it was still allowed.
On the other hand, most US jurisdictions prohibit "do-it-yourself" work on multi-family or commercial buildings.
July 11, 2008 at 10:50 am
Actually, we just bought a 1926 house, and gutted the basement so that we could completely re-wire the house (and re-do all the plumbing too).
We worked a deal with an electrician where we run all the wiring under the floors, in the walls and ceiling, make the holes in the walls and mount the boxes, according to his plan, and then he will come in, and do the actual fusebox, 220 outlets, three-way switches, etc.
Similar deal with the plumber.
It's been a great experience for my 22-year-old son, learning how to do all that.
July 11, 2008 at 11:01 am
Definitely a DIYer, and currently remodelling all three bathrooms in the house. I did call in the pros for the tile work, since I have some time limitations. I've done basic framing, re-roofed the house (12-pitch roof, use safety lines), put in skylights and ventilation, done plumbing, wiring, painting, whatever needs doing. For drywall/plaster, use a wider trowel - 10 to 12 inches. And thin the plaster (mud) with a little water for better flow.
Do my own maintenance on the cars and motorcycles for simple stuff like points, plugs, oil changes. I leave the bigger items to the shop, since I don't really have thetools or the training.
I've done woodworking for a long time, but mostly smaller items rather than furniture. I make things I can give away as gifts; the wooden earings were extremely popular with the east coast family members, as were the periscopes for the kids. Most recent project - wooden boxes for the pipe clamps that were my grandfather's (I'll do furniture some day, when I get the time and space!)
I also do organic gardening - the first project when I bought my current house (22 years ago!) was to tear out the south lawn and turn it into raised beds.
And I'll tinker with the computer, pull off the case and install new drives or replace fans - things like that. I have no desire to build one, though.
Steph Brown
July 11, 2008 at 11:02 am
Heh. I'm also an in-betweener, somewhere between klutz and DIYer. I also know my limitations. Just last weekend my wife reminded me to do something about her clogged vacuum cleaner. I told her I should be able to fix it with a coat hanger, she stared at me in disbelief.
It took me 20 minutes, one coat hanger, and the use of my ever-present Leatherman to take apart the coat hanger.
A Torx screwdriver would have simplified the job, but I didn't have one available.
My dad is a retired plumber, so we save up our big problems until such times as we can lure them to drive the 500 miles from Phoenix. Though with gas prices going the way they are, we'd better save up for a REALLY big problem!
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[font="Arial"]Knowledge is of two kinds. We know a subject ourselves or we know where we can find information upon it. --Samuel Johnson[/font]
July 11, 2008 at 11:13 am
There are somethings I can do, some things I can't, and some I just don't want to do. I really don't want to work on the cars, I'd rather pay a mechanic to do that. Major plumbing or electrical, the same.
I have installed many ceiling fans in our home over the past 21 years (our first and only house to date), 6 automatice garage door openers (2 not at my house, 1 for a neighbor and 1 for a sister-in-law), with help from a neighbor I replaced our garage doors (the first took a day and a half, the second in half a day).
I love working with computers at work and at home.
Yard work, I'll mow, but I hate gardening.
😎
July 11, 2008 at 11:20 am
I'm the opposite. I love gardening. I love getting out and pulling leaves, planting new things and making the yard look beautiful. I guess that is where I can truly relax. Although, I do have to call in professionals to trim the bigger trees and take out some of the stumps. The wonderful thing about living in Southern California is that I have flowers year round!
I am learning to be more of a DIYer. My sister is getting married in her backyard and my Dad and I have been working on a lot of projects for her. I have learned how to replace sprinklers, timers, paint fences properly and try not and cause more harm. I do call professionals when it is over my head. I'd rather it be done right the first time. I've seen too many DIY projects get half way done and then just sit for a long time until they are finally completed.
I just like being outside. After spending hours inside behind a computer, I like remembering there is a world outside around me.
July 11, 2008 at 12:54 pm
I'm a wanna-be DIY. I like analyzing problems, figuring out how to fix them and buying the parts. Actually doing the work is often beyond me. I spent hours over the course of a week attempting to demolish a bathroom vanity. My husband used a sledgehammer and got the job done in 15 minutes.
Using hand tools is always a struggle. I have weak hands and so I often find myself stopped cold when I can't loosen nuts even with the proper hand tools. I usually need a tool just for things that are "hand-tightened." I tried to do electrical work because I understand it, but I couldn't bend the wires just right to get them around the posts, resulting in loose connections (fire hazards, especially since it was aluminum wiring).
I know how to change a tire on my car, but I can't do it. I can't loosen the lug nuts, I can't put the flat tire back in the car, and I can't lift the spare tire out of the trunk.
I see all the women DIY posting here, and I realize that maybe it's just me and I'm not even as strong as most women...
July 11, 2008 at 1:26 pm
I too am a DIYer. I like to work on projects around the house and help friends with their projects. I have finished two basements and the only thing I don't do is major plumbing and carpet. Outside of that I have built sheds, framed walls, dry walled, tiled, done electrical work, put in hardwood floors and many other minor home improvement projects. I also like woodworking and it has become a hobby of mine. Could I save time and hassle by hiring someone? Sure! But if I am not in a hurry, I just roll up my sleeves and do it myself. Plus there is a certain stress relief that comes with using power tools!
Eric Johnson
Co-Host CS Techcast
July 11, 2008 at 2:09 pm
Stephanie,
Us women doesn't have to pretend that we are strong. We just need to know how things go together and let the our men work on it.
We could inspect and tell them "Good job honey, or it doesn't look right, please fixt it again."
Like I said, just because I know how the lawn mover operate doesn't mean I have to cut the grass. If my husband isn't willing to cut the grass, all I have to do is tell him that I'll call someone to come and cut our grass for us. The job will get done either way 🙂
Sopheap
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