How handy around the house are you?

[Spring~Fields]

It had better be plug and play or I have to do gofer duties. I did ok this year with replacing a door knob, I was shocked. Then I got all encouraged and happy and tried installing a new shower head, it leaked.

[Virginia Beach Reds]

My dad is bob villa. He has been the team lead on several projects (built 2 cool storage sheds with CABLE TV!, installed 22 windows in 2 days, etc). I am his gopher. I get him the tools he asks for. I've learned quit a bit just doing that. I can now install toilets, ceiling fans, light electrical. of course, I can wire a computer, electronics hookups in a heartbeat. I like doing it until the directions come in every language but English or the directions are translated POORLY.

[OldRightHander]

Aside from my little mishap patching the ceiling last year (broken after I put my foot through from the attic trying to put in insulation) I'm not too bad. I'm not much with mechanical things, but I have managed to put in wood floors in two rooms and I put in a new toilet the other day. I prefer yard work to working indoors though.

[remdog]

Hammer, meet nail---usually the one on the left thumb.

BTW, my first ex-wife was very good with engines, especially Porsches. Unfortunately, she wasn't all that good at driving Porsches. (Think scrapmetal in 0-60 seconds.)

Rem

[BoydsOfSummer]

I can barely fix a sandwich, although my gut says otherwise.

[TeamCasey]

Plumbing should be easy ........ but it isn't!

I've tried to repair faucets, toilets, etc. I can't seem to ever get the correct replacement part. I'll even take the old part to the store and think that I've got a good replacement, only to find that the threads are slightly different. Quite frustrating.

[GAC]

Originally Posted by Chip R

I understand GAC's pretty good with lawn mowers.

The investigation is still ongoing. But I've never let broken bones and 2nd degree burns ever get in the way of home repair. It sure didn't stop Wiley Coyote, and it ain't gonna stop me.

Bones heal, hair and eyebrows grow back; but being able to stand back on your crutches and bandages at the end of the day and admire a job well down?... Well, unless you've ever been there and experienced it, it's really hard to explain the euphoric feeling one experiences from that and the Percocet.

Owner's manuals are for idiots.

And at least I do know the proper way to use (and store) an awl.

Do-It-Yourself home repair is a high risk occupation. It's a percentage game where you learn to accept the good with the bad.

S*** happens!

[RFS62]

GAC raises a lot of money for local charities by selling tickets when he has a project planned. It's quite a spectacle.

[GAC]

Originally Posted by TeamCasey

Plumbing should be easy ........ but it isn't!

I've tried to repair faucets, toilets, etc. I can't seem to ever get the correct replacement part. I'll even take the old part to the store and think that I've got a good replacement, only to find that the threads are slightly different. Quite frustrating.

REAL men enjoy good plumbing.

Plumbing is easy. Especially working with PVC. And the high you get from the PVC glue and primer makes you want to stay down in the crawl space under the house for days.

True situation:

In our last house I was replacing the PVC plumbing under the end of the house for the kid's bathroom. Me and a buddy (who is a plumber) went down and cut out all the bad PVC plumbing and were in the process of measuring/cutting the new.

My oldest boy "forgot" that we were down there, and that no one was to use THAT bathroom (toilet).

I won't go into details from there, but it wasn't pretty.

Again.... S*** happens!

I could write a book on my (and my family's) home repair experiences over the last three decades.

[Falls City Beer]

Originally Posted by TeamCasey

Plumbing should be easy ........ but it isn't!

I've tried to repair faucets, toilets, etc. I can't seem to ever get the correct replacement part. I'll even take the old part to the store and think that I've got a good replacement, only to find that the threads are slightly different. Quite frustrating.

This is exactly right. It takes a real delicate touch that I don't possess.

[GAC]

Working with old style copper and/or iron pipe plumbing is a pain in the rear. Especially when it comes to brazing the pipes. It has become alot easier to do with the advent of PVC.

And I refuse to do most any type of electrical around the house. I've put in a couple ceiling fans and dimmer switches where outlets already existed; but that's as far as I go.

[minus5]

Originally Posted by GAC

The investigation is still ongoing. But I've never let broken bones and 2nd degree burns ever get in the way of home repair. It sure didn't stop Wiley Coyote, and it ain't gonna stop me.
:

Cool! You must own that nice Acme brand tool set

You can always tell when I have to do any type of plumbing around the house because the kids always learn a new word or two.

[GAC]

Originally Posted by minus5

Cool! You must own that nice Acme brand tool set

You can always tell when I have to do any type of plumbing around the house because the kids always learn a new word or two.

I'm trying to get my oldest boy to go into plumbing. He already has the crack for it.

[KittyDuran]

Just say NO to crack, GAC!

[Red in Chicago]

i wish i could be handy around the house, but i'm afraid that i'll end up making it worse, so i don't even bother...on the other hand, my brother could be the next mcguyver