Household DIY - Do you do your own?

[CWS4322]

This was my most recent plumbing project. I decided to remodel the porcelain receptacle. However, my expertise ended at the point where this picture was taken and I called a plumber to do the rest.

Where's the KA mixer ? One of the first DYI projects I undertook by myself was to reset the toilet. It was leaking, so I had to remove it and put in a new gasket. That is probably one of the easier projects I've done, in hindsight.

 

[Andy M.]

With plumbing projects, repairs, re-piping, or whatever, I always buy way more pipes, connectors, adapters....whatever needed, more than what the job calls for, just so that I don't have to go running back to Home Depot multiple times. After the job is complete I return all unused items for a refund on my next trip there.

I always buy extra too. I keep the extras as a way to build up an inventory of common items I would use again. Bigger ticket items get returned.

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

Me too on the toilet fun. It's a yucky job when you think about it but just wear gloves and open the window and get a fan going.

While doing the work just focus your mind on the concept that a plumber would charge more than your doctor's hourly rate to do the job, yet it's a job that even somebody without a high school education could do if they are able to read the directions. Reading skill may be required.

Along the way you'll learn interesting things about wax donuts.

 

[sparrowgrass]

Oh, Andy! What did you drop? The tank lid?

 

[CWS4322]

Oh, Andy! What did you drop? The tank lid?

It was his KA mixer! All the more reason not to store the KA mixer in a room where there is a toilet!

 

[Steve Kroll]

It depends on what the project is.

I've put up drywall, cabinets, and installed wood and tile flooring. I've also done electrical and minor plumbing. My rule of thumb regarding where to draw the line between DIY and calling an expert is this: if the project involves one single large, expensive piece of material that can be somehow screwed up, I'll leave it to an expert. For example, I had no problem doing a floor tiling project because if I messed up or broke a few tiles, I could simply throw them away and move on.

We also put in carpeting at the same time. Since a single huge roll of carpet costs a lot of money, I didn't want to chance messing it up, so I called a carpet layer to do the work.

 

[roadfix]

My rule of thumb regarding where to draw the line between DIY and calling an expert is this: if the project involves one single large, expensive piece of material that can be somehow screwed up, I'll leave it to an expert.

I agree, like granite countertops, for instance. .....and carpeting too, as you mentioned....leave them for the pros. Hardwood flooring, on the other hand, I can do myself.

 

[CWS4322]

It depends on what the project is.

I've put up drywall, cabinets, and installed wood and tile flooring. I've also done electrical and minor plumbing. My rule of thumb regarding where to draw the line between DIY and calling an expert is this: if the project involves one single large, expensive piece of material that can be somehow screwed up, I'll leave it to an expert. For example, I had no problem doing a floor tiling project because if I messed up or broke a few tiles, I could simply throw them away and move on.

We also put in carpeting at the same time. Since a single huge roll of carpet costs a lot of money, I didn't want to chance messing it up, so I called a carpet layer to do the work.

I agree, to a point Steve. It also depends on the person's aptitude. The DH has profound aptitude when it comes to doing stuff--but then, he also has a Ph.D. in mech. eng., and several undergaduate degrees. He designs stuff for companies looking for prototypes and tests stuff. He also has all the tools one needs to do stuff. You want a concrete vanity, he can make one for you. You want a sawmill, he can make one. You want a hardwood floor, he can prep the wood for you. You want hardware for cabinets cast in metal, he can do that. You want something turned in wood, he can do that. Most folks probably go to a store and buy what is needed (which we do re: plumbing stuff and fixtures, etc.), but not cabinets, flooring, counter tops, lumber (make that), etc. Our DYI is probably more along the lines of how people did things 100 years ago. The materials are a lot cheaper than if you figure the time to make the stuff, finish it, or install it. The cost for the hardwood floor in the bedroom--more than most people would want to spend for a room that size. But, the real cost, minus the labor, was under $300. To me, the floor is priceless. If I were to put the house on the market, the floor would probably be considered something a person would want to strip and stain and then finish to make it look like engineered hardware so it would look like a floor one would get in a cookie-cutter house. I don't plan on putting the house on the market, and I like the floor.

 

[CWS4322]

When I go back to the house in the City, I'll take some pics of some of the things we've done. For example, I hate hollow-core doors, so we made doors out of basewood. There are still two more doors to do before all the interior doors are replaced. I also hate prefab cabinets--so we made white oak cabinets for the bathroom. (First you have to get the logs, then you have to make the lumber, dry it, etc.) I also hate NA closets. So, besides the closet in the master bedroom, we made a built-in cupboard for the "could be guest room" and one to be the linen closet. The concrete vanity is obviously in the bathroom. The ash butcher block counter top in the kitchen. The house is a work in progress, slow but sure. I also hate fancy molding (hate cleaning--I have OCD when it comes to cleaning baseboards--I would use a toothbrush to get all the grim/dust out of the curls), so we used plain pine boards as molding along the floor--easier to clean and they work for me. And, I have lived in this house with as many as 7 Saint Bernards and Newfoundlands, so easy cleaning has been the driving force when replacing stuff. The bathroom vanity is off the floor high enough so that one can mop the floor underneath.

An easy DYI project to refresh the hardware on the kitchen cabinets, was to pick up some metallic paint (I got brushed nickel). I removed, sanded, and cleaned with rubbing alcohol all the hardware. Spray painted the hardware, and then coated them with a water-based finish. Total cost was about $20. To replace all the hardware with a similar type would have been around $200. Someday, maybe, but for now, I have an updated look re: the hardware on the cabinets in the kitchen.

 

[DaveSoMD]

Hmmmmmm pretty much anything DIY: carpentry, construction, painting, roofing, basic electric like replacing sockets, basic plumbing. This the shed that we designed and I built a few years ago in our backyard.

 

[Bolledeig]

Wow, good job, DaveSoMD! Looks very nice!
I wish I was that handy.

 

[Dawgluver]

Hmmmmmm pretty much anything DIY: carpentry, construction, painting, roofing, basic electric like replacing sockets, basic plumbing. This the shed that we designed and I built a few years ago in our backyard.

Gorgeous! What are you charging for rent?

 

[roadfix]

DaveSoMd.....That's a great looking shed! Looks like a nice bungalow one can comfortably live in. I would, if I were single, with my girl friend.

I just completed a 'shed' also, but this one has a roll off roof which opens up completely to expose the night sky. This shed houses my telescope mounted on a permanent concrete pier.

 

[DaveSoMD]

DaveSoMd.....That's a great looking shed! Looks like a nice bungalow one can comfortably live in. I would, if I were single, with my girl friend.

I just completed a 'shed' also, but this one has a roll off roof which opens up completely to expose the night sky. This shed houses my telescope mounted on a permanent concrete pier.

That sounds way cool! A rolling roof!! This is 16' x 16' but 4' worth is taken up by the porch (we didn't want to look at a giant flat wall all the time so that's why the porch). It actually would make a nice mountain cabin for sure. I love sitting on the porch in the summer having morning coffee.

Gorgeous! What are you charging for rent?

Yard work and pet sitting. LOL

Wow, good job, DaveSoMD! Looks very nice!
I wish I was that handy.

Just takes a good instructor, practice, and most importantly confidence and most people really can be handy.

Thanks everyone! All them years of school and doing theatre really paid off on that project! (Mmm no hammer smiley.. )

 

[4meandthem]

That shed in the woods would go for about 250k around here.

 

[Claire]

I, too, had a first house (actually a townhouse in Hawaii) where we put down wooden floors, built a small deck (not really, a platform more), other flooring, all the interior paint that we could reach on a ladder (we had an open staircase that needed scaffolding, drew the line there). The house we owned after that was brand-new, we lived there for 6 years, and it never really needed anything until the end of the time we had it. Here, though, the house is 160 years old, and after trying to DIY and realizing even the simplest of paint jobs often wind up uncovering deeper problems, decided years ago to just save up and get it done by the pros. We have a good general contractor we go for big jobs where we (I) insist on having someone registered, bonded, etc. Not only is the built-in insurance an issue, the general contractor knows enough about everything that he comes by and inspects when we wouldn't know if the roofing job, for example, was good unless it rained. He always does things like in the example, he told the roofers to take the leftover shingles we'd paid for anyway and re-roof the potting shed, that we'd paid enough for another day's work.

What we were doing when we first moved here, and tried to DIY, was finding out the job was beyond our (little) expertise, and after buying what we thought was the right stuff, we'd wind up being unable to finish, then paying double; the DIY price and then the professionals.

Another issue was that when we did the townhouse, the jobs were smaller. But the real biggie was that I wasn't working and my husband was still on active duty. He's been retired for quite awhile now, and he has very little patience left. It used to be that I had 60+ hours a week, and sometimes entire days, to do things the way I saw fit. He never complained. But when he works, every little slip is a swearing, angry crisis. When I do something myself, he can think of a better way I should do it. He never complained about the results if he wasn't around to see how I do it.

So, thank heaven for the pros. We have a set of them. Our general contractor. A friend who is very handy does jobs that are eternal in an ever-so-old house. Now if we could just find an electrician (our favorite retired!) for minor wiring jobs!

 

[roadfix]

That shed in the woods would go for about 250k around here.

....LOL....I believe it. That same shed on my street would go for about 200K on a tiny 50' x 50' lot.....lol..

 

[DaveSoMD]

....LOL....I believe it. That same shed on my street would go for about 200K on a tiny 50' x 50' lot.....lol..

That shed in the woods would go for about 250k around here.

DANG... I need to sub-divide my back yard!!!!

 

[Dawgluver]

DANG... I need to sub-divide my back yard!!!!

That's it. We're all moving in!

 

[CWS4322]

That's it. We're all moving in!

I'm wondering if there is room for the girls?