Do you ENJOY DIY?

[Deleted]

I am in the process of replacing the hardware in my kitchen. The handles are a piece of cake.

I hate, however, replacing the hinges. They are self-closing (old ones are disintegrating), and I look at every one of them wondering "which way do they go?" I have absolutely no mechanical intelligence, and I have snapped more than a few on my fingernail today.

I was willing to pay, but the handyguy told me to DIY. He said it was easy. 5 sets down today . . . 24 more sets left to go!

So do you enjoy DIYing like I enjoy sewing things for the house, or is it a necessary pain that you do to save $$$? I can't do a lot of stuff in the house, but I do know how to use the screw driver.

[midjd]

I enjoy the finished product only
Except for painting. Call me a weirdo, but I find it relaxing. Manual labor, nah.

DH loves the difficult/dirty stuff, though. He built a patio/firepit this weekend and is so proud he's about to burst. He says he likes to be able to say, "I made that." I suspect in another 5-10 years his knees will say otherwise.

[quince]

Yep. To a point. I'm crap at it mostly, but SO is pretty good, so we manage. I like saving money, but I love knowing how things work, and how to take care of and diagnose issues.

[Deleted]

We're very new to it, but I am getting a thrill out of DIY overall, after the initial "awww nuts, are you kidding me?" reaction.

We haven't done anything big so far, but I was the one crawling under the house to install dryer vent piping and placing the actual vent. I unhooked a toilet to replace a wax ring this weekend. If DF is around, he hands me tools.

It can be kinda gross, but man, the wax ring job got done for less than $6. That kind of savings makes my eyes gleam. Plus, I kind of like the feeling of being able to say "yeah, I can fix a broken toilet. Don't panic people."

It's like knowing CPR for a house. Reassuring, in case things go wrong, and the research/learning process is an interesting way to spend evenings. As a bonus, I think DIY can open up all sorts of new jobs if I ever get unemployed again too.

So I guess I enjoy it in a "it's good for me" kind of way.

[cronewitch]

I like planning and starting project, not finishing. I like building things from wood but not pounding nails. I enjoy the planning, shopping for materials and seeing it come together but I don't like to finish.

I designed and built a woodshed. I made it 8X16 and decided just how I wanted it. I put in the uprights for the corners and 2X4 frame and nailed all the plywood on with about 4 nails each sheet. I got my ISO to put in a few more nails and lay the roofing on and nail that, so it looked like a woodshed. But it still needed some 2x4s inside to keep the logs from touching the plywood. I hired two men to come stack firewood but had them put the rest of the nails in first so it got finished but I probably wouldn't have ever finished it myself.

My ISO wanted to build something but he has no clue how to design anything so I designed it and went shopping for the lumber. Then it was so cool I would say draw a line here, cut the line. Make me 16 more like that then I would have him nail were I put the tip of the nail for him. It was great because I just needed to make sure he was doing it right and he did all the hard parts. He is always surprised how good my designs are but he can't see until it is almost done how it will work.

[Deleted]

I used to do more DIY. I love painting and i find it relaxing. Other than that, i know that i can lay flooring, wallpaper and do minor repairs because i have done so. Now, i am just not in the mood to do that stuff and would rather just hire it out.

[Tired Tess]

I would love to be good at these things. I really do try. (DH says I'm the most trying person he knows ). But I don't feel too bad because DH is not a handyman either. Thank God for my brother!

[Deleted]

I'm like cronewitch - I like the planning and the starting, but not the finishing. Alas, I don't have quite the same team work situation. I'm willing to do some of the hard work - I'm pretty good at demolition. But I get really frustrated with myself when I can't do something because I'm not strong enough.

[swamp]

DH loves it. I tolerate it.

[mollyanna58]

I'm not very handy, but I enjoy relatively easy projects. Replacing cabinet hardware is on my list of things to be done. However, I cannot assemble furniture or almost anything else without a great deal of frustration and swearing.

I am deeply envious of my one sister who can do practically anything.

[Deleted]

Heads up, Mollyanna (and welcome to the board since I haven't seen any of your posts before) . . . replacing the hardware like handles and knobs is easy. Although mine had been there 30-something years and built up some residue, Murphy's took that off easily enough. But self-closing hinges are annoying. They aren't as flexible as the old hinges, and some of them install on the left and some on the right so you feel like you are installing some of them upside down. And when you flex them, they snap onto your finger, which HURTS.

I'll go back to it tomorrow, but it was not a fun day today. However, I probably started too late in the day since I had to take DH to the airport, had to come home and remove a hinge, had to go to both Lowe's (only two hinges in stock . . . the guy told me there was NO WAY that Home Depot would have 29 sets) and Home Depot (they not only had 22 in the bin, but they had two additonal full boxes worth up above. Some of them went on so easily, and some of them made me think. It didn't make any sense, but I am not mechanically intelligent.

Hopefully, tomorrow will be an easier day. I want these done before my husband gets home on his trip because I don't want him to exert himself.

[marvholly]

I don't mind drawer handles & cabinet pulls but would NOT do hinges. Still wiating on my handyman for some stuff. About 8-10 months now.

Most of my DIY projects revolve around cooking & baking.

[InsertCoolName]

I'm getting my self worked up to go empty out my kitchen and ripping up the nasty carpet that was put in. Yesterday I LOVED DIY. For me, it means I'm not helpless. Today, I'm thinking what was I thinking?!?! That is going to be a gross job. And I'm not sure how "helpful" the 1 yr, 5 yr and 7 yr old will really be.

Well, the end result SHOULD be a clean floor that will be EASIER to keep clean. When it's done I will let you know what I think of DIY.

[Deleted]

Ew... carpet in a kitchen?

Unless it is glued down, I find ripping out carpet to be very satisfying. A carpet knife is worth the $5 investment to keep the pieces easy for you to haul out. The tack strips and everything after that is less fun, imo. Good luck!

[CarolinaKat]

Tack Strips SUCK....

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

I'm getting my self worked up to go empty out my kitchen and ripping up the nasty carpet that was put in

Is yours also by chance a hideous patten of orange/yellow/brown?

Ours is glued down and there is no way we want to DIY. I talked to the guy that did our sunroom carpe and he said the stuff we have and the way they put it down makes it almost impossible to tear up.

We'd rather pay and have it done right the first time then screw up and have to pay even more to correct our mistakes.

[MarleyKeezy78]

DH and I are learning DIY slowly around the house but we did just put a pool by ourselves, 18' round above ground. It took six days to just get the ground level and to sink the patio blocks, three days to put up the pool and run underground electrical. The only thing we got help with was putting the liner in properly, setting up the filter system, a few minor leaks and connecting the electrical. Just the two of us did all the hard labor Would I want to do it again? HELL NO!!! Will I love our new pool! YES!!! ;D

[qofcc]

I really enjoy the designing/planning. I like the shopping for materials and feeling like I have control over the choices and I'm making choices with the best value. I LOVE being able to say "I designed and built that myself". The actual process of doing it, I could live without. I don't mind things that are relatively quick and easy like flooring and installing fixtures, but stuff that takes forever and is complicated or dirty I'm not crazy about. I've done my share of swearing and crying my way through a few projects.

Before I met DH, I sided the house, assembled and installed new kitchen cabinets, installed laminate flooring, painted, replaced all the light fixtures and did some wiring and plumbing all by myself.

[constanz22]

Jun 18, 2012 9:19:36 GMT -5 CarolinaKat said:

Tack Strips SUCK....

Ugh! And the staples! I swear, whoever put the carpet in this house put staples every 10 inches...it was somewhat like hell removing it all and if I never see another staple of tack strip in my life, it'll be too soon...

I love painting too and find it relaxing. I just hate the prep and clean up!

[Steady As She Goes]

Jun 17, 2012 16:25:37 GMT -5 @southernsusana said:

So do you enjoy DIYing like I enjoy sewing things for the house, or is it a necessary pain that you do to save $$$?

I enjoy doing most things myself. I like knowing that the job was done right. I also like the cost savings usually associated with DIY. I'm pretty handy with cars, plumbing, electrical, roofing, building furniture, painting, gardening, landscaping. I enjoy learning the how-to ... as well as doing for myself. It's a sense of accomplishment. The money becomes useful for those jobs that I just don't have the time to do or I just don't want to do or I just don't feel like learning at the moment. When I do hire an 'expert", I watch and learn so I can have the option of doing the job myself the next time ... IF I feel like it.