Monday's Question of the Day - October 24, 2016

[MoochNNoodles]

Are you a DIYer or a pay a pro kind of person?

DH and I like to DIY when we can.  I'm watching him fix some water damage around our back door.  DH is good with figuring things out.  He built a little wood shed recently and hes planning out a tree house for our kids too.  But this door issue comes first.  Our back door gets direct weather exposure and we've noticed a small wet spot on the carpet before after one of the hurricanes came through here.  The other night DH was vacuuming and found what looked to me like some kind of brown fungus coming in the doorway!  He started looking closer and found some rot.  I'm a little concerned it's going under the threshold but he thinks its ok.  One of his friends (who has worked in construction)  stopped by last night before he pulled it apart; so hopefully it's fine and I'm just being overly cautious. 

   I think if it looked really bad he might go for hiring someone. Or at least asking his friend to come back and lend a hand.  

 

[catlover19]

My husband does most things. We rent our home so our landlord does the major stuff but my husband does smaller things inside. He does his own car repairs too unless it's a bigger job.

 

[Kat0121]

It depends on what it is. I will not mess with anything electrical. Most plumbing stuff I can handle. I have replaced the guts in both toilet tanks, installed faucets in the bathroom and kitchen and installed a new garbage disposal. I won't mess with the air conditioner, hot water heater and I had a plumber install the new dishwasher. I'd be fine putting a new stove in- it's just a plug in deal but I wouldn't mess with putting a washer in or anything. A girl's got to know her limitations. 

 

[verna davies]

I try to do most of the small repairs myself as long as it doesn't involve electric or water. I laid a patio last year and replaced fencing. The satisfaction I get in achieving something is a good feeling.

 

[sivyaleah]

Everything gets repaired by experts. I have learned that my partner is woefully poor at fixing things.  He likes to think he's able but honestly, everything he touches is a disaster lol.  Ok maybe he's ok with really minor repairs like changing a light bulb, or replacing a filter but that's it.

I used to be able to do some myself but I'm in no physical condition any longer. I even patched a huge hole in a ceiling of an apartment rental once myself.  Alas, no longer.

It costs way more but there's peace between us so I'd rather suck up the money and have it done right, the first time, ON time  

 

[artiemom]

I live in an apartment building with an on-site super. It is really great. 

This morning I was loading up my new dishwasher when a Frigidaire plastic logo thing fell off! I looked high and low and could not find out where the blasted thing came from. I was afraid it was some kind of connection to something; but could not find out where it was originally located. I did not want to chance it by running it and possibly creating a flood. Well, me and the bad luck that follows me around, and not wanting to chance fate; I called the super. 

He came right up.. he was stooped also. He finally realized it was just a logo!!! But it took him about 5  minutes to decide that! 

I guess if I lived alone, I would have just chanced it and run the load... but..you never know..

I used to be real handy around the house; however age, bad knee, bad shoulder, and carpal tunnel have gotten the best of me.. plus, I do not have all the tools and supplies as I did when I lived with my dad, in his place. My dad was always available for advice also, but he always said I could do just about anything. 

 

[MoochNNoodles]

We have found YouTube to be a great source of help with projects!  It helps to "see" someone doing something while they explain it.  And then I can try.  That seems to be how I learn best anyway.  

It still makes me wish family lived nearby to lend a hand when these things come up. My Dad would love to be involved with all these projects DH finds for himself.  He's planning a tree house for our kids too.  

 

[Primula]

I cannot do DIY and am not about to learn. My husband literally can do anything. But getting him to do anything - there's the rub.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

A bit of both, and now, having an apartment, I call the maintenance man for most things.  But I can put together flat-pack furniture all by myself, and regularly decide to sand and paint different wooden pieces.

 

[betsygee]

My DH is a builder so he can do most things around here, fortunately.  But when he doesn't have time for the little stuff (or we disagree on what the priorities should be)

FullSizeRender.jpg

• betsygee
• Oct 24, 2016

I put a ceramic fountain on the front porch and DH kept promising to mount the little solar panel that runs it but never had time, so I did it myself (more duct tape).  

IMG_9683.jpg

• betsygee
• Oct 24, 2016

 

[muffy]

I have to pay to have anything done to my house. I need a new kitchen, floors, bathroom......

 

[SeventhHeaven]

DIY especially when you can refer to youtube videos 

I pulled out a toilet with another woman in her 70's  successfully! Girl power 

  saved $$ 

(all men disappeared out of sight this day)

 

[micknsnicks2mom]

a couple of things others have said -- 'it depends on what it is' and 'YouTube is a great source of help with projects' ...are very true! 

i do it myself when i'm able to, but i also am very aware of when something is beyond my scope of knowledge and/or abilities. generally, i prefer not to touch electrical projects. although, i did switch out an exterior light fixture for a motion detector double light fixture -- and made very sure to turn the power off to the whole house before starting that project! i've also manually mortised (for the hinges on) a door, then 'hung' the door myself. i installed the pet grilles on the two living room windows, and would have gotten the window security bars installed on one window if the blasted one-way screw driver drill bit hadn't stripped the head on the one-way screws -- ended up consulting a contractor neighbor about that, and he put in lag screws instead of the one-way screws.

one thing i try not to do is anything where i need to be up on the roof. nothing where there's a risk of me falling.

i like to at least look (online) into repairing things myself, before deciding if i can handle it myself or if i need to call in a professional.

 

[MoochNNoodles]

Odd I asked this today. DH was almost done with the door when he cut himself good with a box cutter.

And just now the fluorescent light in my kitchen went out so I'm googling it. DH already changed the bulb but the whole fixture is out. Yay.

 

[Columbine]

We always get a professional in. Dad is definitely NOT the diy type :lol3: Part of it is the house though - it's a very old building parts of it date back to the 1700s - that's been altered and extended over the years. There isn't a single level floor or straight wall in the house :lol3: and much of the maintenance really does need an expert! Even painting the walls isn't straightforward :lol3:

I have rehung cupboard doors a few times though

 

[Winchester]

It depends on what the problem. Rick is really good at repairing things, but there are some things he won't attempt. I'm a firm believer in Google and You Tube and have found some good answers to problems. But when we need a professional, we have no qualms about getting somebody.

 

[AbbysMom]

We are mostly DIY'ers , but there are some things that are best left to professionals, like when we had to put a new roof on.