Do you make small improvements on your residence yourself. I have replaced all the doorknobs with lever handles and the light switches with"rocker" switches. I put in 4 ceiling fans and changed all the water faucets to the single handle type. These are all things to make it easier for us old folks.
DIY jobs, do you handle them yourself?
- Thread starter Manatee
- Start date
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Aunt Bea
SF VIP
- Location
- Near Mount Pilot
Nothing more complicated than replacing a light bulb.
hollydolly
SF VIP
- Location
- London England
Yes absolutely... My o/h does all the plumbing, electrics , Painting & decorating, gardening, car repairs and maintenance himself... He laid all our ceramic flooring, installed our temperature controlled power shower.. ..and done loads of woodwork and carpentry in and outside the house!
I can also paint, replace bulbs, wield a mean screw driver or drill do the gardening, .. even saw up the logs!!
Today alone when he got home from work, he assembled a new tower fan which arrived today.. and also replaced a new hydraulic Strut on my office chair ..all within an hour of arriving home from work.
I can also paint, replace bulbs, wield a mean screw driver or drill do the gardening, .. even saw up the logs!!
Today alone when he got home from work, he assembled a new tower fan which arrived today.. and also replaced a new hydraulic Strut on my office chair ..all within an hour of arriving home from work.
Lethe200
Senior Member
- Location
- San Francisco Bay Area
Nope. I'll do very basic stuff - hang pictures, change lightbulbs if I don't have to go too high on a ladder (we have 2 rooms with cathedral ceilings - I am NOT climbing on a 15' ladder and reaching upwards, LOL!).
DH is not handy at all, and when he does have to borrow one of my tools I chivvy him afterwards to make certain he puts it back! Otherwise he'll put it down somewhere, forget where it is and I have to hunt all over the place when I need it again - ggrrrrrrr.
We have been fortunate in finding several reliable companies to handle projects for us. We also have two relatives who used to be contractors, so we can use them as 'sounding boards' for prices and evaluating quality.
Currently have a 'small jobs' contractor firm handling a list of small projects we want done prior to downsizing. Woman-owned, very trustworthy, and goes the extra mile to make sure we're happy.
We first used her firm four years ago to help redo our master bedroom. I acted as general contractor, since we used a flooring company to install new LVP floors and a custom cabinetmaker to line our walls with bookcases. But the 'small jobs' firm did everything else, including the electrical - they installed mini LCD track lites which we purchased and their electrician (all her workers are employees, not sub-contractors) was the installer.
I had done all the research on the track lite system and went to a local store. Lucked out and the manager was our salesperson. His clerks are idiots but he really knows his stuff. He spent almost two hours with us turning a literal 'scrap paper line drawing' into a working layout of two U-shaped tracks, one at each end of a 25' room, with a total of 19 track lites on six-foot rails. He showed us light bulbs and how each had a different illumination effect, letting us choose what worked best for us. Because of the mirrored layout, one connector needed to have its polarity reversed (? I think that's what he said) so he said he would do that himself, and label it specifically for the electrician to install it at the correct intersection point!
The electrician had never worked with this brand of track lighting before but was very impressed and said he was going to use it for his own home since he had a personal project he was doing. He said it was the easiest system he'd ever installed - but even so, it took him over 3 hrs. Since we've never installed any electrical system, easy or not, LOL - imagine how long it would have taken us!
Plus, he looked over our electrical panel and said, "You know, I can clean this up for you. These breakers are good but if they date from 1989 (when we originally remodeled this house), there's better stuff now. Let me get some replacements and I'll do the rewiring. It won't take more than an hour, and probably less than that."
So now we have four free breakers instead of just two, which is handy since we plan to have them install garden lighting, which my DH is very excited about!
Yeah, we figure it's worth hiring pros that know what they're doing. Better that than tasking my DH to do it, and I don't get much thrill out of DIY any more than he does.
I will paint, however. I'm not fond of that either, but I do a good job.....when I can get myself motivated to drag out all my stuff and actually do it
)
DH is not handy at all, and when he does have to borrow one of my tools I chivvy him afterwards to make certain he puts it back! Otherwise he'll put it down somewhere, forget where it is and I have to hunt all over the place when I need it again - ggrrrrrrr.
We have been fortunate in finding several reliable companies to handle projects for us. We also have two relatives who used to be contractors, so we can use them as 'sounding boards' for prices and evaluating quality.
Currently have a 'small jobs' contractor firm handling a list of small projects we want done prior to downsizing. Woman-owned, very trustworthy, and goes the extra mile to make sure we're happy.
We first used her firm four years ago to help redo our master bedroom. I acted as general contractor, since we used a flooring company to install new LVP floors and a custom cabinetmaker to line our walls with bookcases. But the 'small jobs' firm did everything else, including the electrical - they installed mini LCD track lites which we purchased and their electrician (all her workers are employees, not sub-contractors) was the installer.
I had done all the research on the track lite system and went to a local store. Lucked out and the manager was our salesperson. His clerks are idiots but he really knows his stuff. He spent almost two hours with us turning a literal 'scrap paper line drawing' into a working layout of two U-shaped tracks, one at each end of a 25' room, with a total of 19 track lites on six-foot rails. He showed us light bulbs and how each had a different illumination effect, letting us choose what worked best for us. Because of the mirrored layout, one connector needed to have its polarity reversed (? I think that's what he said) so he said he would do that himself, and label it specifically for the electrician to install it at the correct intersection point!
The electrician had never worked with this brand of track lighting before but was very impressed and said he was going to use it for his own home since he had a personal project he was doing. He said it was the easiest system he'd ever installed - but even so, it took him over 3 hrs. Since we've never installed any electrical system, easy or not, LOL - imagine how long it would have taken us!
Plus, he looked over our electrical panel and said, "You know, I can clean this up for you. These breakers are good but if they date from 1989 (when we originally remodeled this house), there's better stuff now. Let me get some replacements and I'll do the rewiring. It won't take more than an hour, and probably less than that."
So now we have four free breakers instead of just two, which is handy since we plan to have them install garden lighting, which my DH is very excited about!
Yeah, we figure it's worth hiring pros that know what they're doing. Better that than tasking my DH to do it, and I don't get much thrill out of DIY any more than he does.
I will paint, however. I'm not fond of that either, but I do a good job.....when I can get myself motivated to drag out all my stuff and actually do it
)
Don M.
SF VIP
- Location
- central Missouri
Yup, I do virtually all of the maintenance around our place. I have gobs of tools, and have been fixing things nearly all my life, so I can usually do almost anything. About the Only thing I've had to farm out was when we had a new roof put on the house last year. I find Plumbing, electrical work, vehicle maintenance, etc., almost enjoyable, and if it gets to the point where I can no longer do this stuff, that will be the clue that makes us sell out, and move to assisted living. A couple of times, years ago, I called a repairman for some appliance problems. Watching them work, and the results they made, and the price they charged, quickly convinced me that I could do a better job myself. If it's something I haven't done before, a few minutes watching a couple of UTube videos quickly "educates"
me on the best way to do the job.
me on the best way to do the job.
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C'est Moi
Dishin' it out.
- Location
- Houston Y'all
Yes. My husband and I are a good team; we keep things maintained.
Butterfly
SF VIP
- Location
- Albuquerque, New Mexico USA
I do as much as I can, but have accepted that there are things I used to be able to do that would no longer be safe for me to try, like painting the ceiling in my den.
Camper6
Well-known Member
- Location
- Northwestern Ontario Canada
That is great. I live in an apartment and I make changes but I'm not supposed to. But when I have a problem like needing a new sink in my bathroom I'm not satisfied with the job they do. The last time was the back splash. It was ugly and made of arborite. So I replaced it with tile I bought at the recycle store. I also painted the walls again.
Wall tiles are easy to apply. And you can get spacers, etc. to make sure they are even and straight.
The grout part I thought would be hard but actually it's the easiest part of the job.
hollydolly
SF VIP
- Location
- London England
Good job, that looks nice ..
that's another thing my o/h has done, completely refitted both bathrooms, and tiled them floor to ceiling...
StarSong
Awkward is my Superpower
- Location
- Los Angeles Suburbs
DH is very handy about most things, but avoids electrical fixes beyond the most basic repairs (with my blessing). He recently put in a couple of new toilets, is currently working on something with the pool filter, and together we applied some heat-reducing film on our west facing window. (Wowsers, is that ever working well!!)
We hire contractors for big jobs like our full kitchen remodel a couple of years ago.
Other than kitchen and bathrooms, we paint only every ten years or so. We have to hire painters, not because of the painting itself but because we have some large, heavy furniture that's L-bracketed to the walls (we live in earthquake country). It's no simple task for us to paint a room.
Kindly, helpful Youtube folk are happy to teach DH what he doesn't already know.
We hire contractors for big jobs like our full kitchen remodel a couple of years ago.
Other than kitchen and bathrooms, we paint only every ten years or so. We have to hire painters, not because of the painting itself but because we have some large, heavy furniture that's L-bracketed to the walls (we live in earthquake country). It's no simple task for us to paint a room.
Kindly, helpful Youtube folk are happy to teach DH what he doesn't already know.
treeguy64
Hari Om, y'all!
- Location
- Austin, TX.
I do everything on my rental properties and my home except those jobs where the labor involved makes it silly to go solo. EX: Pouring a new driveway extension.
retiredtraveler
Senior Member
We do major work ourselves except for a few things. Since retiring, we took both bathrooms down to studs and the kitchen down to studs. We do drywall, tile, paint, basic plumbing. I hire out electrical and countertops. I'm in the middle of redoing the interior of the garage. Already scarified the concrete, started painting the entire interior, then will epoxy the cracks in the concrete. Then, rebuild all the shelving and reorganize.
RadishRose
SF VIP
- Location
- Connecticut, USA
I change light bulbs. Grandson painted the bathrooms, but I need the whole interior repainted. I found a handyman who power washed the deck and re-stained it, so I may hire him.
Yes, I do most of the repairs around the house. I can do most carpentry, plumbing (water & gas), painting and basic electrical work. The only thing I don't do is major electrical like running a new circuit, I'm just too worried of getting something wrong and having a fire. If I don't know how to do something, I'll watch videos on youtube and learn how. I also do all of the landscaping around the house and have a nice veggie garden every year.
Yes, I do most repairs around the house. However, I no longer climb the 24 foot ladder to the top of the house for painting. Either I've gotten wiser or older - I'm not sure which. I do, however, climb a 16 foot ladder to make some exterior repairs. Guess I'll have to hire a painter younger and more agile then myself.
Sassycakes
SF VIP
- Location
- Pennsylvania
My Husband does almost any thing needed in our house. Very rarely will he ask for help. I wish he would take it easy, but he insists on doing everything. A few years ago he built a deck for my daughter's house. He did a fantastic job.
Marie5656
SF VIP
- Location
- Batavia, NY
I used to when I had more mobility. Not any more. When I first bought my house 25 years ago, I bought myself a lawn mower and gas grill. Both needed assembly and I did both myself. Well, almost...I had a little trouble getting the starter cord attached to the mower, had to ask a neighbor.
When I had the guys building my deck, one of them stained the ramp they built last year, and I helped with the staining.
When I had the guys building my deck, one of them stained the ramp they built last year, and I helped with the staining.
My husband has always done most of the home improvements and maintenance in the house, plus with the vehicles. If he was no longer around, I'd have to hire a handyman for a lot of things. I still do maintenance, house cleaning, painting, yard work, cleaning gutters, but being in my mid 60s doing some of those things while living alone might not be very wise.
Patio Life
Member
DH does most of the maint work on our place. Any air conditioner work we hire out. Exterior maint and roof is handled by the HOA. I can do light maint, elec and plumbing, painting etc.
Ruth n Jersey
Well-known Member
- Location
- Northern New Jersey
I do all the time under the guidance of my son. I really enjoy doing these maintenance jobs. The only time I get upset is when something is to heavy for me to move and I need help.
YES. Four years ago we discovered we had a rotting wall partially due to my husband attaching a back deck without flashing and partially because our builder put the protective paper on backwards.
We had to brace the top floor so it didn’t shift or fall on us while we worked. We had to replace windows, doors, flooring, some sub-flooring, sills, joists, walls, drywall, and insulation then add baseboards and window framing. We almost redid our entire back walls ourselves.
I have built a cedar greenhouse on my very own two years ago and helped built two sheds.
We put up a 6 foot privacy fence approximately 450 feet.
I do all the yard work usually which consists of cutting the grass using the tractor and Honda push mower. Weed whacking, weed killing, grating the driveway, gardening, picking leaves, trimming trees and bushes, clearing gutters, help cutting some trees or splitting wood, soldering some loose electrical joints, helping install ceiling lights, fixing drywall, placing 3/4 inch hardwood...
Note: both my husband and I are woodworkers and use a number of both hand tools and machine tools.
We had to brace the top floor so it didn’t shift or fall on us while we worked. We had to replace windows, doors, flooring, some sub-flooring, sills, joists, walls, drywall, and insulation then add baseboards and window framing. We almost redid our entire back walls ourselves.
I have built a cedar greenhouse on my very own two years ago and helped built two sheds.
We put up a 6 foot privacy fence approximately 450 feet.
I do all the yard work usually which consists of cutting the grass using the tractor and Honda push mower. Weed whacking, weed killing, grating the driveway, gardening, picking leaves, trimming trees and bushes, clearing gutters, help cutting some trees or splitting wood, soldering some loose electrical joints, helping install ceiling lights, fixing drywall, placing 3/4 inch hardwood...
Note: both my husband and I are woodworkers and use a number of both hand tools and machine tools.