Home & Garden Are you a DIY person?

[BotsMaster]

Do you like to fix or build things? Do you know to use tools or are you a tool?

Lots of people spend their weekends doing gardening, servicing their car, renovating the house or just have a random project going. So is anyone here one of these people or do you prefer to get someone else to do it?

 

[TheLoungeLizard]

No way in hell.

You call the guy to fix your problems because it's his job and thanks to you to are providing his family with food and shelter.
I'm always one up with karma.

 

[Stratton_Gun]

Genuinely don't know anyone (well a man) that is less handy than me.
If I can't watch a vid on YouTube about how to do it, it won't get done

 

[edgie]

Not in the slightest, I would certainly like to become handy, my dad is a DIY hero, but unfortunately also lives away, so he's not around often to pass on knowledge to me.

 

[Stratton_Gun]

Not in the slightest, I would certainly like to become handy, my dad is a DIY hero, but unfortunately also lives away, so he's not around often to pass on knowledge to me.

Same here. Think I suffered from having my Dad do all the DIY stuff when I was young. First time I mowed the lawn I was about 17/18 srs

 

[BotsMaster]

Can you change a tyre Stratton_Gun ?

 

[edgie]

Same here. Think I suffered from having my Dad do all the DIY stuff when I was young. First time I mowed the lawn I was about 17/18 srs

I suffered from dad saying "be up early and you can help me do (something about cars... or power tools, or something here) tomorrow", but instead opted to sleep in and hear "I was going to show you how to (as above) but couldn't wait all day for you to get out of bed so already went and done it"

He's not as highly strung these days, maybe I should ask again.

 

[edgie]

Can you change a tyre Stratton_Gun ?

I can actually change tyres! My entirely girlfriend's family, including her spoiled brother that drives a BMW and her dad that collects motorbikes and refurbishes them couldn't even change one of their tyres, I felt like such a manly ****ing man that day when I walked down and fixed it in front of all 4 of them!

 

[Stratton_Gun]

Can you change a tyre Stratton_Gun ?

No

 

[Shupe]

I could be handy if I wanted to, but mostly I'm just lazy and would prefer to do other things with my time. If it's something relatively minor, then I'll always do it/repair it/whatever. Anything major and I cbf.

 

[edgie]

It's not just stereotypically manly things though... I'd love to how exactly how my mum washes clothes, when I do it never feels as nice or clean, and every time I have to put a footy guernsey or something like that in to be washed, I stress that it doesn't come out faded or stretched/shrunk. This is the kinda shit we should be taught in schools.

 

[Allikat]

I like to be a bit of a handy person, if it's fixing fixing my car, gardening, or doing stuff around the house. I suck at most of it, but I try!

 

[BotsMaster]

I can actually change tyres! My entirely girlfriend's family, including her spoiled brother that drives a BMW and her dad that collects motorbikes and refurbishes them couldn't even change one of their tyres, I felt like such a manly ******* man that day when I walked down and fixed it in front of all 4 of them!

Haha did you tell them "you should know how to do this!" in a very disapproving tone?

 

[exe ex machina]

I like to think I'm a DIY person

People tend to stop me and my readiness to fix things, say they'd rather pay someone to do it.

But I honestly think it's unfair on me, as I have fixed many many things.......if we ignore the many things I made worse.

 

[edgie]

Haha did you tell them "you should know how to do this!" in a very disapproving tone?

I didn't have to, I just laughed and looked down dissaprovingly upon them from my high horse, then remarked about it doesn't matter how many engines you can rebuild, or how expensive your car is, if it doesn't have tyres.

I took leave shortly after that, my welcome felt worn out.

 

[BotsMaster]

I didn't have to, I just laughed and looked down dissaprovingly upon them from my high horse, then remarked about it doesn't matter how many engines you can rebuild, or how expensive your car is, if it doesn't have tyres.

I took leave shortly after that, my welcome felt worn out.

Brilliant!

FWIW I do know how to change a tyre and the knowledge came in handy when I popped a right rear once on a busy road in the rain as I was able change it with no issues.

 

[Cruyff14]

Nope. Terrible.

My dad's brother is a carpenter and a very successful one at that (site supervisor, easily over on 100k a year), my dad however was not blessed with such genes. And nor was I.

Mum said dad built a letterbox once, she put a letter in it and it fell apart.

 

[UFO Tatsu]

Is flat packs counted?

 

[Bunk Moreland]

What counts as a handyman these days? I can change a tyre, I can paint, I can cut down (small trees).

Nobody can fix cars these days, they're all electrical under the bonnet. I'm not gonna go and build a deck of something, that's what carpenters do.

Seems like everything is pre made of disposable these days.

 

[Scotland]

Can't change a tyre? Hand back one of these.

I'm a bit of a DIY person. I only have white collar qualifications, but a lot of things are just common sense. You don't pay an electrician $200 to come and change a light bulb, so why pay a plumber $200 to plunge a toilet or change a tap washer? The amount of money people pay for stuff that anyone should be able to do is just staggering. If you're a QC or something then fine, but the average person makes what, $20 an hour after tax? Tradies charge about $80-100+ an hour just to be at your house...

There should be a set of minimum man standards. Change the oil on a car, hang a picture, paint a wall... None of these things take a lot of time or skill.

 

[JUBJUB]

Nope,does that rule me out of ever being on The Block or Reno Rescue [whatever this new show is] ?

If so then

 

[IschenkoUBeauty]

Anyone who can't change a friggin tyre shouldn't be driving. I always feel so embarrassed for blokes when I see them on the side of the road with the RACV changing their tyre.

 

[Borry]

One thing I cant DIY is replace phone screens. ****ed up a $600 Nokia N8 due to trying to attempt it. And I watched the videos on youtube.

And I've never changed a tyre. Its once in a blue moon that it I needed anyway.

 

[Bosun]

I think most blokes are too scared of failure, once you have figured out a few basic tools your set. Buy a diy book, check out youtube, a basic tool box and a couple of power tools and start small, get your confidence up and your set. I'm useless at auto mechanics however I spent a day giving an old car a service which included changing brake pads, didn't matter if I ****ed up, turns out I didn't.

 

[Scotland]

You're not a man unless you own a drill.