That's the problem with doing-it-yourself.
You end up too close to the job and every time you pass you can see each and every flaw - after all you put them there.
But in reality you have probably done a better job than a tradesman would, and everybody except you sees the finished whole
@dave-karoly I'm constantly cutting things twice and they're still too short.????
I make more mistakes than I can keep track of, but I still chuckle when recalling the time that my sister and I (both adults at the time -- I was living with her and her husband) decided to carpet the bathroom floor.?ÿ We made a detailed and somewhat complex paper pattern that went around the toilet and a couple of jogs in the walls, then proceeded to cut the rug according to the pattern.?ÿ The only problem was that we traced the upside-right pattern onto the upside-down carpet, so we ended up with a mirror image of the carpet shape that was needed.?ÿ After laughing uproariously for a few minutes, we threw the carpet in the trash and decided to leave the bathroom floor as it was.
And then there was the time that I installed an electrical outlet in a wall where a pocket door was located...
Carpet is a no no in a bathroom frequented by males, ?ÿThat was divine ?ÿintervention.
Several years ago, I helped my son (more like he helped me) build a new bathroom at his house. The carpentry went ok, the electrical wasn't bad... But the plumbing gave us fits. The evening we finished, I swore off doing any plumbing EVER again. My son texted me that night expressing his joy at being done with plumbing. I just so happened to be on the throne when I received his text. I replied that I was glad it was over and I'd never do any plumbing again. When you get cocky and think you are in control of your own destiny, God sometimes reminds you the hard way. Before leaving the "throne room" after sending my reply to Matt's text, I was plumbing again as the toilet wouldn't stop filling and was about to overflow before I could get it stopped. I apologized to God and accepted the fact that I am NOT in control of my own destiny.
special degree of skill to have all the tools to do the job right
Yup, hammer, screwdriver, are Duct Tape are all the tools anyone should ever need for fixing any household item including the cat. ?????ÿ
@flga-2-2?ÿ
I have to have baling wire too...
Building a deck was the last thing I got right. ????ÿ
I had to trim a door for a basement doorway, I've finally trashed all the cardboard core veneer ones in the house. This door frame was short by almost 1 inch so I had to cut the casing by almost an inch and the door had to be shortened by 3/4".?ÿ
So I haul it up to the garage set one end up on my table saw, the other end on a work bench with a 4x4 on top of the work bench to level the door. I fence it measuring and remeasuring, get it perfect and slice the 3/4" off the end with my circular saw. I was impressed how nice a cut the saw made and I took a sander to clean it up a little. Go into the house for lunch all proud of myself and while sitting there I thought; "did I just cut the top", rush outside and sure enough I cut the top. No way to get a new door, it took months to get these. No way you can reverse it. The only thing I could do is mortise in a new location for the door hinges 3/4" away from the new top, make a jig to transfer the screw holes and hope it worked. Well, it did, the door swings well, nice and plumb and square. Go to close it and it doesn't hit the strike plate hole. Of course the hole is 3/4" too low now. Off to the hardware store to get a bigger strike plate, mortise a place for it, screw it in and finally the door shuts.?ÿ
Took me most of a day.
?ÿCasing trim is still on back-order, hope it gets here before company does.?ÿ
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When I moved into my house 26 years ago, the back fence (wooden) didn't span the entire rear line. I knew I would want to close it at some point, so I dug the remaining post holes. Subsequently I discovered that the fence was not on the property line. At the completed end, it was about 9' inside my property, but was headed in the right direction. Where it terminated it was about 3' inside the line. I made the decision to build a new fence to take advantage of the "gore" behind the existing fence.
When I was re-digging the post holes to close the gap, my dad was visiting and noticed the previously dug holes and commented "you probably should have a surveyor check the line before you dug those holes." THANKS DAD!!!
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@dave-karoly LOL, I?ÿ do that alllllllllll the time: Cut twice and its STILL too short !?ÿ
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At least you're both consistent!
I helped my parents build a new house when I was 11 years old.?ÿ Helped with every part of the job except plumbing installation.?ÿ Decided right then to learn how to do something that would pay me enough to keep working while someone else did these chores for me.?ÿ Sure, I have done a few minor things over those many years.?ÿ But, I have never taken on a significant project.?ÿ Ever.?ÿ I also do not change my own oil in vehicles.?ÿ Too easy to be making money while the service guy does his thing.?ÿ You know, calling back clients and such.
I don't understand how it is that as a measurement professional, I have so much trouble cutting a 2x4 to the right length.?ÿ
I don't understand how it is that as a measurement professional, I have so much trouble cutting a 2x4 to the right length.?ÿ
I have the same problem.?ÿ What I've realized is that we must be terrible at cutting.?ÿ After all, we're not cutting professionals.?ÿ
That's my story, anyway.
It's not something I did in error but I just spent a few thousand on my home.?ÿ The day before Easter I noticed water flowing across my garage floor, a small trickle.?ÿ On Monday I called our plumber and he came out to find the leak.?ÿ After a half dozen cuts into the dry wall he said, "You're going to have to call a leak location specialist" (cost $79 for service call).?ÿ I got the specialist out and after about 4 hours he marked, in tape, a 3 foot square in the middle of our sitting room (at a cost of $350).?ÿ The plumber was back yesterday.?ÿ He hammer drilled and chipped out the area, dug up the slab and dug down about 15 inches to find the pipe.?ÿ 3 hours to uncover the pipe and 15 minutes to cut and splice the leak.?ÿ They covered the pipe and mixed concrete to patch the slab (cost $3300).?ÿ Now I get to replace the pad and carpet in that room.?ÿ I haven't turned it into our insurance company yet but will next week.
I was impressed that the leak detector could locate a pinhole leak under 6 inches of concrete and 12-15 inches of stone and soil and get within less than a foot.
The joys of home ownership.
Andy
