July 11, 2008 at 2:25 pm
Definitely. I've done a lot of stuff around the house and it's really apparent in my approach to hobbies. I've pulled out and replaced everything from garbage disposals to hot water heaters, wired up a home music studio with a lot of analog and digital equipment, pulled 550ft of cat5e around the house so that i have ethernet in every room (especially my home office). And, I build my bicycles frame up from lacing the wheels to wrapping the bars or servicing the mountain bike shocks. I have even installed some custom bits on my Harley although I usually trust my mechanic to do the difficult stuff.
I would be willing to bet that most SQL developers take a similar approach to life. It's not unusual to have to overcome odd hurdles in a DIY manner to get the results you need.
July 11, 2008 at 3:04 pm
Stephanie,
No, I don't always have the strength to do certain things, so I need help with those tasks, but it doesn't stop me from doing as much hands-on as I can. And yes, it takes me longer, because I'm not willing to "just take a sledge hammer" to things! I'd rather take things apart, and save as many usable parts as possible. Don't worry about it and don't apologize for it. Just go ahead and do what you want to do. 🙂
- Carla
July 11, 2008 at 6:41 pm
It all depends. I like to tinker, to understand what makes something work. And I will often do something once, so I understand the key issues to look for if I hire someone in the future to do similar work.
And for something that is broken - we'll if it is broken, why not tear it down to see what makes it work, and maybe even fix it.
As with technology, in the building trades, just because something calls them selves a pro - does not mean they will do a better job than you. Only that they expect to get paid for doing it. ( and hopefully do a good job)
My wife put in a walk way that every professional who has seen it thinks it was done by a pro. I painted our house once, and took the time to do it right - and have had quite a few pros say "I glad you hire a professional painter rather than paint it your self!"
The more you are prepared, the less you need it.
July 13, 2008 at 5:49 pm
I am a bit of a DIYer. I can change a car tire, change locks on doors, refurbish furniture, do some mechanical work on cars and lawn mowers, change washers in taps, fix a leaky toilet etc. It helps that I am quite strong for a woman. I can still have trouble with some things though due to lack of leverage and the size of my hands. I am not very tall so a lot of tools are too large for me.
My husband is very much a DIYer. He is an electrician by trade who also learnt a lot of woodwork and metal work in his apprenticeship in a power station in London. He is very good mechanically too! We both love gardening as well. In Australia, as someone mentioned in a previous post, you must be licensed to do electrical or plumbing work. You can do general building but must get an owner builder licence for big stuff and council (city) approval. So there are some limits to how much legal DIY you can do on your house.
We are about to install insulation, replace all the plasterboard in the bedrooms and sand the floors.
Cheers,
Nicole
Nicole Bowman
Nothing is forever.
July 14, 2008 at 7:52 am
I am a DIY'er for some items. I don't like to work with alternating current; but I found replacing a boat battery is just as dangerous when the pliers hit the opposite pole and arched across my wedding ring resulting in a third degree burn down to the tendon.
I do minor auto work, if it's external I will do it, like changing the oil and filter. I've decided that replacing starters is more work for me than it's worth. One of the more adventurous projects was replacing the camshaft in my 1984 van. Fortunately, I have two good friends that knew more than me about internal engine work and they were able to guide me.
July 14, 2008 at 8:52 am
I think I was born with a DIY gene. I remember making toys out of scraps of wood in my dad's garage. In my teens, I installed car stereos for myself and most of my friends and my first job was working in a service station (not just a gas station; we did repairs and cleaned windshields while pumping gas).
Since I've discovered the joys of home ownership, I've gotten to expand my repretoire to tiling, painting, wiring, plumbing, flooring. I get more satisfaction out of doing something myself than I would if I hired it done. I think the important thing is to know the limit of what you're comfortable doing. I'm still a bit squeamish about cutting holes in a roof or exterior wall!
Greg
July 15, 2008 at 2:03 am
Of course, for many it's just an excuse for making use of a shed. Perhaps it's a bloke thing, but let's face it; there's an immense amount of satisfaction when one becomes the proud owner of a garden shed of their very own 😀
Semper in excretia, suus solum profundum variat
July 17, 2008 at 7:23 pm
Love the picture! Tim the toolman Taylor
The more you are prepared, the less you need it.
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