On Being Your Own Handyman

I think that it is very important to be able to do as much of the things that need to be done around your home by yourself as possible, as this means that you are saving a lot of money that you would otherwise have spent asking other people to do things for you. So in general, you should try watching tutorials starting with simple things as you need to do them, and only when you have tried several times should you bother asking somebody else to do it for you.

 

Good OP. I love to learn how to do home repairs and DIY projects. With today's estimates of repairs I believe it is the best way to go in saving money. Of course there are repairs that do require licensed contractors in areas of plumbing and electrical a couple to name but like you mentioned there is so much available on the internet which I have found very helpful. Saving money by doing repairs yourself or DIY projects such as painting a room(s) is a good motivator for me.

 

I will take a look at anything that I think I can fix, but I do a good bit of research first. I'm not about to replace a graphics card on a laptop, but i will definitely look over a loose screw on a table, etc.

 

I always try to do my own repairs first before calling anyone, unless it has to do with something electrical, which can be dangerous if you don't know what you're doing. If I'm not sure how to do something, I research it online first. If it sounds like something I can do, I'll try it, but I do know my limits. I think it's silly to pay someone to do something when I can do it myself. I'll never forget the shock I had when my nephew told me that his stepdad called an exterminator to get rid of a mouse that was in their house. My nephew said the exterminator placed a few mouse traps in the house and came back in a day or two to get rid of the one that was caught in the trap. Hard telling what that cost. The exterminator was probably laughing all the way to the bank.

 

I admit, I'm hopeless at handy work. I honestly don't know how I'd cope if I didn't have my husband. He's really good and actually enjoys doing repairs around the house as well as DIY. He's so good that we rarely even have to call a repairman in. The only time he doesn't bother is when it's something to do with electrics and the plumbing, if it gets too technical he leaves it to the experts for fear of causing more damage. It really does save us time and money.

 

I only get interested in learning new skills if the need arises, like changing doorknobs for example. I don't tend to study things just so that I will know more. The item in question needs to be broken before I take an interest in repairing it myself. With that said, I have learned to repair my phone by myself too, thanks to Youtube.

 

You are SOOO right! YouTube is fabulous for learning things!! Whenever I need to know how to do something, that is where I go. There are a couple of things we do hire out, big plumbing jobs, and big electrical jobs. And lately we have been enjoying getting the car serviced. Be we don't have to, it's just a luxury we are indulging in. We pretty much handle everything else.

 

I'll do some things myself but other things I'd prefer to have a professional do. I don't want to attempt anything that I don't fee confident with. I'll happily make fences, put up shelving, hang pictures, paint... But I won't touch plumbing, gas or electrics. I think if it's possible to do something yourself then it's better to do so to save money. If you're at all unsure with something major though then you should definitely ask for help, I think.

 

Unfortunately, this is my weak spot. I cannot repair things that well, it would end up being more damaged in the end. Like a few years ago, our bathroom had a problem and I tried fixing it by buying a "liquid sosa" to remove the obstructing "substance" on the toilet bowl and drainage. I guess it destroyed the bathroom even more because it ended up becoming more unable to flush, lol. So then we just hired a professional plumber to repair the bathroom.

Even with simple light bulbs, I'd have to ask my husband to change them. Or when our cable connection is a bit loose, he'd be the one the fix it. I'm just no good for these house repairs which isn't really a good thing. I cannot keep depending on other people because what if it's just me and my son around, right? But yes, that doesn't really happen much.

Like you said though, there's lots of resources online about repairing things. I might have to learn a few skills because it's better to be well-equipped with knowledge like this.

 

I only am a Ms. Fixit for things I can do. I live in an apartment so we call our office for repairs and they come out quickly and get things repaired. It's so easy living in an apartment for getting repairs done.

 

My husband has become quite a good handyman. Yesterday while trimming the cedar hedges he accidentally cut the cable, internet and phone line to the house. Within a few minutes he had been able to figure out how to fix this and get everything working again. I'm sure he saved us a couple hundred dollars by not having to put in for a service call. He is quite good a trouble shooting problems. He recently diagnosed a problem with our washing machine and went out and bought a part and changed it himself. I'm so happy he can do this and wants to do these smaller jobs around the house. Otherwise we would be paying for a handyman. If he can't figure out a problem, he'll go search out answers on the internet and then work through it.

 

I try to fix things myself and have definitely checked out videos or forums before, for example, about repairing our washing machine or dish washer so I can know what steps to take. It is often about experimenting.... However, thankfully, most of the time my husband repairs stuff that brakes in our house. He is really talented to fix things and I am very glad that he is able to do it.

 

I've gotten increasingly into DIY as my parents become more and more resistant to call anyone to fix things in their house. Just last week I had to reinstall a door because the entire upstairs' doors were installed incorrectly with too few hinges for the door size. This week I'm looking to fix up some of the holes in the walls my sisters made. We got an estimate on these holes being repaired, along with painting of the living room at $700, which my parents just don't have laying around. If you have the time and the tools, you can save a lot of money if you are a fast learner.

 

I like to do it when I can but not necessarily out of wanting to save but mostly just out of curiosity. I've always liked tinkering and discovering so if I have the chance to do it like say on an old broken electric fan I'd definitely consider it since it's already broken anyway and I'd say especially so if it's only a small one since I know if I broke it it won't feel too bad since it's not that expensive. Maybe on bigger electronics and appliances I'd be a lot more hesitant especially if I knew I could still pay someone to have them repaired and it's best not to risk it but otherwise I take the chance when I can.

 

I can fix very minor repairs and that's about it despite YouTube. Fortunately, I live in an apartment and most of the repairs are fixed by the maintenance crew. It makes my life so much easier.

 

I do all the handyman jobs at home myself. It is remarkably easier than you think. When I need to fix something that I am not familiar with I simply look for a YouTube video and after watching it a few times I'm able to go and carry out the repair or task that needs doing.

I have plumbed in a washing machine, filled in big holes in walls, laid carpet, installed a new toilet, and even took out a sash window to clean and put back.

It has saved me a lot of money over the years.

 

There was a time that my husband had tried to fix the plumbing of our leaking water closet in the toilet. It would work fine but after a few days, the leak would come back. To make the story short, the leak would be on and off likewise with the repair. And with so much effort wasted, I called a plumber and had it fixed for good. That made me spent for the plumber but I definitely had saved a lot of effort and annoyance on our part.

No, it's not advisable for us to be our own handy man. I'd rather spend on the professionals who can do a professional job with quality and guarantee.