DIY
Stephen Wilson
help me or the property or tools to do it on. Anyway, I'm now living on my
own in a small house (for the last 4 months) with 4 windows and only 2 of
them currently have curtain rails. So I've just made my first attempt.
Borrowed a drill, discovered the only saw I have is blunt (need to cut the
pole down in size a bit) and really struggling to get the screws into the
wood. However, aside from a cut thumb (when the screwdriver slipped), I
believe I now have a usable curtain rail up! Next job (apart from fitting a
2nd one) is buying and hanging a pair of curtains.
Anyone else living on their own, equally useless at DIY? If so, do you have
a go anyway, ignore it and hope it'll go away, get someone you know to do it
for you, or pay someone to do it?
dobey the elf
What's DIY? And why is it important
dolph...@fsmail.net
I shy away from DIY where possible but have done some simple decorating
(painting ceilings and walls) and have repaired a few things in my
bathroom (though no plumbing - I don't even know how to change a
washer).
I'm partly unmotivated and partly don't have a great deal of
self-confidence with DIY. As in general, I tend to live with things as
they are unless I can see a significant advantage in trying to change
them.
Dolphinius
(Male, early thirties, UK, self-diagnosed AS)
dobey the elf
What is DIY? IS it the new health food or something? Does it give
constipation or runny eyes?
Stephen Wilson
"dobey the elf" <dobe...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1107987211.8...@l41g2000cwc.googlegroups.com...
>
> What's DIY? And why is it important
Is that a serious question? DIY = "Do It Yourself". If you live anywhere,
work invariably needs to be done, from decoration to replacing washers in
taps (that's faucets(sp?) to those of an American disposition!), to putting
up shelves,etc.
So you either get someone more experienced to do it, pay a "professional",
ignore it, or "do it yourself".
Keith Moseley
>
> Anyone else living on their own, equally useless at DIY? If so, do you have
> a go anyway, ignore it and hope it'll go away, get someone you know to do it
> for you, or pay someone to do it?
fix whatever's broken given enough time. But, I usually just let things
go until a problem becomes impossible to ignore. I've never hired a
professional to do anything, but I would if something like a major
plumbing issue arose.
--
Three step plan to fix anything...
1. Shake it vigorously.
2. Hit it with a hammer.
3. You needed to upgrade to a nicer model anyway.
Joel Smith
> Is that a serious question? DIY = "Do It Yourself". If you live anywhere,
> work invariably needs to be done, from decoration to replacing washers in
> taps (that's faucets(sp?) to those of an American disposition!), to putting
> up shelves,etc.
Or, in my case, redoing plumbing for the entire house, adding new
electrical circuits, and remodeling bathrooms. But I have always been
pretty handy with mechanical things (although I'm a shitty carpenter).
--
Joel
dobey the elf
Stephen Wilson wrote:
> "dobey the elf" <dobe...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
> news:1107987211.8...@l41g2000cwc.googlegroups.com...
> >
> > What's DIY? And why is it important
>
> Is that a serious question? DIY = "Do It Yourself".
I know do-it-yourself! I worked for a major box store that had that as
a theme, but that was years ago and I have problems with all these
internet abbreviations. I was thinking you were talking about a
psychological condition, or treatment like ABA and all these other
gloppy things they abbreviate on this list..
Philip W Lee at hyphen dot dot
22:50:16 GMT the perfect time to write:
>On Wed, 09 Feb 2005 22:08:33 +0000, Stephen Wilson wrote:
>>
>> Anyone else living on their own, equally useless at DIY? If so, do you have
>> a go anyway, ignore it and hope it'll go away, get someone you know to do it
>> for you, or pay someone to do it?
>I actually have a fair amount of carpentry experience, so I can usually
>fix whatever's broken given enough time. But, I usually just let things
>go until a problem becomes impossible to ignore. I've never hired a
>professional to do anything, but I would if something like a major
>plumbing issue arose.
Ex = Has been,
Spurt = drip under pressure.
I don't trust experts.
--
Autistic Spectrum Code v.1.0
AS! d-(pu)@ s-: a42 c+++(++) p+ t-(++)@ f-(---) S+(++) p@ e++ h+ r++ n+(--) i++(+) P m+() M(++)
ASC Decoder at <http://www32.brinkster.com/ascdecode/>
Joel Smith
> I actually have a fair amount of carpentry experience, so I can usually
> fix whatever's broken given enough time. But, I usually just let things
> go until a problem becomes impossible to ignore. I've never hired a
> professional to do anything, but I would if something like a major
> plumbing issue arose.
Okay, you do my carpentry, and I'll do your plumbing. I'm a fairly
decent plumber. :)
But I could use some help putting a new floor in my front bathroom...
;)
--
Joel
Stephen Wilson
"Joel Smith" <jo...@autistics.us> wrote in message
news:udz3wtllqns7.17...@40tude.net...
>
> Or, in my case, redoing plumbing for the entire house, adding new
> electrical circuits, and remodeling bathrooms. But I have always been
> pretty handy with mechanical things (although I'm a shitty carpenter).
Now these are the kinds of things I really need to start thinking about. Do
I have someone in to check over the electrics (it's a very old house), or
cross my fingers and hope for the best? There aren't enough power sockets
and the ones I have are in the wrong places. Do I get the existing ones
moved, get extra points installed, or just plug in an extension and make the
best of things as they stand? I did get as far as replacing a light fitting
(the insulation on the wires had corroded and when I tried replacing a bulb
the wires must have come into contact with each other). Had to replace the
corresponding wall switch too.
The floorboards upstairs are all poor quality chipboard and some bend rather
alarmingly. The bathroom's a disaster area, but it'll cost me too much to
pay someone to do it properly and I suspect that anything I attempt on my
own will only make things worse! Oh, the joys of maintaining a house...
dobey the elf
Philip W Lee at hyphen dot dot wrote:
> Keith Moseley <x_an...@REMOVEyahoo.com> considered Wed, 09 Feb 2005
> 22:50:16 GMT the perfect time to write:
>
> >On Wed, 09 Feb 2005 22:08:33 +0000, Stephen Wilson wrote:
> >>
> >> Anyone else living on their own, equally useless at DIY? If so, do
you have
> >> a go anyway, ignore it and hope it'll go away, get someone you
know to do it
> >> for you, or pay someone to do it?
> >I actually have a fair amount of carpentry experience, so I can
usually
> >fix whatever's broken given enough time. But, I usually just let
things
> >go until a problem becomes impossible to ignore. I've never hired a
> >professional to do anything, but I would if something like a major
> >plumbing issue arose.
>
> Ex = Has been,
> Spurt = drip under pressure.
> I don't trust experts.
Hey that was a great pun Philip! Way to go...
Keith Moseley
Deal. Do you want me to supply the sledgehammer and dynamite?
Keith Moseley
>
> "Joel Smith" <jo...@autistics.us> wrote in message
> news:udz3wtllqns7.17...@40tude.net...
>>
>> Or, in my case, redoing plumbing for the entire house, adding new
>> electrical circuits, and remodeling bathrooms. But I have always been
>> pretty handy with mechanical things (although I'm a shitty carpenter).
>
>
> The floorboards upstairs are all poor quality chipboard and some bend rather
> alarmingly. The bathroom's a disaster area, but it'll cost me too much to
> pay someone to do it properly and I suspect that anything I attempt on my
> own will only make things worse! Oh, the joys of maintaining a house...
I'll leave the electrical stuff up to Joel. Is the upstairs uncarpeted?
If you're talking about hardwood, what you can do is borrow that drill
again and use a pilot bit to drill a hole where the floorboard is warped.
Then you can use a screw to pull the board back down to it's original
position. If you use a long enough screw, say 2 1/2 to 3 inches (I don't
know metric, sorry) the head should pull through the wood just a little
bit and you can use some kind of colored wood putty to hide it.
Sarah
> The floorboards upstairs are all poor quality chipboard and some bend rather
> alarmingly. The bathroom's a disaster area, but it'll cost me too much to
> pay someone to do it properly and I suspect that anything I attempt on my
> own will only make things worse! Oh, the joys of maintaining a house...
>
>
You can either replace the chipboard if you have carpets of buy
floorboarding in packs which you cot to size and nail to the floor
joists. It's actually very easy. Then you varnish them, you can buy
quick drying varnish nowadays.
However when you remove the old chipboard you may find a reason for the
floor dipping that you had not expected and it may prove more
complicated. If you find woodworm don't panic it's actually quite easy
to treat.
--
Sarah
Jeremy Reece
> Anyone else living on their own, equally useless at DIY? If so, do you have
> a go anyway, ignore it and hope it'll go away, get someone you know to do it
> for you, or pay someone to do it?
I tend to do a lot of DIY in out house. Painting, plastering (fixing
Sammy's 'handy work' mainly), minor plumbing and electrics, etc. I
built a multi-story rabbit hutch and re-felted a small patch of roof a
couple of months ago.
I find it quite tiring but also quite helpful. Once I know what I'm
going to do, sequencing wise, I can switch my mind off on the whole and
quite enjoy it in an obsessive, hyper-focused kind of way.
--
Jeremy Reece
A d-(---) s:-->: a-- c+++ p+ t+(-)@ f(-)
S+ p+ e+>++ h+ r+>++ n+() i@ P->+ m(-) M---
http://www32.brinkster.com/ascdecode/
Hylander
I'm pretty useless....but I have had the occasional spurt of DIY
activity.
H
ares
might also help. We recently bought a fairly powerful cordless drill/driver
for under $20; comes in handy even though we got a couple of Makitas. They
had them at Harbor Freight Tools. (oops, just noticed you're not local).
I do a lot of that crap because I live in the money pit. Learned a lot
since we moved in here. Depending on what you're doing you can rent tools
from a tool rental place if there's something like that nearby, or just buy
them; have a yard sale to sell them if you're done with it, but power tools
sort of pay for themselves if you can get a lot done easier if you know what
you're doing so you don't have to pay someone else to do it. Oh, is it
anything more complicated than hanging curtainrods? Electrics are scary
and you should probably have someone do that unless you know what you're
doing.
ares
"Stephen Wilson" <sr.w...@ntlworld.com> wrote in message
news:BRvOd.6777$Z%2.3...@newsfe3-gui.ntli.net...
sggaB
> Anyone else living on their own, equally useless at DIY? If so, do you have
> a go anyway, ignore it and hope it'll go away, get someone you know to do it
> for you, or pay someone to do it?
I'm pretty sure I'm useless at it. Because I am useless at most multi-step
tasks. And in that case someone is paid to do it.
--
This post may be more literal, unemotional, or impersonal than
it looks. This FAQ has details: http://www.mugsy.org/asa_faq/
sggaB
wrote:
> Or, in my case, redoing plumbing for the entire house, adding new
> electrical circuits, and remodeling bathrooms. But I have always been
> pretty handy with mechanical things (although I'm a shitty carpenter).
And fixing my communication device. (By the way the boards are seeming
to move around in there too much for comfort. I'm getting kind of
scared. I don't know if it's that screw you missed or what.)
sggaB
> I tend to do a lot of DIY in out house. Painting, plastering (fixing
> Sammy's 'handy work' mainly), minor plumbing and electrics, etc.
Oh, I'm good at painting. Or was good at painting. That was one of
the primary jobs available at the group home so I got a good deal of
practice.
Actually for that matter we pretty much fixed up the whole place. I'm
assuming it was a cheap labor sort of thing for the staff. :-P
But in that case even in the more difficult parts there was usually
someone telling us what to do, which eliminated having to think and
work at the same time.
Joel Smith
> Deal. Do you want me to supply the sledgehammer and dynamite?
Nope, already done the demolition. That was the part I am good at. I'd
like to put the walls back up and put something over the big
plastic-covered hole where the floor used to be.
--
Joel
Keith Moseley
LOL. Look at it this way. If you leave it the way it is, you don't have
to bother with wiring up a fan. Efficiency is a good thing.
Joel Smith
> I'll leave the electrical stuff up to Joel.
I would say "if you plan on using large-current electrical devices, like
microwaves or space heaters, then your wiring probably isn't good enough
if it is 50 years old!
Other then that, there are lots of things that can be right and wrong -
some old wiring is pretty safe. The most dangerous older wiring is the
wiring from the era where electricity was common and people began to
lose respect for the ability of it to burn down a house. Really early
wiring was put in by people who didn't fully understand what they were
doing, and in general they knew it. Wiring not long after that, up to
even the 70s for some kinds of wiring, was put in by people who thought
they knew more then they did (I spent some time replacing aluminum
wiring in my trailer not too long ago - it was built a couple years
before me, which is an amazingly long time as far as trailers go).
--
Joel
Frank White
>
>
>"Joel Smith" <jo...@autistics.us> wrote in message
>news:udz3wtllqns7.17...@40tude.net...
>>
>> Or, in my case, redoing plumbing for the entire house, adding new
>> electrical circuits, and remodeling bathrooms. But I have always been
>> pretty handy with mechanical things (although I'm a shitty carpenter).
>
>Now these are the kinds of things I really need to start thinking about. Do
>I have someone in to check over the electrics (it's a very old house), or
>cross my fingers and hope for the best? There aren't enough power sockets
>and the ones I have are in the wrong places. Do I get the existing ones
>moved, get extra points installed, or just plug in an extension and make the
>best of things as they stand? I did get as far as replacing a light fitting
>(the insulation on the wires had corroded and when I tried replacing a bulb
>the wires must have come into contact with each other). Had to replace the
>corresponding wall switch too.
Personally I'd have the wiring checked first, in case you're
going to need major improvements / a complete re-do. If so,
then having new wall sockets and lights installed as part of
the process will be a minor addition. If the wiring is OK,
then adding additional wall plugs shouldn't be a major problem,
as long as there's sockets you can extend the wiring from
and a way to thread the wiring through the walls to the right
spot. I wouldn't use an extension cord as a permanent
solution, because they're only supposed to be for temporary
fixes.
>The floorboards upstairs are all poor quality chipboard and some bend rather
>alarmingly. The bathroom's a disaster area, but it'll cost me too much to
>pay someone to do it properly and I suspect that anything I attempt on my
>own will only make things worse! Oh, the joys of maintaining a house...
The floorboards should be easy, just replace them with sheets of
plywood. As for the bathroom... that's almost as big and as bad
a job as doing a kitchen. There are videos and books that tell
you how to do it. I'd get several of them and see what's involved.
I'd also make sure I had a second functioning bathroom before I
took the first one off line; reconstruction almost always takes
WAY longer than you'd expect, and it can be a major pain trying to
do your normal routine with things disassembled and in mid-build...
FW
Joel Smith
> And fixing my communication device. (By the way the boards are seeming
> to move around in there too much for comfort. I'm getting kind of
> scared. I don't know if it's that screw you missed or what.)
:( I don't think I would miss anything that would let things move
around that you would be able to tell - it should be mechanically sound.
But, since I don't know where that extra screw goes... (the thing had
something like 50 screws in it!)
Of course you always treat the communications devices in the ways
manufactures intend <ducking>...
--
Joel
Joel Smith
> I'm pretty sure I'm useless at it. Because I am useless at most multi-step
> tasks. And in that case someone is paid to do it.
When I lived in apartments, I would do most repairs myself just because
I didn't want to deal with the landlord (I wouldn't do anything that
cost real money though - that was my limit). Things like patching holes
in ceilings, replacing a light fixture, that kind of thing - that cost
less then $20 or so, I'd just do myself and have it done the way I
wanted it done...
--
Joel
Joel Smith
> I'd also make sure I had a second functioning bathroom before I
> took the first one off line; reconstruction almost always takes
> WAY longer than you'd expect, and it can be a major pain trying to
> do your normal routine with things disassembled and in mid-build...
I sometimes think having the second bathroom is *why* this is taking so
long.
2 years and counting. :/
A huge part of that is simply because I can't lift all the wall panels
and hold them in place myself, and thus need help; another huge part is
that I need to borrow someone's truck to get the large pieces of plywood
and such.
--
Joel
Joel Smith
> LOL. Look at it this way. If you leave it the way it is, you don't have
> to bother with wiring up a fan. Efficiency is a good thing.
Don't get me started on that fan.
First of all, it is against an exterior wall so why it doesn't have a
window is beyond me.
But, second of all, I found the fan stuffed with insulation in such a
way to let the motor overheat if anyone was foolish enough to turn the
fan switch on. I've been slowly turning this place into a bit less of a
firetrap then what I got it as.
--
Joel
sggaB
>:( I don't think I would miss anything that would let things move
> around that you would be able to tell - it should be mechanically sound.
> But, since I don't know where that extra screw goes... (the thing had
> something like 50 screws in it!)
Okay. I wonder why the boards bob up and down then.
> Of course you always treat the communications devices in the ways
> manufactures intend <ducking>...
I don't throw this one. :-P
Joel Smith
> In article <1i6whprx94dbt$.tycm6wg6u22b$.d...@40tude.net>, Joel Smith wrote:
>
>>:( I don't think I would miss anything that would let things move
>> around that you would be able to tell - it should be mechanically sound.
>> But, since I don't know where that extra screw goes... (the thing had
>> something like 50 screws in it!)
>
> Okay. I wonder why the boards bob up and down then.
I don't know, but I don't think it did when I put it together initially.
:( But, yes, the extra screw probably isn't a great thing...
Which boards and bob relative to what?
>> Of course you always treat the communications devices in the ways
>> manufactures intend <ducking>...
>
> I don't throw this one. :-P
Was it the one that put the gash in my dashboard? :P
--
Joel
sggaB
wrote:
>> Okay. I wonder why the boards bob up and down then.
> I don't know, but I don't think it did when I put it together initially.
>:( But, yes, the extra screw probably isn't a great thing...
> Which boards and bob relative to what?
I can't tell. I haven't opened it up.
But there's a squeaking noise and a feeling of movement, and if you look
at anything on the side panel, they are moving up and down. Relative to
the case.
>>> Of course you always treat the communications devices in the ways
>>> manufactures intend <ducking>...
>> I don't throw this one. :-P
> Was it the one that put the gash in my dashboard? :P
I don't think so, but I don't really remember. (I don't even remember
putting a gash in your dashboard. :-/)
Joel Smith
> I can't tell. I haven't opened it up.
>
> But there's a squeaking noise and a feeling of movement, and if you look
> at anything on the side panel, they are moving up and down. Relative to
> the case.
Okay, so it is the two boards that sit piggy-back on each other. Does
the keyboard feel funny?
If the keyboard isn't moving weirdly, it's probably okay - I've got a
fairly good picture of it in my head and remember something about the
side panel with jacks fitting kind of funny in there. If the
keyboard/screen moves funny, that could probably become a problem
sooner. Of course nothing should move though.
Do your other two devices do that (I'm guessing not)?
Of course come to WY and I'll fix it. :)
>> Was it the one that put the gash in my dashboard? :P
>
> I don't think so, but I don't really remember. (I don't even remember
> putting a gash in your dashboard. :-/)
Well, you definitely did!
--
Joel
Keith Moseley
>
> A huge part of that is simply because I can't lift all the wall panels
> and hold them in place myself, and thus need help; another huge part is
> that I need to borrow someone's truck to get the large pieces of plywood
> and such.
Um, any chance you're in the Phoenix area?
Keith Moseley
> Don't get me started on that fan.
>
> First of all, it is against an exterior wall so why it doesn't have a
> window is beyond me.
>
Yeah, bathrooms should definitely have windows. Actually every room
should have a window, even if it's just a skylight.
> But, second of all, I found the fan stuffed with insulation in such a
> way to let the motor overheat if anyone was foolish enough to turn the
> fan switch on. I've been slowly turning this place into a bit less of a
> firetrap then what I got it as.
That sucks. That's the problem with a lot of houses, though. There's a
bunch of codes and rules that are supposed to make it very difficult to
screw something up when you're building it, but all it takes is somebody
who doesn't really think about why something is a certain way to cause all
kinds of problems. The thing is, the person who had the house before you
could have been the one who put that insulation there, rather than the
builder. Maybe they were obsessing about their electric bill.
Sarah
> microwaves or space heaters, then your wiring probably isn't good enough
> if it is 50 years old!
>
> Other then that, there are lots of things that can be right and wrong -
> some old wiring is pretty safe. The most dangerous older wiring is the
> wiring from the era where electricity was common and people began to
> lose respect for the ability of it to burn down a house. Really early
> wiring was put in by people who didn't fully understand what they were
> doing, and in general they knew it. Wiring not long after that, up to
> even the 70s for some kinds of wiring, was put in by people who thought
> they knew more then they did (I spent some time replacing aluminum
> wiring in my trailer not too long ago - it was built a couple years
> before me, which is an amazingly long time as far as trailers go).
>
When I moved here (Victorian house) the wiring was from the 1920s that
had been added onto in some really dangerous ways. It cost me £3000 to
get the place rewired.
--
Sarah
Terry Jones
GMT <8MwOd.7000$Z%2.4...@newsfe3-gui.ntli.net>
>Do
>I have someone in to check over the electrics (it's a very old house), or
>cross my fingers and hope for the best?
Don't know where you live, put in the past I've had offers with my
electricity bill for a free wiring check (obviously they hope that
you'll hire them for any work which needs to be done, but you don't
have to). Might be worth finding out if your supplier does that.
Terry
Terry Jones
<1i6whprx94dbt$.tycm6wg6u22b$.d...@40tude.net>
>Of course you always treat the communications devices in the ways
>manufactures intend <ducking>...
You mean buy a new one whenever there's a problem, rather than trying
to fix it? :)
Terry
Terry Jones
<2b55rgvot4bc$.6am4sbxx0cso$.d...@40tude.net>
>I spent some time replacing aluminum
>wiring in my trailer not too long ago - it was built a couple years
>before me, which is an amazingly long time as far as trailers go
Just curiosity, but sometimes you refer to a trailer, and sometimes to
a house (or is "house" just equivalent to "home")?
Terry
Joel Smith
> On Wed, 09 Feb 2005 21:32:40 -0700, Joel Smith wrote:
>
>>
>> A huge part of that is simply because I can't lift all the wall panels
>> and hold them in place myself, and thus need help; another huge part is
>> that I need to borrow someone's truck to get the large pieces of plywood
>> and such.
> Um, any chance you're in the Phoenix area?
Nope, Wyoming.
--
Joel
Joel Smith
> Just curiosity, but sometimes you refer to a trailer, and sometimes to
> a house (or is "house" just equivalent to "home")?
Yes, I use them interchangeably.
--
Joel
Joel Smith
> The thing is, the person who had the house before you
> could have been the one who put that insulation there, rather than the
> builder. Maybe they were obsessing about their electric bill.
Oh, I'm sure it wasn't the builder. The guy before me thought better of
his DIY skills then I do of them.
--
Joel
Jeremy Reece
> But in that case even in the more difficult parts there was usually
> someone telling us what to do, which eliminated having to think and
> work at the same time.
Yeah. I always have to be crystal clear in my mind precisely what I'm
going to do before I can start. I find that attempting to think *and*
do at the same time is a big mistake :)
--
Jeremy Reece
A d-(---) s:-->: a-- c+++ p+ t+(-)@ f(-)
S+ p+ e+>++ h+ r+>++ n+() i@ P->+ m(-) M---
http://www32.brinkster.com/ascdecode/
womby
On 9-Feb-2005, "Stephen Wilson" <sr.w...@ntlworld.com> wrote:
> Never tried DIY before. Combination of not having the interest, someone to
>
> help me or the property or tools to do it on. Anyway, I'm now living on my
>
> own in a small house (for the last 4 months) with 4 windows and only 2 of
> them currently have curtain rails. So I've just made my first attempt.
> Borrowed a drill, discovered the only saw I have is blunt (need to cut the
>
> pole down in size a bit) and really struggling to get the screws into the
> wood. However, aside from a cut thumb (when the screwdriver slipped), I
> believe I now have a usable curtain rail up! Next job (apart from fitting
> a
> 2nd one) is buying and hanging a pair of curtains.
>
> Anyone else living on their own, equally useless at DIY? If so, do you
> have
> a go anyway, ignore it and hope it'll go away, get someone you know to do
> it
> for you, or pay someone to do it?
I don't have the interest to DIY, but hate searching for hired help even
more.
I just buy the tools I need, buying new ones if the old ones aren't useful
anymore.
Sounds like you took the right approach, just don't use dull tools.
dobey the elf
For me, the home is where the heart is.
The house is where you park your car
And the trailer is that thing at the end of a movie!
>
> --
> Joel