Falling out of love DIY

[cyberknight]

Depends on the job
I will do most stuff in my capabilities but sometimes it s easier and less stressful to pay someone, had the kitchen tiled which i could easily do but time short so i just wanted it done.
I like wallpapering for some reason

 

[wonderloaf]

I've completely renovated the bathrooms in all our previous houses, so have replaced bathroom suites, retiled the walls, replastered walls and ceilings, installed showers, rerouted plumbing, etc but the last one nigh on killed me and I so said to Mrs W 'never again!'
However we've just retired and we are now looking at downsizing to what will probably be our last house (or bungalow) and Mrs W tells me I've still got one last bathroom refurb in me (that's what she thinks) .... although I guess I won't get rid of the DIY kit just yet, just in case ....

 

[lazybloke]

Used to electrics and plumbing. Even got ambitious with bricklaying, acro props and lintels.
These days, a bit of tiling and painting is about all.


Although with solid walls letting out so much heat I have been investigating external insulation/cladding as a DIY project. Windows and doors look a faff; and do I really have the time?

 

[HarryTheDog]

The last house before this one , was a damp derelict which I did up whilst living at the in-laws and I spent every available hour on it, and I did most of the easy manual stuff on that myself including removing the plaster off every wall , pulling down and putting up all the ciellings, rewired the place myself ( before everything had to be certified) most of the plumbing, tiling etc as I am fairly handy. the house before that I did the entire kitchen myself.
21 years later and after my divorce I bought another dump ( wires hanging out of the walls, holes in the kitchen ceiling due to leak from bathroom , previous owner had started wrecking the place ready for refurb but had to sell sharpish) thinking I will have it ship shape in no time. Over a year later and I have not even lifted a paint brush. I have now gone sod it and am sick of living in a heap, ( girlfriend does not like it either) builder starts in a fortnight for at least 2 weeks, complete new kitchen, lots of plastering , complete re-wire etc while I go and stay at the girlfiend's house.
For me time is at a premium and I have a really busy working and social life now. I want to walk out and come back in 2 weeks to a mainly new bright modern interior, but I have left some decorating jobs for my girlfriend on the GF's insistence to save money. ( I cant paint above chest height as I have a mashed shoulder joint)
When I retire I will probably go back to being a DIY'r but at the moment, too much to do !

 

[BoldonLad]

Me too
Yes, funny that, but I bet she can't be told

I have a wife, and, four daughters, I long since learned not to waste my time trying to tell them anything

 

[lane]

Always avoided DIY and gardening as far as possible. Have been wondering about an allotment for when I retire though think that might be quite nice.

 

[slowmotion]

I'll still do most tasks. I dislike the appalling workmanship of "professionals" even more than DIY.

 

[Slick]

I can't help but think that the people complaining about the professionals are obviously not hiring the actual professionals and have maybe been selecting a contractor based on price instead of quality.

Everyone will no doubt deny it, but using some basic checks I've managed to renovate 2 homes using 100% contract labour without a single cowboy getting over the threshold.

 

[Vantage]

I used to love DIY.
I built the fireplace in the flat the ex and I first lived in. Coffee tables, hi-fi cabinets, wallpapering, painting, minor electricals and plumbing. Loved it.
I've neither the strength, energy or will to do any of that anymore. Can't afford to get anyone else to do it either so I'm up the creek with a busted paddle that I can't be arsed fixing.
The bike however is a different story. Not even Sheldon Brown would get near it with a spanner.

 

[ColinJ]

The bike however is a different story. Not even Sheldon Brown would get near it with a spanner.

Not much danger of that - he died in 2008!

 

[Milkfloat]

I am certainly falling out of love now. We are having a fairly large extension and I keep getting more involved than I should. However, I also get to deal with some of the other issues that pop up. At the moment we don’t have a working shower as the pump started leaking. I ordered new seals with are taking an age to come and in the meantime the push fit connectors on the pump are leaving badly. Normally this would be easy, but all the valves I added about 15 years ago to the pipes have seized and even getting them off is a nightmare. I have lost count of the number of times I have drained down the whole system and mopped up water in the airing cupboard.

 

[Fab Foodie]

I lost the DIY urge a long while back, much to the chagrin of Mrs FF. I did enough begrudgingly to kkeep the place fairly ship-shape with sufficient nagging. As the son of a painter and decorator, I had acquired most of the relevant skills to do make a descent fist of most tasks except plumbing. Over the years especially when the kids came along my enthusiasm dropped along with my confidence too.

Recently though, my DIY mojo has started to return along with some confidence in my abilities. it started small putting-up shelves, making Veg growing boxes, some small pallet-wood ‘make’ projects, fixing bits and bobs and now the shed fitting-out which am really enjoying...the manly joy of sawing wood....

 

[mustang1]

I hate DIY with a vengeance. If I had more time then maybe I would do something. I put up with mowing the lawn and fiddling with the bike a little bit.

People don't make their own houses do they.

 

[Slick]

I hate DIY with a vengeance. If I had more time then maybe I would do something. I put up with mowing the lawn and fiddling with the bike a little bit.

People don't make their own houses do they.

Lots of people build their own though. I considered it a while back as I had easy access to all the required trades but it's a minimum of a year of your life you won't get back again.

 

[Vantage]

People don't make their own houses do they.

I kinda did. Lived in my shed for 6 months prior to leaving the ex wife.