Home improvement - where to start?

sdsrfr

Phil Edwards status
Jul 13, 2020
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San Diego
For crafty folks willing and able to go DYI, time seems to be the biggest factor.

Anythibg I’ve opted to DIY in my house takes multiple weekends to be 100% finished.

Paying for it gets it done in a day or two which is impossible for someone going at it in their spare time and has a crew of 1.

I watched my neighbor bring in a crew and pull the cracked driveway and replace with pavers in under a week. I did the same on the side of my house, without having to remove concrete, and it took damn near a full summer.
 

Chocki

Phil Edwards status
Feb 18, 2007
6,354
6,736
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Planet Earth
Oddly enough I still have to look up a lot of electrical stuff online. I didn't really pay attention as a kid.
I learned the way I bet your Pops did. The Navy NEETS? modules and then forget it all. Thanks weed. Troubleshooting is rad unless it’s an intermittent fault
 

Will there be snacks

Miki Dora status
Mar 18, 2011
4,329
2,463
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Hotel Coral Essex
I learned the way I bet your Pops did. The Navy NEETS?I
I never heard of that. Just googled it. Very possible. He was in the Navy as a diesel mechanic. After that he worked in a factory for a couple years and said he wanted to do something outside of a factory. Could very well have used that to learn it since his father wasn't in the trades.
 

grapedrink

Duke status
May 21, 2011
25,938
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A Beach
For crafty folks willing and able to go DYI, time seems to be the biggest factor.

Anythibg I’ve opted to DIY in my house takes multiple weekends to be 100% finished.

Paying for it gets it done in a day or two which is impossible for someone going at it in their spare time and has a crew of 1.

I watched my neighbor bring in a crew and pull the cracked driveway and replace with pavers in under a week. I did the same on the side of my house, without having to remove concrete, and it took damn near a full summer.
Sometimes DIY isn’t much cheaper even when you don’t figure in the cost of your own time. If you have to buy special tools that can easily eat into what it costs to hire out. Plus contractors usually have their own sources for materials that they buy in bulk.

That said I do some DIY here and there but I have a pretty good idea of where that line is drawn :roflmao:
 

npsp

Miki Dora status
Dec 30, 2003
4,236
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down the hill and to the right
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Sometimes DIY isn’t much cheaper even when you don’t figure in the cost of your own time. If you have to buy special tools that can easily eat into what it costs to hire out. Plus contractors usually have their own sources for materials that they buy in bulk.

That said I do some DIY here and there but I have a pretty good idea of where that line is drawn :roflmao:
Knowing where to draw the line is critical. You have to know your limitations and that includes available time to allocate to finishing the work. A lot of DIY projects never get completed due to the time factor.
I do a lot of DIY. I also know when to call in the pros. I also have several nice tools that were purchased as part of a DIY project budget. If I am doing a job that requires a tool that I don't have and will most likely never use again, I rent it. If I will use it again, I roll the cost of that tool into the project budget.
 

Chocki

Phil Edwards status
Feb 18, 2007
6,354
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Planet Earth
Knowing where to draw the line is critical. You have to know your limitations and that includes available time to allocate to finishing the work. A lot of DIY projects never get completed due to the time factor.
I do a lot of DIY. I also know when to call in the pros. I also have several nice tools that were purchased as part of a DIY project budget. If I am doing a job that requires a tool that I don't have and will most likely never use again, I rent it. If I will use it again, I roll the cost of that tool into the project budget.
Word. Time, money and or underestimating the magnitude of the undertaking. I got the time, ain’t paying the jabronis around here to do nothing/like paying myself to do it, and if anything is fucked up I’ll know exactly why. Some sh!t gonna be perfect/as good or better than anyone else could do that I hired and some places corners will be cut. A lot of general carp is knowing where when how to hide your mistakes and or laziness

I got nice tools(Makita, Bosch) because I like using them, and because when I’m done I’ll keep using them to build furniture (mid century modern out of swanky plywood). Biscuit joiner ftw.


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Hammer time.
Got the Estwing for a summer job when I was a youth for this ultra shady deck builder Dr Deck. Dr Dick was kinda more like it. I though the little sledge was gonna get more use but the titanium one is fucking sick weapon mate.
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And who knows how old this one is. Its most recent life was in Mom’s kitchen drawer for decades. I cleaned up the handle a bit

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Even if I could find? and then afford? them the good crews are busy and understaffed. And even then they want to work reg hours. No hey I don’t feel like having a crew here today rn tm etc.

And when you work for yourself you can toke all the reefer you want at work. No one gives you shite for wearing flip flops to do demo work etc. Also learning carpenter skills is rad. Also Jesus was a carpenter.

Cool cat who lived downstairs from me when I lived in Culver City

As fun as it looks.
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Even better on weed.
 
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Muscles

Michael Peterson status
Jun 1, 2013
2,596
3,597
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California/Hawaii
The best thing about DIY is you learn how things are built and how various home utilities work.

I wouldn't attempt to do a huge remodel alone. But I'd at least know what to look for when the GC is working with his crew. I'd also know what to ask for and expect when getting plans drawn up by an architect.

My biggest fear of paying people for work is I've seen so many trash jobs get passed off to home owners.
 
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grapedrink

Duke status
May 21, 2011
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Knowing where to draw the line is critical. You have to know your limitations and that includes available time to allocate to finishing the work. A lot of DIY projects never get completed due to the time factor.
I do a lot of DIY. I also know when to call in the pros. I also have several nice tools that were purchased as part of a DIY project budget. If I am doing a job that requires a tool that I don't have and will most likely never use again, I rent it. If I will use it again, I roll the cost of that tool into the project budget.
Definitely. I replaced the hot water valve on my shower and had to buy the tool to turn off the water at my property line, and now I’m glad I have it for future disasters. Also have a decent collection of tools from DIY jobs that have proven useful afterwards.

As an example of when I shouldn’t have DIY, a few years back I wanted to tighten up my kitchen faucet. The gooseneck got gunked up where it turns and loose at the base. The bolts for the faucet were in the narrow space between the double basins and almost impossible for me to get a grip on with standard tools. Bought 2 special wrenches on Amazon (~$50), spent at least an hour and dropped 10,000 F Bombs trying to tighten that bitch. Finally gave up and hired my plumber who costs $110/hr, had the tools already and finished the job in minutes :foreheadslap: :roflmao:
 

rowjimmytour

Tom Curren status
Feb 7, 2009
11,534
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Definitely. I replaced the hot water valve on my shower and had to buy the tool to turn off the water at my property line, and now I’m glad I have it for future disasters. Also have a decent collection of tools from DIY jobs that have proven useful afterwards.

As an example of when I shouldn’t have DIY, a few years back I wanted to tighten up my kitchen faucet. The gooseneck got gunked up where it turns and loose at the base. The bolts for the faucet were in the narrow space between the double basins and almost impossible for me to get a grip on with standard tools. Bought 2 special wrenches on Amazon (~$50), spent at least an hour and dropped 10,000 F Bombs trying to tighten that bitch. Finally gave up and hired my plumber who costs $110/hr, had the tools already and finished the job in minutes :foreheadslap: :roflmao:
:shrug:
And if that does not work time to cut your lost and cut off old and buy new with this.
 

grapedrink

Duke status
May 21, 2011
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:shrug:
And if that does not work time to cut your lost and cut off old and buy new with this.
Yeah I think I bought one of those. Could never get it to grip the bolt :cursing:
 
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ringer

Tom Curren status
Aug 2, 2002
11,341
612
113
Huntington Beach, California
For anyone who might care, the fairly major interior remodeling project that I mentioned above is nearing completion, with my general contractor/brother in law in charge. It is going longer and costing a bit more than anticipated, but there have been significant change orders since the initial estimate. The work product is top notch. It's been a strange year with the house all in disarray, but I think it will be worth it.
 

Chocki

Phil Edwards status
Feb 18, 2007
6,354
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Planet Earth
Anyone bought a new water heater recently???

Mine may have just sh!t the bed. At least I already own a multi meter.

And after following the may or may not be correct advice of the vid I removed.
With the juice off, both heating elements and thermostats passed a resistance/ohms check with the multimeter. Heater’s own circuit breaker was tripped so I reset it and fingers crossed. Too lazy to check for ground faults/passed visual inspection

Still open to new heater suggestions.
 
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grapedrink

Duke status
May 21, 2011
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A Beach
They're going to be tearing my new f-cked up shower out and installing a new one.

I told them we're still on to do the other bathroom but it's WAY more complex and since they know I know better do not send the B-team.
Might want to wait for them to finish the first before they start on the 2nd. If they don’t get it right, find someone else.
 
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sdsrfr

Phil Edwards status
Jul 13, 2020
5,857
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San Diego
They're going to be tearing my new f-cked up shower out and installing a new one.

I told them we're still on to do the other bathroom but it's WAY more complex and since they know I know better do not send the B-team.
was curious how they’d cover up the botched install without ripping it out.

wonder how many peeps they’ve pulled this on but wasn’t addressed.