DIY approach

Flink_Poyd

Opened the microwave door this morning,BANG! A big puff of smoke and a dead microwave, wasn't the plug fuse so took the cover off. One trip to Halfords for a ten amp fuse to tide it over until the right sized one comes and hey presto, PING! 
 For 99% of people it would have been left out for the rag and bone man and a off to buy a new microwave. It'll cost a grand total of £3 to fix and thats with having to buy 2 sets of fuses. 

Roland

UnclePsychosis said:

It's just a symptom of a disposable consumerist society. 

There's an element of this. You can see it particularly in the American "haves" who are constantly asking "what can I buy to do this?" With some people there's also a lack of confidence it their abilities. It's not about knowing how to do it, but having confidence that you'll find a solution. Even if that means working out what needs doing, and getting someone else to do it.

Something that I didn't learn until 2008 is that some people have never learned the dexterity required to rotate a screwdriver whilst maintaining adequate pressure. Living in India it was surprisingly difficult to find a shop which sold a set of screwdrivers. Most people there get a little man in to fix something, which creates an industry in not quite fixing it so that he gets called back, or fitting faulty parts so at it fails again. That promotes a culture of dependency. 

In the UK we aspire to be independent. Some people believe this is routed in the Black Death, where between a third and a half of the population died. Afterwards there weren't a lot of people around to do the work, and we got used to doing things for ourselves. You can see this attitude amongst some of the American "have nots".

What I like about this forum is that is contains a lot of people who do things rather than buy things. Our values are different from those on many other forums, where the balance is more about buying.

Personally I've always wanted to understand how things work. So I get great pleasure from making and mending. Often it saves money. Sometimes it's an opportunity to acquire a new tool. This month I repaired a child's wooden toy, for which I had to buy a scroll saw. It's already been used to cut a new guitar body template.

randella

I've got a set of cutlery from my grandparents that I absolutely treasure - it's not particularly valuable but the ends of the knives are chavelled up where my grandfather used them as screwdrivers and I absolutely love that. 

My dad went the other way, almost a rebellion at his dad's un-DIYness I suppose. He's a very practical guy, and an extremely talented woodworker to boot.

When I bought my first house the decor was in appalling order; the living room carpet was held down in places with gaffa tape. I set about it, decorating, fixing, fitted a new bathroom, and quickly realised that I'd acquired so much knowledge that I didn't know I had just from watching and helping the old man down the years. I love it, I love tools, I love learning the knowledge and hand-eye skills to do a job.

It's complete anathema to me, getting someone in. Buy a toolkit, fuck's sake. A few hundred quid will set you up with hand and power tools to do so so much, and you don't even have to buy it all in one go. Who knows, you might enjoy it. 

I guess the 'boring dad' stigma of DIY doesn't help. Who cares. I got a Dewalt drill for Christmas to replace my knackered old one, I was happy as a pig in muck. 

randella

That said, I despise plumbing. 

Plumbing can, as far as I'm concerned, die in a burning pit as slowly and painfully as possible. 

Winny_Pooh

I'm 35 and quite happy with soldering, basic electronic repair and woodwork. Cars though are a headache, I've fixed a door solenoid after taking ages but the time/complexity/fuckup risk ratio of learning to fix bigger things on them puts me off massively. 

octatonic

My Dad can't fix anything.
He freely admits it- he just doesn't have the patience to understand how things work.

I'll have a go at most things, but I ruined a couple of guitars trying to work them out and I tend to be more cautious now than I have in the past. 
My problem with modern cars and bikes is there is an increasingly limited amount of things that you can do.

I think it is pretty typical for the norm to be 'do no attempt' now.
I had a motorcycle pannier replaced under warranty and the dealer seemed surprised that 'I knew' how to remove the locks from the pannier and was comfortable replacing them. It was literally a 30 second job.

I've done electrics and plumbing but tend to leave this to the experts.
Won't touch anything to do with gas other than bleeding radiators and refilling the boiler, which isn't anything to do with the gas side of it.
I don't do plastering- it takes a certain knack that I don't have.

I'm happy to do flooring, tiling, painting, gutters, car and motorcycle stuff, bicycle maintenance, electronics, soldering, garden stuff and of course anything to do with guitars.
I enjoy it all and I'd rather spend £100-200 on tools, rather than getting a man in, if it means I learn a new skill- provided I know I can do a decent job of it.
Sometimes it means I have to do the job twice- but that is all part of the job.
I'm 45.

mike_l

I'll do as much as I can. I don't do plumbing (my closest friend is a plumber so it's a non-issue), household electrics or gas.

I quite enjoy working on cars (I used to be a mechanic), but leave certain jobs out (I hate passionately doing cam-belts, always have, I know quite a few mechanics who also hate doing them.....) and anything which needs to be done on a 4-post ramp (cos I haven't got a 4-post ramp).

I do have a fairly comprehensive tool kit which has taken a few years to acquire.

Sporky

I do some. Flooring, electrics, all pretty easy. I get people in for plastering, carpet. Last time I had the painting done 'cos there was a lot f t, and the floor because it needed epoxying down due to the state of the floor underneath.

I've changed taps and sink wastes.

Bridgehouse

New shower drain purchased. £6.47.

It even fits and everything. My fingers now have the vague smell of sealant about them..

randella

Bridgehouse said:

New shower drain purchased. £6.47.

It even fits and everything. My fingers now have the vague smell of sealant about them..

@Bridgehouse  Rather that than Plumber's Mait which has to be about the single most vile substance known to the human, and any other, race.

Bridgehouse

randella said:

Bridgehouse said:

New shower drain purchased. £6.47.

It even fits and everything. My fingers now have the vague smell of sealant about them..

@Bridgehouse  Rather that than Plumber's Mait which has to be about the single most vile substance known to the human, and any other, race.

Got to agree mate (hah!) - having said that, the matted lump of hair and grimness in the bottom of the old drain was a close second!!

olafgarten

I'm the only person in my family who attempts anything DIY related, everyone else just has the first instinct to call a professional. I can fix most things but I hate plumbing, I just hate the idea that I'll be covered with water if I do something wrong. 

speshul91

mike_l said:

I'll do as much as I can. I don't do plumbing (my closest friend is a plumber so it's a non-issue), household electrics or gas.

I quite enjoy working on cars (I used to be a mechanic), but leave certain jobs out (I hate passionately doing cam-belts, always have, I know quite a few mechanics who also hate doing them.....) and anything which needs to be done on a 4-post ramp (cos I haven't got a 4-post ramp).

I do have a fairly comprehensive tool kit which has taken a few years to acquire.

I'd say clutches are worse, done on axle stands anyway. 

Emp_Fab

A clutch on your own is a bastard.  Kudos to you.  I've always been a fixer too.  My mum used to say that she bought me a toy train with a transparent shell when I was a toddler.  It was basically a plastic gearbox on show.  She thought it would keep me busy for a few weeks.  Apparently I had it in pieces in minutes and reassembled it.  I don't remember that, but I do remember the train.  I think a lot of it is down to whether you have a logical mind or a more artistic one.  I'm the former, so you don't want to hear me play the guitar!

In my time I've rebuilt motorbike and car engines (never tackled a gearbox though!), car wiring, suspension, brakes etc, house electrics, plumbing, door locks, repaired loads of domestic appliances - microwave, washing machines (drum spider, bearings, motors etc), cookers, dishwasher (my Ariston is like Trigger's broom!).  I've repaired TVs, monitors (with online help), countless printers/scanners/computers/networks, guitar amps, mixers, the space shuttle, just checking to see if anyone's still reading.  The trouble is, I used to love fixing cars, now I hate it.  I hate the cold and the dirt, the skinned knuckles, seized threads and ingrained oil in your hands - but if anything goes wrong on the car, I abhor paying someone else to do it because I know I can do it myself.

shuikit

I'm in my mid 30s and would agree generally with what's been said so far but one thing I've noticed amongst my friends is that once you buy your first house you're almost forced into doing some DIY so I think the low levels of younger people owning houses is also a factor.

Motorhate

I managed to get a Harley back on the road last summer. Took a while in my spare time each evening but managed to completely strip, clean and fit new seals and jets to the carb, change and rewire the handlebars as well as service the bike too. It had been really neglected by the previous owner and I got it for a bargain, or so I thought. The only thing I'm not happy with is the wiring which I'll probably take a look at soon.

Gagaryn

I always try to fix before replacing and always consider doing house jobs myself before considering getting trade in. Over the years I've fitted complete bathroom  - toilet, basin, bath and shower. I laid the lino but got a man in to tile - there was a lot of tiling! I've also fixed my tumble dryer (fitted a new belt), my old dishwasher (constantly fixing the pile of shite for 5 years before replacing it), my old washing machine - it lasted 16 years during which all that was needed was 1 set of new carbon brushes then last year the pump packed in. I got a cheap replacement pump on eBay but that packed in a few weeks ago so I bought a new machine. Fixed my cooker too - replacing oven element and thermostats but when the power controller on the hob went decided to replace that too. Fixed an old 40" Samsung TV that was sitting in my mates house recently - TV repair man had said the repair was not cost effective but a pair of £25 invertor boards and 15minutes had that working again. Taught my girlfriend how to replace ceramic disc cartridges in her dripping taps at the weekend - think she is gradually getting the fixing bug too!

ESBlonde

It's an attitude thing. I had (second hand) Meccano as a kid and making or fixing was jsut what happened. Now modern manufacturing is all about built in redundancy and replacement but it is still possible to understand and fix lots of things. Tap washers and ball valves to simple house hold electrical. Knowing how to fix a car is a godsend, because my ear is tuned I can often hear faults develope long before they manifest thenselves in other ways. Modern cars don't even have jacks and spares...wtf is that all about? If the AA/RAC get you home you wake up in the morning with a flat tyre still and you have to call out someone else to fix it!
I have developed a thing about tools too. Basin wrenches, pipe cutters, cylinder honing devices and brake caliper expanders all alongside a comprehensive set (or 5) of sockets, crows feet, ring rachets etc.

boogieman

shuikit said:

one thing I've noticed amongst my friends is that once you buy your first house you're almost forced into doing some DIY

Or not. A friend of mine has just texted me; her younger brother has just bought a house round the corner from us. Brother wants to know if I know a local cleaner and someone who does gardening. He's in his early 30s and his wife doesn't work. You can't even clean your own frigging house??!! Jesus. 

Rocker

Everyone *should* be able to fit a shelf, hang pictures, change tap valves etc.  Every home ought to have a basic toolkit, this needs a set of screwdrivers, spirit level, knife, spanners, pliers, hammer at least and a power screwdriver/masonry drill complete with a few masonry bits.  A plastic toolbox will keep these safe and have compartments for the wall plugs, screws etc. that you need to do those essential jobs.

Gas and electricity are dangerous and best left to those specialists who know about these things.  Plumbing is doable but can be messy - it depends on the problem as to getting a plumber in or doing the work yourself.

Every job is doable but you need to consider how long it will take yourself to do it as essential items/equipment can be out of use for longer than comfortable in the household.  Bathrooms for example or heating.