Are you grateful you are a handyman.....? And has is been worth the time and expense

[mopardude318]

I'm only 30, a young buck to most of yall, but I enjoy being handy, doing things myself and learning from the experience. I have ALWAYS done my own auto repair/maintenance on my & my family's vehicles. Changing out inners of a toilet, or laying under a sink changing a faucet, plumbing sprinklers in the yard, building/designing multiple sheds with my father etc etc. It gives me a reason the buy the latest and greatest Milwaukee power tool!! I love tools in general! LOL. I dunno, I really enjoy just workin on stuff I guess, I was born with it.. between me, my dad and my older brother, theres absolutely nothin we cant do. kinda funny, my younger sister doesn't know sh** from shinola, but she sure is one heck of a dental hygienist! BTW my young daughter who is almost 6 I think inherited the "handy" trait!

 

[PILOON]

YES, as it has saved me a ton of $$'s over the years on a DIY basis,
Also earned me another ton of $$'s as a handy man and renovation 'go to guy'.
But more important it is the satisfaction of DIY vs paying exorbitant fees.
But I will also add that I believe in having the correct tools for the job and as such I have more trade tools than some tradesmen.
When I quoted a job (by the hour, not fixed) I usually said that the client was renting my tools and not the operator.
But must add that I am a 'tool freak'.

 

[RobS]

Here I go again...

Washer is not working right. My fav site repairclinic.com helps me again. My mind tells me it's the transmission but they suggest the motor drive coupling as the more likely culprit. $18 vs. $180? I go with their recommendation and even pay the extra for Fedex. I guess I'll be crawling under the washer Friday evening...

Anyone else use them? Thumbs up from me!

 

[dragoneggs]

With internet resources today, most anyone who can search and read can be a 'handyman' in a pinch. Amazing just what is on youtube. Now I go there even if I think I know how to fix something just because there are always good tips to make the job easier.

 

[Goose69]

With internet resources today, most anyone who can search and read can be a 'handyman' in a pinch. Amazing just what is on youtube. Now I go there even if I think I know how to fix something just because there are always good tips to make the job easier.

That's what I say.!
I call myself a "Google Mechanic ". As long as I have working Internet, I can fix almost anything.

 

[justlearnintotill]

I am sorta the same way i have been fixing cars for a living for 25 years i have remodeled most of my home put my own roof on tore it of first of course put up a fence that cost me about 3k in lumber etc hardware i have fixed thousands of cars some for free but have couple hundred grand in tools mechanical and farming tools chainsaws tiller chipper etc but for me its all about balance i suppose be greatful you can do it but dont regret it or second guess why? be happy in the moment and think for aminute all the abilities and god given talents you have and realize you are the chosen one... that being said iwould say No regrets but i think you need to drink more lemonaid and maybe take up golf??? in otherwords start enjoying your retirement more and BTW who cares what other people think man. you've paid your dues sounds like.

 

[kcflhrc]

If I wasn't a Handy Man I would be one broke SOB. After only 4 years of rural living you learn in a hurry to do things yourself or the alternative is to move or win the lottery. There is nothing cheap about living in the country, that's a big myth. My next move will be to the lake with a nice modern cabin. I will flip this place the bird when I drive down the driveway for the last time.

 

[BrokeFarmerJohn]

If I wasn't a Handy Man I would be one broke SOB. After only 4 years of rural living you learn in a hurry to do things yourself or the alternative is to move or win the lottery. There is nothing cheap about living in the country, that's a big myth. My next move will be to the lake with a nice modern cabin. I will flip this place the bird when I drive down the driveway for the last time.

It's funny, I have owned my place for almost 3 years, it's 3 acres and closer to a town and I outgrew it last year lol.

My mom owns a updated 1900s cabin on 35 acres of deep wooded/steep hills/cliffs lot, its down in the sticks and I would rather live there than my place.

I see my 660 magnum collecting dust now, I have 5 saws and used to cut and split 10-15 cords per year down there just to keep the old fire place full all winter, I miss it, I miss felling 80ft+ tall oaks and sawing on them all day. I miss being able to shoot guns without having police show up, I miss fishing in the creek that runs threw the property, driving my truck and quad in that same creek. Believe it or not, I loved not having cell service down there, I wouldn't even keep my phone on me, if you wanted to get a hold of me you had to leave a message on a machine.

I miss being able to piss where I wanted, I miss walking up the hill after I got off work and climbing 25ft up a tree and waiting for wildlife, feeling the tree sway in the breeze.

I had to drive the quad up a very steep hill, took about 10 mins at a good pace with the trails I cleared, all the way to the top I got 3G and 1 bar of service lol.

I lived down there for 3 years 2010-2013 and loved it.

I loved on a hot azz day, jumping on the bike and riding threw the hills, it felt like A/C in the valleys, it was great.

Views were awesome in the hills.

Woods and country is where it's at, I'm just waiting till I can rent my house out and buy a house out in the sticks but close to work.

That's the prob living down there, there's no work anywhere close.

Suburbs are over rated and the city is scary, one day I will be able to afford land in the woods.

 

[MossRoad]

Here I go again...

Washer is not working right. My fav site repairclinic.com helps me again. My mind tells me it's the transmission but they suggest the motor drive coupling as the more likely culprit. $18 vs. $180? I go with their recommendation and even pay the extra for Fedex. I guess I'll be crawling under the washer Friday evening...

Anyone else use them? Thumbs up from me!

I've used them for various things. Last thing was our dishwasher. It pretty much told us our dishwasher is a piece of $%&!@! , was made poorly, and isn't worth fixing! There's two possible things wrong with it. Two circuit boards. Both are about $150 each. And no way to tell which one is bad. So 50/50 gamble on $150 repair. And if you loose, you're gonna cough up $300 to repair a 10 year old dishwasher. Better to put $150 towards a new machine than gamble $150 and end up spending $300. We're using the sink again. Maybe we'll get a new dishwasher in the future. But with only two of us at home now, its one sink load per day.

When we first got married, we bought a used matching set fridge, washer and dryer for $300 (avocado green! ). I repaired all of them many times over the 11 years we lived in that house. Finally the dryer drum wore through, so we bought a new dryer. When we moved into our current house 21 years ago, it came with all appliances. Again, I repaired the fridge, washer and gas dryer many times. Finally got to the point where I realized everything was going to wear out at about the same time, so we bought new washer and dryer a couple years ago. Got a good deal on Speed Queen matching set. They were the last mechanical washer and dryers built. NO digital. The washer is high efficiency, so they met EPA guidelines. We'd heard disappointing stories from many friends with H.E. washers and were leery. However, these Speed Queens have several cycles. One cycle is NON-HIGH EFFICIENCY! If I turn on the extra rinse and set it to full, it'll use 66 gallons of water for one load! YIKES! But man, does it get the clothes clean. :laughing:

 

[MossRoad]

With internet resources today, most anyone who can search and read can be a 'handyman' in a pinch. Amazing just what is on youtube. Now I go there even if I think I know how to fix something just because there are always good tips to make the job easier.

Yep! I found a nice video on how to replace the power window actuator on my in-law's old Mercury Marquis. Watched it twice. Gathered parts and tools. Took the cell phone out to the car and watched it again as I did the repair. Just like having a mechanic at your side.

Just have to watch the videos all the way through, first, to make sure it makes sense. There's a ton of incorrect and poorly done videos done by people with really good intentions. Can't fault them for that as at least, they're trying to help other folks.