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

[tcreeley]

I'd say the majority of folks on this site are handy- We all pick our projects and what we are willing to do. I think what I would like to see different is that my two sons have little interest in the mechanical. I have an accumulation of tools, woodshop. and an anvil each for them- but there is no interest.
Such is life.
All of my life I have been lifting from my legs to spare my back. I have two lousy hips now. - I wonder if I had done a bit less physically over my life, from a kid on, if I wouldn't be using two canes to get around.
I had my septic put in, well dug. The rest I did - not to code and self taught.

As for women, some are sensible, some are foolish. One I know figured out how to bleed her oil line to the furnace in her house. Husband was clueless. - Mechanical aptitude, it is there or it isn't. The lack of it provides jobs for those with it!

I know I can't crawl under vehicles now without the world spinning - I change the oil in the tractor, but not the truck and car anymore.

Little things define life. Keeping active in part is based on the ability to keep active. My 98 year old fil walks a lot, - more than I can - but then his macular degeneration has made him blind. No rhyme or reason to it all.

 

[GolfAddict]

JDGREEN you always seem to step in it and get pissed off. Be happy you can do these things. I can build a motor but I can't write patents.

Ole JD - Handy man skills he has, social skills not so much...

 

[Industrial Toys]

It's nice being able to do things and have resources to help yourself, but it would be nice to have some serious earning potential and hire people to do the dirty work.

And, I'm guessing most women would gladly forgo a handy man in favor of one not so handy with a six figure (or better) income!

 

[MossRoad]

I'm an engineer with "the knack":

Dilbert "The Knack" Engineer Video - YouTube

From my first little red wagon that came in it's box and I assembled to the countless cars fixed and home projects, I've done about everything. I can't begin to imagine the money I've saved by doing things myself, even deducting for the many "oops" along the way. It takes it's toll though, in time. I'm now finding there are things I'd rather be doing and am working towards being less of a handyman. The downside will be more money leaving my pockets and our offset to that is a planned downsize so there is less that needs to be done.

Stay tuned...

I've never seen that clip.... awesome! :laughing:

 

[hawkeye08]

yep, enjoy being able to fix most things.

 

[teejk]

It's nice being able to do things and have resources to help yourself, but it would be nice to have some serious earning potential and hire people to do the dirty work.

And, I'm guessing most women would gladly forgo a handy man in favor of one not so handy with a six figure (or better) income!

I dunno about your assessment of the female crowd...apart from the big cities I think most women I know care more about traditional values and maintaining a family unit is primary. But I don't get out much...

 

[John Fitzgerald]

I do any of my own work that I am capable of. Educated as a physicist, worked as an engineer (two places) for almost 40 years. I have rebuilt mowers and small engines, still change my own oil, do my own electrical and any plumbing, home maintenance, and landscaping I have tools for. Have done metal roofs, built outbuildings, decks, furniture, finished houses. I only regret that I never learned to weld. I don't like to hire anything out that I could do myself. I usually take longer to do something than a pro would, but I do it to my own higher standards. Probably saved 15 to 25 k doing remodeling on the present house. Yes, it was worth it.

 

[check]

It's nice being able to do things and have resources to help yourself, but it would be nice to have some serious earning potential and hire people to do the dirty work. And, I'm guessing most women would gladly forgo a handy man in favor of one not so handy with a six figure (or better) income!

Reminds me of an often used phrase on the Red Green show:

"If she doesn't find you handsome, she should at least find you handy!"

Guess which one I am? And guess which one I was 40 years ago?:laughing:

 

[ustmd]

I'm at a loss why you find this hysterical? Is it because you consider this such a simple task? Or do you not understand that everyone has their limits and experiences, and for some, this is a big deal? My guess is that this husband that you mock is probably highly skilled at other tasks that you do not know about. A lot of my clients are Medical Doctors and Nurses. They do things every day that I will never be able to do, so when they hire me to assemble something, or hand a picture or whatever simple task that they want done, I do it with a smile on my face and respect towards them.

I am with Eddie on this. Different people have different skillsets and abilities. For some people, assembling a mower is a major accomplishment.

My FiL, my step father and my brother are all people who have no (an I mean no) mechanical ability or real DIY skills. I used to think it was because they never taught themselves or that they were not interested, but after having them help me on projects, I realized they are just not wired that way. For example, none of them has a "visual imagination". By that I mean they can't look at part or a piece of lumber and manipulate it in their minds to see how it might fit on an assembly or they can't look at three sheets of plywood and decide on an efficient cut list. None of these men are dumb or lazy. My Fil and Step-Father are very successful lawyers and my bother is a successful computer programmer and author.

 

[aczlan]

I am with Eddie on this. Different people have different skillsets and abilities. For some people, assembling a mower is a major accomplishment.

My FiL, my step father and my brother are all people who have no (an I mean no) mechanical ability or real DIY skills. I used to think it was because they never taught themselves or that they were not interested, but after having them help me on projects, I realized they are just not wired that way. For example, none of them has a "visual imagination". By that I mean they can't look at part or a piece of lumber and manipulate it in their minds to see how it might fit on an assembly or they can't look at three sheets of plywood and decide on an efficient cut list. None of these men are dumb or lazy. My Fil and Step-Father are very successful lawyers and my bother is a successful computer programmer and author.

Yep. I can do a lot of things with a computer, I work with guys who may not be able to do much with a computer, but they can pick up something with a forklift and put it 30 feet up into a space with half an inch to spare on each side the first time and do that all day long.

Aaron Z