Are You The Neighborhood "Fix-It" Guy?

[bp fick]

Out here, we all live by the old axiom, "Neighbors do for neighbors".

On our original 80 acre tract, we have 5 parcels. Most of the neighbors are elderly. I plow their drives in the winter and knock down their brushy grasses in the summer, if need be.

But most of all, it seems it falls to me to fix lawn mowers, snow blowers and other stuff. I don't mind. I try to get to their needs in a timely manner and sometimes that can be challenging.

Today, yet another dirty carb cleaned and a neighbor made happy. So, how about you? Are you "that guy" in your area?

 

[CurlyDave]

I am pretty handy, and an engineer.

Sometimes people ask me to fix things. Sometimes people ask me how to build things.

Sometimes they don't like the answers I give them. Sometimes they ask how to fix what they built that fell down.

I help out when I can. Right now I am not in Oregon, I am down in CA rebuilding my house that burned down. When I go back to Oregon, they will start asking again.

 

[Hardscrabbble]

I take care of the handyman work for the widow lady down the street. I plow her driveway in the winter and take care of her summer chores and maintenance issues on her house. I want no money for this but she always insists on baking cookies or a cake for my wife and I. Without someone helping her she would not be able to stay in her home. She can't afford to hire the work done.

 

[Richard]

I'm the tinker guy around here. Nothing major but then, I'm not really afraid to dig into most anything, especially if it's mechanical in nature.

I have also helped do some things for one of my elderly lady clients. Long story short, I've been over to her place to fix her computer, printer.... been over there another time to yank out her old kitchen disposal unit and replace it with a new one.

She asked me if I would also put in a water filter. Turns out this thing cost soemthing like $1,200 or something stupid....and I said she could do a lot better if she wanted and save some money.

I also did not feel comfortable installing this thing for some reason or another (I don't fully remember)

She was undeterred.... she contacted a fella from her church and he installed the water filter.

I think the story goes that later the same day, after he left....she then left to go to the store. She came home to find her entire condo was wet. I don't recall what happened but this unit was leaking and was blowing water out the entire time she was out shopping. She lives on a single floor unit (ground level) and the kitchen, dining room, living room and den were all soaked.

Good thing it was him & not me.

 

[Redbug]

I am the tinkerer and piddler. I have been that way most of my life. As a kid, I had to take stuff apart to see what made things work. And that's where the basic talents came from to carry later into life. It's all about curiosity and the interaction you have in your environment.

Having these skills became a necessity when I was young and out on my own with not much money. If something broke and I did not have the money to get it fixed I would work on it and fix it myself out of necessity. And once you become adept at acquiring one set of skills, learning new ones comes easier. For me, I see them as survival skills. I don't see that much in most people now days...times are different and parents shelter their kids into their 30's...and the necessity part is not there. And it's also a "throw away" society. If things go to pot with our society, I don't know what they would do other than waste away...

Money is not an issue anymore in my life. But I continue to piddle to make or work on stuff. For me, it is enjoyable like reading a book and a real stress reliever. You cannot pay someone else do some of the things I enjoy making. The quality would not be there. Having a work shop is an essential part of life. The things most of us do on these forums put us all into that separate type of people. Look at the "Projects" forum. Someone that has a tractor has got to be more than just a computer weenie.

I now work with a bunch of "Academics". These people grew up mostly having a golden spoon in their mouth and never had the need to have to learn some of the survival skills. I am amazed at the lack of knowledge, (and views), most of them have of the real world. They have figured it out to come to me...and I do a lot of really basic stuff now and then for some of them at work. I enjoy it since it gives me a chance to teach a few of these skills to the less fortunate. So...the answer is...Yes.

A great Robert Heinlein Quote...
A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.

Sorry for the mind dump getting to the "Yes" part...

 

[Bird]

Are you "that guy" in your area?

No anymore, but I used to be. I also used to have a number of neighbors who were always ready and willing to join in. At one time we had a divorcee with 2 small children living two doors north of us and one day she called to ask if I would see if I could fix her washing machine. It was a Gibson, which I'd never even heard of, much less actually seen, but I quickly found a broken steel plate the drum mounted to, figured if I couldn't find a new one, I might be able to weld the old one. I was surprised when I made a phone call or two and found a new one readily available. I knew how to fix it, but figured an extra set of hands sure would help, so I called the neighbor who lived between us.

Now I knew that the young lady had called on him for help with other things in the past, and told him I was surprised she hadn't called him instead of me. He said, "She did and I told her I didn't know anything about washing machines, to call you, that you'd try anything.":laughing:

 

[deepNdirt]

Yup! and also called Tim the Tool man,
I'm the neighborhood hardware supply and everyone knows who to come see when in need of a tool

 

[jimmyj]

Yes except for auto mechanics. My road has mostly business people who work in the city on acreages so they don't have the tools or equipment to do a lot of the stuff they need done. I have more than a few "favors" due to me, not that I do it for that reason but I like helping people.

 

[Big Bri]

It's sad but i've had to turn people (neighbors) away. The way people sue for everything now days it's not worth it. Have a neighbor who sued another after they cut their grass (that was 2' tall) and while cutting he ran over some old old rose bushes. The man down the road was sued pulling a truck out of the ditch with his tractor. The man claimed that the tractor pulled to hard and broke suspension parts. (not like going in to the ditch at 40mph did any damage). A few months ago a man down the street was back filling a culvert he had just put in. He was using shovel ! ! ! told the wife that i was going to use the tractor FEL and help him out, she warned me that i'd probably "rut his yard" and he'd want me to resod his yard, so i didn't help. felt bad about it, but what ya going to do, it's not like i'm insured for something like that.

 

[poncho62]

Yes...I seem to be that guy too....just moved here 2 years ago and my reputation seems to be set already....lol. Where I lived before, I was also that guy.......35 years worth......thought maybe when I moved, it would change......probably my fault, but no such luck. My dad was the same guy........

As for the suing thing, you get to be a pretty good judge just talking to some people whether you would be willing to go out of your way for them or not.