Does Anyone Else Hate Diy As Much As I?

[thaibeachlovers]

Everything always goes wrong, things get lost or broken, items put down disappear as soon as my back is turned, power cables get tangled every time, can't find the right tool, despite knowing it was there yesterday.

Never seem to be able to cut a straight line in wood, no matter how carefully I do it, holes drilled in concrete never end up in the right place, or the right size for the rawl plug.

I can usually achieve an OK result, on the second or third attempt, but rarely as perfect as I visualised.

Is this normal for DIY?

The only thing that keeps me going is that whenever I have "tradesman" in, they do a worse job than I!

[bankruatsteve]

The good feeling about DIY is to plan the project, have the necessary tools, and do it. If at first you don't succeed.... etc. But, it's the best way to end up with what you really wanted and feel good about DIY.

[manarak]

It takes a pragmatic and fairly analytical mind to perform construction/installation tasks properly.

Drilling holes in the wrong place and losing tools is not normal, you need to apply more planning and more discipline to what you are doing

[bobo42]

Same stuff happens to me, but I still enjoy it, in spite of my disappearing/re-appearing tools and supplies. Probably costs me three times the price to do it myself - but its my half-arsed job vs the local "profession's" mostly-botched job, so it all evens out in the end. Plus, believe or not, I am getting much better with practice.

My main cause for frustration is not being able to find the same tools and supplies that I'm accustomed to. For even the simplest job, I'm always starting as completely baffled on the first attempt. Only after 3 or 4 similar jobs, do I finally get the knack of it.

[utalkin2me]

I guess I hate it to a certain extent too; the thing that always gets me is repeated trips to hardware stores or wherever you may need to go.

The driving force is well worth it though. I am so over having a Thai man touch anything I own. I don't even care if they can do it better than me at this point, not worth the chance.

The thing is too, you get handier and handier each time. I'm not very good in the house yet, but I am pretty darn good on most simple car stuff because I have been doing it much longer. Once you reach a certain point your confidence is there, and the skills, AND the tools. I haven't gotten there around the house yet; things like tiles and putting large holes in these concrete walls mystify me (drilling holes I have gotten down). So, I know how you feel, but I figure just be patient and keep tackling things on your own. Slowly but surely.

I do have a little motto when it comes to this stuff though. When in doubt, just do it. You may mess it up, but in the long run you are going to come out WAY ahead.

Edited February 23, 2013 by utalkin2me

[canuckamuck]

I love DIY because if I do it myself I know why it went wrong.

I am getting some mad skills from all the effort though. Some stuff comes out quite well.

And life is too short to endure locals shattering your dreams and ruining your projects.

Edited February 23, 2013 by canuckamuck

[Farma]

If and when I find time I enjoy a bit of DIY. Over the years I've accumulated a nice double collection of tools.

My original tools were used to build 2 houses and numerous extentions and walls. I still have most of them, they're well used and now for communal family use. The family is good and know the unwritten rule of borrow and return or never borrow again.

The bower bird in me has seen me recently buying another set of tools just for my own use in retirement. I'm now building up a nice collection of Bosch and Makita power tools. My latest purchase was a B&D workmate.

[Sheryl]

I absolutely hate it and have been driven to it in desperation by the evil machinations of the various "chang".

Me at my amateur worst is still better than 98% of them. So over the years I have very reluctantly started to do more and more of my own repairs.

[ETatBKK]

not all DIY persons are good on everything, you may keen on some areas but bad on others. the joy is about the learning, and also someone said the collected toolsets.

just never give up, if you don't mind a dirty hand.

[wayned]

I do everything myself and enjoy every minute of it. My ladder broke last June and I fell and broke my hip. Had to have a metal hip implant. The first thing that I did after I got home and could hobble around again was fix the broken ladder! I think I'd be bored stiff if I didn't DYI!

[Crossy]

I enjoy I bit of DIY even if my time 'costs' more than the locals. It's nice to just do the job without having to explain what I want, it often takes less time to do than the explaining would take anyway.

Wifey seems to think I can do anything but I really don't do ladders, we have a quality aluminium ladder but it moves more than I like if I'm more than about 12 feet up. Enter Sanchai my Thai step-son who seems fearless and will happily stand on a 2" ledge whist drilling a hole in the wall, mad fool.

Sanchai is also pretty practical himself, his old pickup was almost a submarine during the floods with a DIY snorkel (PVC tube with the truck bonnet removed) and exhaust extension.

[mrbojangles]

I love DIY and I'm a pain in the butt to the guys doing our house checking every little detail of what they have done. The only problem I have is lack of time due to not living in Thailand. Therefore I have to strike a balance of letting other people do the work. However, bit by bit I am building up my tool collection over there and once I'm there full time I will do almost everything myself. The two areas I won't touch is brick laying and plastering. I'll do patching up etc but never a full wall as it takes too much practice to get the best results.

[thaibeachlovers]

Hey, good variety of replies there.

I seem to have given the impression that I don't have the tools needed, but I do actually. They just tend to "walk" a lot. I usually spend more time looking for tools that I know were just "there" than doing the job, LOL.

The only tool problem I have is trying to buy decent tools that don't cost a fortune. I'd love a Makita drill, but have a Black and Decker instead. Actually, it has taken a lot of abuse over the years I've had it, and is still going strong, so not bad for a cheapie.

There is no point in buying expensive tools here, when I have a really good collection back home, and I certainly won't be taking any tools back from here.

My problems aren't a lack of experience, but that things always seem to go wrong- perhaps there's a "demon" making my projects a trial! Or, maybe it's just that I'm old.

[sirineou]

I can usually achieve an OK result, on the second or third attempt, but rarely as perfect as I visualised.

visualize t to be a total disaster that way you will be pleasantly surprised when it is only a partial disaster

[TommoPhysicist]

If you can't do it with a sturdy screwdriver and a large hammer, then it isn't worth doing.

[sirineou]

My problems aren't a lack of experience, but that things always seem to go wrong-

My problem is not lack of experience also , it is just that most of it has being bad.

things always seem to go wrong- perhaps there's a "demon" making my projects a trial! Or, maybe it's just that I'm old.

no, no, it is not you!!!!! it is certainly the work of a malevolent demon, have you considered an exorcism?

[wayned]

If you can't do it with a sturdy screwdriver and a large hammer, then it isn't worth doing.

Seems like how the Thais think, only they don't need the screwdriver, they set the screws (treaded nails) with the large hammer.

[TommoPhysicist]

If you can't do it with a sturdy screwdriver and a large hammer, then it isn't worth doing.

Seems like how the Thais think, only they don't need the screwdriver, they set the screws (treaded nails) with the large hammer.

The screwdriver is, of course, for use as a drill or chisel ........ not used for screws.

Edited February 25, 2013 by TommoPhysicist