Home Repairs...

[dfergie]

This weekend is turning out to be Home Repair weekend... My Dryer threw a belt Wed. was not off till friday, but had to go to a Memorial service at 2, that plus working the night before and staying up all day did not help. I got the dryer out on the porch from the washroom took the belt off and went to a repair shop and got a replacement.
Yesterday I unhooked the barrel and got the belt on I had hell putting it back together but it works fine. I replaced the coax to my Ku Band Lnb on one of my old BUDS and played with a little. I thought that's it... weekend is mine.
About 4pm I returned to the yard to find water everywhere, A pipe had broken ( My Dogs had gotten under my house I guess ( I left an access cover open working on the Sat... ) ) Turned water off at meter and looked, I did not have any Pvc Glue as it has been awhile since I have did any repairs so I went to town and got supplys returning after dark...
Left water off, still off waiting on it to warm a little and had a toilet that needed a new float valve...
Long winded story, but how many of you do all of your Home Repairs?

 

[dragon002]

i do all my own repairs and remodeling, have since i was 17, and damed proud of it. do all you can for yourself and your family.

 

[dfergie]

Waiting on the Glue to dry... I had Uncles that lived on Ranches,( I spent alot of time on them) my Dad and an Uncle were Plumber's and I worked for both for awhile as well as helping build several houses... Ranchers are self sufficient as you cannot run to the store or have someone come fix something that you or a friend or neighbor can fix. I have pretty much stuck to that example.

 

[Digital Dude]

My wife does most repairs around the house except electrical. Makes her horny so I don't complain.

 

[Cliff]

I'm with you guys, I do all the repairs at my home. Electrical, plumbing, carpentry, and automotive. Thank goodness I took the time to learn to do it myself.

The better half doesn't get as upset when I want a new toy, because of the money saved.

 

[Bob Haller]

I do LOTS of repairs for both here and some friends, we call them my other wives

I enjoy fixing stuff, and repair machines for a living. Electrical is FUN, plumbing I can do but dont really get into it. carpentry I TRY most appliances

recently fixed a toilet for another wife. it hadnt flushed good for over a year, they were using a bucket. her hubby had snaked it that didnt help.

a little acid in the dip tube, and flushes like new. the rim holes and passages were clogged. amazing difference.

more later I have work to do!

Really should call all the wives today and wish them happy valentines day

Its innocent were just buddies!!!! REALLY!

 

[navychop]

I do my own home repairs. But not so much anymore on the 4WD computers.

 

[Ramy]

I have been doing my own repairs since I was old enough to hold up a hammer. Both my dad and grandfather all did thier own repairs so it got passed down.

 

[snaggerbob]

I do as much as I can. Working 6 days a week limits what I can do. One problem I can not seem to figure out is my ice maker quit working. Anyone have any ideas? There was also a puddle on the floor in front of the frig but the water supply line is in the back.

 

[navychop]

Check the solenoid.

 

[bpickell]

I do it all electrical, plumbing, carpentry, appliance repair, computer repair, automotive, and a little construction. I just recently layed hardwood floors, throughout the house and layed slate tile in my kitchen.

 

[sikma]

I'm building a tv room downstairs. Framing and hanging the sheetrock went like a breeze. However, I broke one of the commandments so many times my wife threatened to 'wash my mouth out with soap' when I began taping & mudding.

 

[motorcycle_rider]

I do all my own repairs/remodeling myself also. Last weekend I put new carpet down in my daughters bedroom. The first time I have ever laid down carpet. It turned out allright but it could have been better. My main problem with doing the work on the house is that Its way to easy to start another project while you are in progress on another.

 

[herdfan]

I do them because it freaks out my neighbors. They call somebody for every little thing and here I am doing it all myself.

I learned alot working construction during college. A friend of mine's father owned a construction company. He mainly built residential and he wanted his son to learn how to do things. So we worked with a couple of his more senior carpenters instead of just being laborers. I learned a ton over two summers and there are few things I can't do around the house.

 

[dragon002]

good lord,
finally a thread without some liberal saying " you HAVE to get a permit and be liscensed "in that or you are breaking the law.

there was a post a few weeks back about running SPEAKER WIRE., they were talking permits, inspections, calling the insurance company and electrical contractors.

UN FREAKIN BELIEVABLE, a set of home speaker wires!!

what the hell has this country become??

 

[gbjbany]

My dad was a carpenter but i didn't get any of his genes or skills.
I do most things i also worked with an uncle on electrical stuff in the UK, 240 volts and all ! , so i have no real fear about that but plumbing just plain freaks me out ! I'm so worried about all that water getting everywhere.
My problem is i tend to buy cheaper tools and i always wish half way through a project that i had spent a little more and got better one's. For example i bought a 10 inch chop saw, i wish i had bought the 12 inch Dewalt with the laser sighting coz laying the whole houses laminate flooring would have been a whole lot quicker.

 

[navychop]

Well, carpet is one thing I won't do. The European electrical system is certainly different, glad I don't have to work on that.

One year, when stationed on Guam, my wife and I had a chance to visit Bali. We traveled well beyond most tourist areas (up to a mountain range in the east to a temple, beyond which tourists are firmly "discouraged"). We checked into a "hotel" at the base of a hill. Rudimentary. No one else there. VERY cheap. Shower area had no roof, just open air above- very nice. Toilet in the room was running. I opened it up and found the weirdest contraption I'd ever seen. However, it wasn't hard to figure out, and I could fix it without tools. Nice to stop the running noise. I'm surprised the guy didn't fix it himself. I suspect the ancient Romans might not have too much trouble figuring out our plumbing today.

Anyway, we hiked up the hill, found a better "hotel" and stayed there instead. Next morning, I went down and paid the first guy for the room, too. After all, it was only fair- we rented it. I'll always remember how thankful and relieved he was. That little bit of money was that important to him.

If you ever visit Bali (which is a lot more expensive today), go north and east, get away from the southern tourist (expensive) beaches.

 

[TheForce]

I do all my own work / repair here too. But, I'm not afraid to always compare the cost of a professional vs. what I can do it for, usually faster, more expedient.

eg. I had a mouse get into the Kitchen and eat through the Dishwasher sump. Water everywhere so I cleaned that mess up and poked underneath to see what the problem was. When I put all these new appliances in the Kitchen I bought an extended warranty from GE. It seemed like a deal because all my new appliances are high tech and the cost of one PCB was more than the 4 years warranty. I have 7 appliances covered as well. So, I call GE and schedule the repair tech to come in. He was here next morning. Said he could fix it but the damage wasn't covered under warranty as it was infestation damage, exempt. I checked and of course he was right. But he did an estimate on it and said if I wanted him to fix it the charge would be $15.50 for the new part and $285 for the service call! You read that right, $300.50 plus tax! I said no thanks, contacted my local parts house and ordered the part for $15.50 plus tax. Came in next week and it took me 20 minutes to pull the Dishwasher out, replace the sump and reinstall it and test for leaks. Done!


The big problem I see with these repairs is the breakdown. They always happen at the most inconvenient times, and that becomes a factor in whether to hire or do the work myself. Now, I work mostly from Home but I still have a very busy work load so it is just like having to take off from work to do the repairs.

Another case- In 2 months I managed to get 15% of my house painted. I succomed to hiring a painter and helper. In 4 days the house had been preped, and 3 coats of paint, new soffits and vent screens. and all I needed to do was supervise how I wanted it done. I hired based on Time and material which I bought. Sometimes you just need to hire, sometimes it pays to do the job yourself! I have no hard rule on when to do what.

 

[SatelliteGAL]

We do most of our home improvements and repairs ourselves. If it involves climbing on a ladder or the roof we call someone because we all hate heights.

 

[Claude Greiner]

I know how to do just about anything. I really don't mind hiring someone to do the Job, but the problem is that I don't have all day to wait for them to show up, and im usually not satisfied with their work and have to end up re-doing it myself.

Alot of the times by the time I pick up the phone and talk with their right person, I could have had the Job done myself.

Funney thing is that we have a little home improvement show on the AM radio on the weekend. Everyone who calls into the show doesn't want to do a dam thing around their house. They call in with their problem, the host of the show tries to tell them how to fix it, but all they really want is the name of a contractor to do it for them!