Thread: That wicked road of do it yourself

I'm all thumbs and easy projects become terrible nightmares.

Hot water cylinder has sprung a leak so today I am a plumber...

Being a DIYer all my life, I would like to offer 2 bits of advice.

1 - Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance... Do research and study on what it is that you want to do. Then, do it in your mind until you are familiar with it.
Make notes and have information resources handy. Gather all required tools and materials before starting. Please, the time spent planning before starting
a project has greater value than a freshly opened can of worms.

2 - Small steps allow for small mistakes, big steps allow for big mistakes... I find this concept the hardest to explain. Small mistakes are okay and are easily
corrected. Big mistakes can sometimes hide smaller mistakes, making them nearly impossible to correct. Take things in small bites until your abilities improve.
Speed comes with experience, not the other way around. I hope you can get the gist of my meaning.

You can do anything once you set your mind to it and don't get in a hurry. Have confidence in yourself, don't underestimate your abilities.

The older I get, the more I pay for certain things. Example: in '08-'09 I, along with only the help my wife and Father, who was 72 at the time, built our new house. I done everything, minus pour the basement.

Fast forward to 3 months ago (and 1 back surgery, and both rotator cuff surgeries) I wanted to build a new shop. 40'x80'. 1/2 is my retail gun shop and 1/2 is my machine shop. I chose to pay someone to build the structure and pour the concrete. I figure, it's cheaper to pay vs possible lay up and missed work from any bad thing that could happen during; setting 25' 8x8's, 40' trusses or all the metal on the roof. I got everything covered on the inside, but that climbing/hanging/heavy stuff, I'll leave to the younger guys. At 6yrs before I retire, all I need is to cripple or kill myself! THAT would piss me off!!

Any thing to do with roofing (higher than 20ft) is contracted out now. Not worth the trouble or the fall.


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Originally Posted by maxpamjohn1

Any thing to do with roofing (higher than 20ft) is contracted out now. Not worth the trouble or the fall.


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Yeah, I realized (after my 1st roofing and concrete project) "That" was the reason I went to college! lol

I only do simple stuff now. When I worked at Budweiser brewing and moving beer, I would tell my auto mechanic that I would not work on my cars if he would not brew his own beer!


Mike

I feel your pain Roger. My air compressor in the garage always trips the breaker. I replaced the switch on it, pressure regulator, capacitors & it is still doing it. Recently I noticed that using some other things in my garage at one time tripped the breaker when I wasn't using my compressor. Now I think the breaker is bad or too many things are wired to that one breaker. I never have any other breakers tripping. :banged:
I'm glad you didn't have to use your Zippo.

Now since it's 99% done. Here's my recent DYI projects.

http://straightrazorpalace.com/works...ml#post1665390


As a side note, regarding my previous post: Yes, I did pay someone to do the metal roof and concrete in the shop!