Are you handy around the house?

In My Humble Opinion
1

I just spent the better part of a morning and half the afternoon doing some light plumbing, electrical work (after I dried my hands, of course), snaking the drain and taking down wallpaper, not necessarily in that order. It’s funny, because when my husband and I bought the house, he would make comments like, “Yeah, the lighting here needs to be fixed. Guess we know who’s doing that. Har, har,” meaning he’d probably be saddled with the job. All the while I’m thinking, “Yup, that’d be me.” I don’t actually mind doing it - particularly the part that involves steaming and ripping down wallpaper and doing the plumbing. Both tasks are strangely cathartic.

But I’m interested to know:

Who here is handy around the house (as in, light or not-so-light fix-it jobs, plumbing, electrical, etc. - over and above your typicaly cleaning, cooking and hanging a picture)?

What sorts of odd jobs do you generally find yourself doing?

And are you male or female?

I’ll go first: I’m female and I’m the all-around fix-it girl. Typical tasks include fixing the plumbing, anything to do with decor changes (i.e., wallpaper removal, sanding and painting) and most things that involve household power tools. I can do some easy electrical work, but I get nervous about it, so I’d rather pay someone else to do it. I’ve also hung drywall and cabinets. I try to stay away from tiling because my hands often aren’t strong enough to cut tiles and it makes me mad.

2

I’m more of a fix-it type than my boyfriend, although if it requires power tools I’ve got to call in the Dad. Both for advice and the loan of said tools.

I know zip about plumbing, can replace a toilet or snake a drain, anything else I’m calling a real plumber.

I’ve never installed cabinets, the only flooring I’ve done is the cheapo vinyl stuff. I’ve changed outlets and fixtures, and can do a fair job of patching drywall.

I did diagnose and replace a thermocouple in our water heater once, does that count as electrical or plumbing prowess? :smiley:

3

I can do some small things, like painting and removing wallpaper - I hate removing wallpaper! And painting, for that matter. :wink:

My husband can do everything! Plumbing, electrical, roofing, framing… He has replaced most of the windows in this house, as well as the front door and a sliding glass door. He is Mr-Fix-It.

I’m more of a helper. Wash the paintbrushes, pick up trash, help him find his screwdriver/glasses/wrench, listen to him cuss… :smiley:

4

I’ll do framing and rough carpentry, but when it came to jacking up my last house, I hired a contractor to do the work to my specs. They had experience with the screw jacks and cribbing and how fast to lift stuff, so it seemed a good idea to hire them. Plus, they had access to an engineer, and we needed licensed approval of the plans. That was funny in a way; he kept holding off approval till I finally got him to understand that it was being overbuilt on purpose.

I’ll do some of the work on my furnace and a/c, but I have a pro do stuff I can’t or shouldn’t do. When he bent up the sheet metal for the new distribution plenum, it was amazing to watch. He hooked up the gas supply and charged the a/c; I figured out the instructions for converting the burner and controller card for propane. He got the same model furnace for his own house and had me set the switches on the controller for his furnace, too. Plus, I did the Manual J calculations for both of us and we ended up with smaller, more efficient furnaces.

I’ve passed the tests that let me do permitted electric and plumbing for my “owner occupied single family residence”, and I’ve rewired and replumbed a house. I’ve done tile, wood and carpeted floors, windows, doors, drywall, etc. My finish carpentry is pretty rough, though. Heh. I don’t know how to do plaster, and lately I’ve been wanting to learn. I’m not artistic, but with molds and stuff, it looks like you could do interesting things to your walls with plaster. Heck, it’s been cold and gray and windy all day today, and I’ve been looking at the walls, and suddenly I’m fighting the urge to gut the house and do something strange with it. And the fireplace; I want to tear out the fireplace and replace it with a better design.

5

I’m relatively handy, but for big things I call my dad for help. My gender should be obvious. But I can hang shelves, change out a doorknob, snake toilets, could probably change an outlet, that sort of thing. I’m young still and haven’t had a chance to learn how to do a lot of things.

6

Hubby and I are both handy in different ways; I like that if there is something I’m not skilled at doing, he can usually do it and vice versa.

He can weld, cut with a torch, machine parts, and mechanic things large to small. I’m a fair mechanic on smaller items (replace radiator, heater core, etc.) but he can do it all. He takes charge of changing oil, fixing flats, replacing belts, sharpening blades, etc (we have six cars, including the kids’ cars; three tractors, a backhoe, a couple of bush-hogs and various other implements).

He’s the expert on running equipment; backhoe, tractor, power tools of any sort. I can run a grinder but electric saws scare me. I can run a chain saw and do a little tractor operating (run a disc or bush-hog).

Neither one of us likes ‘fooling with’ electric work, although he is much better at it than I am. He’s painstakingly slow however so we usually hire that out to our friend Corey. The same goes for HVAC work.

As far as home improvements, I’m better at finish work such as finishing drywall, painting, etc. He takes too long as he’s a perfectionist. It’s like his cooking: he’s afraid of making a mistake so he gets “paralysis by analysis”. Each of us is good at laying tile, carpet, etc. but his greater physical strength puts him ahead of me.

Plumbing we both grudgingly do but hate it. Our good friend and plumber Mark passed away last year so we’ve had to do more of it ourselves, until we can find another person we trust. :frowning:

I’m the more knowledgeable on electronic things, especially computers. I set up the original wired home network and do all the maintenance on it and family computers.

Re: odd jobs - he ends up doing the majority of ‘outside’ things and I the ‘inside’ things because, again, he worries about making a mess or having things ‘just so’. Recently we painted the outside of the house and split that about 50/50 because it’s such a big job.

7

I’m a boy.

Electric: replaced 50amp sub-panel, run wires from panels to outlets/lights, 3-way light switches, ceiling fans, 220v.

Plumbing: sweat copper, new taps, rebuild shower plumbing, drains, tap into drain lines, repair sprinkler systems

Also drywall instal & repair, framing, install windows, gutters, roofing, insulation, painting and hardwood floor install and restore.

I learned all of the above by trial and error and only got one sideways look by an inspector (didn’t like me double-tapping the breakers on the sub panel).

Because I learn by trial and error I don’t work with natural gas.

8

My husband does everything computer hardware related. He’s a kind of electronics-whisperer. :slight_smile:

Me, I know when something in the house needs fixing or improving. That is worth something, no? And then I arrange for a professional to do it. If I don’t, it will never get done.

For truly tailored solutions, that can’t be solved with Ikea or Home Depot, I call my dad. He’ll make something out of bamboo, wood and wire that looks weird, but usually works terrific.

9

I am not the least bit handy. The biggest problem I have is that I’ll start to do some mundane task, and then I’ll get to a point where I need to run to the hardware store, or I need to make a decision about something, or I need to consult someone else, and I lose interest and give up. My house is a testament to my ADHD.

10

Inigo, my Hubby would LOVE to be able to sweat copper. One more reason we miss our plumber buddy.

11

At home, there’s only me, so I do my research and reading and either do it myself or call in a professional.

12

I built my own garage, with help from my son and (on the day we raised the walls) two of my brothers. I’m nearly finished with a new back porch and, over the winter, will build a screen door to replace the crappy aluminum storm door on the laundry room. I’ve built two decks and a front porch, arbor for the front yard, a stone retaining wall across the front yard, two privacy fences, an entertainment center, three wall-mounted accent shelves, and a pavestone patio. But do you think I can hang a picture to save my life? Nope.

13

My partner has been building and remodeling houses for decades, has every trade down, owns every tool known to man and he doesn’t want my help unless I can do a professional-quality job. I try to make up for it by doing a lot of unskilled manual labor like clearing brush and chopping and hauling wood. I suppose that I could learn how to do those kinds of things but I never have a reason to learn.

14

I am female. I can program automatic sprinklers, the air conditioner and heater, set up the VCR or DVD players, set up the TV, put together furniture, cook simple meals, and check car fluids.

15

I can do just about anything except fine finish carpentry. I designed our basement (including games room, home theater, sauna, and home office) did all the rough framing, all the electrical work, most of the painting, and installation of all the fixtures including two 19" electronics racks built into the walls of the theater and games room. In the past I’ve replaced toilets, installed garburetors and power humidifiers, and other repair work. This weekend I replaced the 220V digital control panel for our home sauna after the old one packed it in.

I can also do electronics work and just about anything having to do with computer hardware and software (formally educated in both computer and electronic engineering and software development). I also enjoy fabricating little pieces of hardware to solve specific problems I run into around the house.

When I was younger, I did a lot of work on my own vehicles, but now I just let the pros do it. I never enjoyed hanging out under my car trying to free rusted nuts and being covered in grease, and these days you need diagnostic gear I don’t have.

So I can be pretty handy when I want to, although laziness and my SDMB addiction do tend to get in the way.

16

Yep, pretty damn handy. I hate tedious stuff like drywall and anything else that has to look really good when you’re done.

Will tackle anything if it means I can buy more tools.

17

Not at all. Home-improvement causes me to devolve into a stereotypical empty-headed useless “girl.” [EmilyLitella]Which end of the hammer do you hit things with??[/EL] I don’t do it on purpose, but I am deeply, profoundly, perhaps genetically unhandy. (Also, FWIW, uncrafty.) I will also admit to intentionally looking helpless until an available man takes pity and “helps” me by essentially doing the task himself. I also admit this is the sort of “I’m just a girl!” manipulation I usually hold in contempt, but apparently in this area I have no shame.

If I’m without a handy available man, or if I question the man’s true handiness, I call a professional. I hope – perhaps delusionally – that if I put my mind to it I could achieve some degree of handiness, but the truth is I’m not that interested.

18

Go to the hardware store, buy 10 feet of copper and a slew of couplers/elbows/T’s/valves etc (and a cutter/solder/flux/sandpaper strips/MAPP torch) and a peice that will connect the size copper you got to a garden hose fitting, then, go nuts. Make all the connections you want and at some point have it double back into one of the T’s. Then you can connect it to the hose (outside) put some pressure on it and see if it leaks. It’s a nice easy and safe* way to get some good practice, they only thing it doesn’t get you ready for is all the joints you’ll have to do when you can’t see the backside of it becuase it’s up against a wall or over your head.

*those fitting stay hot for quite a while, be careful.

ETA I’m pretty hand at doing stuff that doesn’t require anything to be level or plumb or square. I can wire in new outlets, redo the plumbing under the sink, paint etc. Just don’t ask me to build something. I swear I can put a nice piece of wood on a radial arm saw and it’ll come out crooked. I think I could have a pro design something in CAD, get a CNC machine all set up, but if I get to push the start button it’ll look like Salvador Dali built it.

19

Female, fair-to-middling handy. When we married, I brought as many tools into the marriage as my husband did (possibly more) and I used all of them. Whenever we need some oddball thing (oil filter wrench, battery charger, whatever), I usually have it. I was raised by a dad who could do everything you need to do to build a house from bare ground up, as well as anything mechanical, who had no sons. I am also very crafty and am always doing something with my hands. I’m as happy knitting as I am painting or doing yardwork.

20

Male. Pretty good after 20 years of practice. I’ve installed fans and light fixtures, fixed the sprinkler system, rebuilt toilets, installed cooktops. At this point I have a pretty good idea of what I can do and what I can’t. I also have a massive collection of tools and odd bits on my workbench which comes in really handy some times.