# DIY you DI-Not-Again after doing it once **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 27, 2018, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diy-you-di-not-again-after-doing-it-once/820386 "2018-08-27T22:56:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2018, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diy-you-di-not-again-after-doing-it-once/820386/21 "2018-08-28T04:02:53Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I built my own computer from parts, once. Once. It built character, and I’m glad I did it. And I will never do it again. Did you buy the parts at any of the Cleveland area computer shows? Back in the 1990s when computers were still a thing, the shows had many exotic Russian women at the booths. And attended by hundreds of drooling geeky boys. Not me, of course. Dennis ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2018, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diy-you-di-not-again-after-doing-it-once/820386/22 "2018-08-28T06:08:56Z")
I will never paint inside a house again. It is thankless and you remember all the booboos. If you pay someone you leave in the morning and come back to freshly painted walls. It’s so nice to just sit back and enjoy it. Yep, never again. And I am damn good at it, IISSM. ETA and, oh yeah, the mural thing I painted on a brick wall. Bad juju. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2018, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diy-you-di-not-again-after-doing-it-once/820386/23 "2018-08-28T13:20:22Z")
Gutters, pressure washing the siding in the back of the house, all vehicle maintenance - OK, I’ll change my own wiper blades, but that’s about it. I wish I could afford someone to weed my gardens. I like working in the dirt, but my back and knees protest mightily. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2018, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diy-you-di-not-again-after-doing-it-once/820386/24 "2018-08-28T13:39:25Z")
Plumbing and electrical: I can and have done basic stuff like change out electrical outlets or replacing a ceiling fan or kitchen faucet, but anything requiring more than basic hand tools, I’ll let a professional handle. Way too much can go wrong _really fast_ and I don’t know enough to be able to recover from a mistake. Car maintenance: if it can’t be done without raising the car at all, besides changing a tire, I’ll let a professional mechanic do it. They have the knowledge and equipment to do it quickly and safely, and I have a good, honest one that I trust. ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2018, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diy-you-di-not-again-after-doing-it-once/820386/25 "2018-08-28T13:44:49Z")
Drywall and skim coating, especially on the ceiling. I’m glad to have gone through the experience, but I’ll gladly pay to have it done next time. I tackled the jobs because the quotes seemed high to me, but now having done it, the prices seem reasonable for the amount of effort. If you’ve never done large-scale drywall work, you don’t realize how difficult it can be to get a smooth, flat surface–especially as a newbie. The experts can trowel on a near-perfect finish, but a newbie will have a lot of defects to fix up and that takes forever. And if you don’t get it right, you often don’t see the goofs until after it’s been painted. ---
**Author:** ![ASGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/838e76/32.png) [@ASGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2018, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diy-you-di-not-again-after-doing-it-once/820386/26 "2018-08-28T14:00:38Z")
Many years ago I constructed a 4 layer tall circular tree ring about 12 feet in diameter out of brick and mortar. My Dad did stuff like this when I was growing up and he made it look easy. When I finished the ring looked good: flat top, good mortar joints, etc. I didn’t spend too much time doing it and it didn’t cost much. Even though happy with the job, I decided I was lucky it turned out well and have hired out masonry work since then. From **FairyChatMom:** > [@](#): > > I wish I could afford someone to weed my gardens. I like working in the dirt, but my back and knees protest mightily. I’m with you on this one. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2018, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diy-you-di-not-again-after-doing-it-once/820386/27 "2018-08-28T14:36:20Z")
Pretty much everything I’ve done to my house and yard in the first 5 years I lived here (when I was in my 20s), I’m over doing now. I’m still considering a little interior painting one of these days. That’s not too bad in a small house like mine. The prep is the hard part. The “work” that I do now is the work at my job so I can have the money to pay others to get it done! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_McQwark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4da419/32.png) [@Steve\_McQwark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_McQwark)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2018, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diy-you-di-not-again-after-doing-it-once/820386/28 "2018-08-28T18:23:31Z")
I decided to replace the faucet in the sink of our half bath. It’s a narrow room and the opening under the counter top is cut in half by a piece of wood so there’s less than a foot and a half to squeeze through. I managed it once and spent half an hour trying to undo the rusted on bolts. I finally gave up and decided to try again later. After about two weeks of procrastination I decided I was too old to crawl back under there. I felt even better about my choice when it took the plumber 45 minutes to replace the faucet. Money well spent. ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2018, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diy-you-di-not-again-after-doing-it-once/820386/29 "2018-08-28T18:57:47Z")
sweat soldering copper pipes in the crawlspace of an old house after the lines froze in teh dead of winter. Had to do that several times - last time I did it, I considered just staying under the house until they found me. ---
**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2018, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diy-you-di-not-again-after-doing-it-once/820386/30 "2018-08-28T20:09:32Z")
Reddit has a subreddit devoted to DIY failures. It’s called DIWhy. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2018, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diy-you-di-not-again-after-doing-it-once/820386/31 "2018-08-28T23:04:02Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > I will never paint inside a house again. It is thankless and you remember all the booboos. If you pay someone you leave in the morning and come back to freshly painted walls. It’s so nice to just sit back and enjoy it. Yep, never again. And I am damn good at it, IISSM. > ETA and, oh yeah, the mural thing I painted on a brick wall. Bad juju. I’m doing this right now. The part I don’t care for most is having to move the furniture away from the walls. I draw the line at ceilings (we have cathedral ceilings in several rooms, plus skylights) and most exterior painting, though. I’ll hire someone to do that. Things I will never do again: making my own phyllo or puff pastry. The frozen stuff at the store tastes just as good and works just fine. ---
**Author:** ![Jennshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Jennshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennshark)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2018, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diy-you-di-not-again-after-doing-it-once/820386/32 "2018-08-28T23:38:03Z")
> [@romansperson](#): > > I’m doing this right now. The part I don’t care for most is having to move the furniture away from the walls. > > I draw the line at ceilings (we have cathedral ceilings in several rooms, plus skylights) and most exterior painting, though. I’ll hire someone to do that. > > Things I will never do again: making my own phyllo or puff pastry. The frozen stuff at the store tastes just as good and works just fine. Many years ago, when I was single, I decided to teach myself how to cook. For some unfathomable reason I decided to begin by making gnocchi. Many, many hours later I produced flavorless, inedible dough lumps. It was easier just to find and marry a good cook. ---
**Author:** ![Nawth\_Chucka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c57346/32.png) [@Nawth\_Chucka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nawth_Chucka)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2018, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diy-you-di-not-again-after-doing-it-once/820386/33 "2018-08-29T00:54:32Z")
Any and all inground sprinkler work is now hired out. If I’m going to dig in search of something, it’s going to be treasure. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2018, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diy-you-di-not-again-after-doing-it-once/820386/34 "2018-08-29T01:11:47Z")
My list is long, primarily because doing it myself to save dollars is not the necessity it once was: Done 'em, won’t do 'em again: [ul] [li]Virtually all car repair/maintenance[/li][li]Major home remodeling jobs[/li][li]Installing blow-in insulation[/li][li]Any sort of concrete/brick work[/li][li]Privacy fence installation[/li][li]Entry door removal and installation[/li][li]Hot water tank installation[/li][li]Running new electrical circuits[/li][li]Anything involving walking around on a roof[/li][/ul] mmm ---
**Author:** ![P-man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/p-man/32/3606_2.png) [@P-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P-man)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2018, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diy-you-di-not-again-after-doing-it-once/820386/35 "2018-08-29T01:20:26Z")
Anything that involves the mechanical aptitude possessed by 90% of the population. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2018, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diy-you-di-not-again-after-doing-it-once/820386/36 "2018-08-29T01:37:20Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > I will never paint inside a house again. It is thankless and you remember all the booboos. If you pay someone you leave in the morning and come back to freshly painted walls. It’s so nice to just sit back and enjoy it. Yep, never again. And I am damn good at it, IISSM. > ETA and, oh yeah, the mural thing I painted on a brick wall. Bad juju. I knew there was someone here who did a community mural and lived to regret it. So, that was you? I’m surprised that I haven’t seen wallpaper on here yet; maybe I missed it. I’ve never done it, and I’ve heard enough horror stories to know better. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2018, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diy-you-di-not-again-after-doing-it-once/820386/37 "2018-08-29T02:09:12Z")
Had to go back a ways to find a DIY project I’ll never do again, so here goes: Ripping out old carpet. The first house I bought after I graduated from college was from an elderly woman, and in addition to the bathroom being carpeted :rolleyes: , the rest of the house had wall-to-wall carpeting in lovely burnt orange. I tore that out and did the best I could to remove all the underpads, and by the time I was done with that, I hired someone to refinish the floors after I discovered that the sander weighed 90 pounds. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2018, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diy-you-di-not-again-after-doing-it-once/820386/38 "2018-08-29T02:27:43Z")
I have a simple rule for plumbing. If the shut-off valve is more than 10 years old, or the slightest bit hard to turn, I call a plumber. ---
**Author:** ![Cabin\_Fever\_1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cabin_fever_1/32/2908_2.png) [@Cabin\_Fever\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cabin_Fever_1)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2018, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diy-you-di-not-again-after-doing-it-once/820386/39 "2018-08-29T04:02:15Z")
> [@Jennshark](#): > > **Quote snipped for brevity, hope no one minds** > > So what have you DIY’d once that you now pay for? This and scraping off ancient wallpaper layers are at the top of my “Oh, Hell No!” list. Drywall, sheet rock, gypsum board, call it what you want. Don’t even ask me to help. DIY - as I have been there too many times in the past. I will just stand there eating my slice of pizza and offer my advice of “Hire a professional”. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2018, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diy-you-di-not-again-after-doing-it-once/820386/40 "2018-08-29T11:01:03Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > I have a simple rule for plumbing. If the shut-off valve is more than 10 years old, or the slightest bit hard to turn, I call a plumber. Yes. Do not mess with old shut-off valves. I decided to shut off the main water valve once years ago as we were leaving for a week’s vacation. It was my last task before locking the door. The family was already in the car, waiting for me. Stupid, stupid idea. mmm [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diy-you-di-not-again-after-doing-it-once/820386.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diy-you-di-not-again-after-doing-it-once/820386.md?page=3)