This one hit me this weekend. My over-the-stove microwave, that I spent AGES researching & choosing just up & died. I wondered where to find a microwave repairman before realizing that it was 14 years old & was probably considered disposable by now. 
…and so the research begins again. Sigh.
Corollary: If you are looking forward to moving into your new home because you’ve budgeted for a brand-new, functioning dishwasher? Your beloved idiot of a child will break it. Immediately. (1.5 years later, I finally set aside enough to buy that part!)
It can happen, but only if one performs the proper sacrifices to the dark gods, during the correct phase of the moon. I saw it once - the Boy child fixed a light using a grippy jar opener and some vinegar from my kitchen. (Of course, I then had to go buy a new grippy jar opener and vinegar, but didn’t go near the hardware store!)
#42.1: If you’ve planned ahead sufficiently to buy a caselot of fasteners for your next three projects, you will inevitably arrive home to discover that you don’t own the correct screwdriver/drill attachment/etc. to make use of those fasteners.
Fact: Scissors, tape, star-head screws and drill bits, hair elastics, and heavy-duty glue/epoxy are among the most timid of all manufactured goods. They remain in hiding until coaxed out by the purchase of more of their kind.
[quote=“Gatopescado, post:36, topic:730104”]
Know how to shut the water to the house off immediately before moving in.
Keep some extra PVC of the proper diameter, elbows, screw fittings, and plumbers glue handy too. The idiot dog will only break the water main on a holiday weekend, when the hardware store is closed and plumbers charge 3x for an emergency repair.
My own rule: If you have children under school age? Keep extra paint handy - it’s a damn sight easier to paint over crayon or Sharpie wall murals than to scrub the walls.
When you’ve finally managed to update/fix the house, it will be time to start over. But not before you replace the roof, the only thing on the home inspection checklist that didn’t say “budget for repair/replacement”.
If you are serious about DIY, you will end up a pack rat.
The downside is the expense, clutter and time wasted.
The upside:
You don’t need to tun to the store every time you need a tool, fastener, or supply.
The biggie though:
You will leave an incredible mess for some poor slob to clean up after you die…
If this was a mechanical job (automotive, etc) which went smoothly you will find some extra parts which you forgot to put back in.
I have nearly a 0% chance of finding what I need at the Aco hardware that’s just around the corner from my house, and a nearly 100% chance of finding what I need at Lowes, which is about four miles away. Yet, nearly 100% of the time I need something, I waste my time by being hopeful that the Aco is going to have what I need.
Like hearing someone speak at AA! It’s comforting to hear you say these words. I have an Ace Hardware store 2 miles away, and Home Depot and Lowes about 4 miles away. I WANT to support the small business; but they frequently don’t have what I want, and if they do; it costs twice as much!
^Critical point. To express it another way, you’ve already made a critical mistake, but you haven’t noticed. And you won’t notice until you’re done and it will take near-complete demolition of all your new work in order to fix it.
Corollary -
Never attempt to do the ‘bare minimum’ repair - doing so will inevitably cost you more money and time then if you just did the ‘full’ repair the first time.
For example - I spent many a time in the frozen crawlspace of an old home doing minimal repairs to frozen copper - ‘cut/patch a short section’ - the fittings never quite fit (due to strechting) and it never held up - at one point, I ended up with 8 ‘fittings’ over a 5’ piece of pipe (not all at one time, over the course of a few months) - finally, replaced the full lenght - 15’ or better - never had a problem again.
Rule #1
The previous owner was an idiot.
Corollary
This rule applies for the next owner as well.
House Rule #3: Any spare material you intend to use up will no longer be made in that colour/style and additionally you will be short by roughly 8% of what you need to complete the project.
Corollary: The only place you find it will have 5x more than you need and won’t sell you less than the full amount.
Rule #42A: Modern construction is designed with *some *eye to eventual repair /replacement. e.g. There is room to reach behind the toilet to get to the shutoff valve.
#42B: Renovations, especially DIY ones, aren’t.:smack::eek: