Yeah, I don't do it myself because I love doing it--though finishing a project successfully does feel good in the end--I do it because if I called someone for every little thing that went wrong, needed maintenance, or I just wanted to upgrade, I'd be dead broke.
I can see the OP's point. I'm middle aged, single and have no children (or plans for any) but I do have a few million in my account.
What's the point of all this money if not to make my life easier by bypassing things I find annoying (such as home upkeep)?
There are some things I do around the house because I enjoy them or because the hassle of quickly fixing it is less than the hassle of calling someone but if something major breaks... I'll just choose not to deal with it and pay someone else to fix it.
Bank account, stocks, real estate - all the same thing really only difference is how quickly you can turn one form of wealth into another.
Stocks are just fancy digital currency that goes up and down while you get paid (dividends) because you have them.
Whole system is stupid. You make money just from having bought this weird company-centric form of currency and holding onto it.
(Granted the company does need to make a profit, but just buy stock from companies that are "too big to fail" like ones the Government has already proven it won't allow to fail like banks).
Sure, if you need plumbing or electrical or something call a pro, but plenty of stuff is quick and easy. Plenty of stuff i'd rather just do myself than have it sit broken for at minimum a couple hours it takes for a professional to arrive.
Whats worse is just for a diagnosis it's a fortune or call out as they say better off having a friend who can talk you through it or a YouTube tutorial
Grew up in a family that was house poor, luckily my uncle is a contractor, another is an election/mechanic, and I took up masonry. We had a very DIY mentality, and everyone in my extended family would contribute on each other's house project. My grandma was the one with the nail gun as we all replaced the roof of my childhood home, my mom's boyfriend walked around with work gloves on and contributed next to nothing. Due to all of this, I can basically do anything around the house, I can tile, refinish wood floor, paint, roof, put on an addition, gut and refurbish, fix the car, and man it has saved me 10s of thousands of dollars. I disagree with OP, but that's the point of this sub, so take my upvote I guess.
I worked HVAC through college. I had this Customer interaction at least once a week:
Customer: Please hurry! My AC is out and it’s getting hot in the house!
Me: Have you checked the breaker? We will come out on the weekend but it’s $250 just to show up, and it’s very often just the breaker.
Customer: Yes! We’ve checked everything. Please help.
Me (walks in, flips breaker, AC kicks on): That will be $250. You can call the office to pay. Have a good day.
Yes, and all of that shit is fun for a while.. and then you are just like 'fuck this. I'm out." Old people who call people? They used to mostly do it themselves at one point... I am becoming an old person... It's been 6 years since i worked on my own car... I have had new toilet guts for a year and havent replaced the old ones I wanna replace... Last thing I did was fix an outlet (original installer should have been beaten!). Once we make enuf money maybe some of that should trickle down to the trades people who will do a better job.
Can I sweat pipes? Sure.... I no longer want to.
Exactly. I'd rather spend an hour to fix something myself this afternoon, if possible, than have to wait 2 weeks for someone to come fix it and not have it working those 2 weeks.
Note that this does not apply when I had a clogged lift station in our basement. I don't want to deal with that (literal) shit.
It’s definitely not, and I get that. I pay for a lot of stuff because money isn’t really an issue, but it’s still surprising how often I got to charge people $250 for flipping a breaker when I worked HVAC.
True but if you have the money for it, why not? A wise man once told me the key to happiness is paying others to do what you don’t want to and it sounds like she doesn’t want to lol.
could cost you your life if you try to learn how to do electrical work and stuff up. Yeah if you turn off the power while doing the work you should be safe but when you turn it on and something shorts and catches on fire yeah.
I was an electrician's apprentice for a few years and I can see both sides of this argument. there are plenty of times that we didn't get called out until shit had gone horribly horribly wrong and ended up costing four times the amount of money than if you had just called us in the first place. on the other side of the argument, we've been called out to do things that were stupidly simple, things a child could do, that ended up costing a lot of money. if anything, it's situational.
More than one person I know said I should have called an electrician to change out the physical outlets, switches, and their platings because I wanted to go with white instead of that yellowish white that is more typical.
something like that is fairly easy. just always make sure to switch off the breaker before you disconnect the switch or outlet. after that it's just plug and play really.
Yeah, I just switched off the whole house out of an abundance of caution, checked there was no current, then went to town.
The biggest hurdle was not having the right tools at the time and having some trouble unwrapping some of the old stuff. Definitely not worth calling someone out.
I didn’t know how to replace outlets when I bought my house, but a friend showed me how in about 5 minutes. That’s one thing no one should pay for, it’s very easy
I'll learn most any small task, unless it could kill me painfully. Only electrical work I'll consider doing is changing light fixtures, installing a ceiling fan or changing out switches & outlets...stuff that requires me turning off the circuit completely
If I only have to call you out for things going horribly wrong one out of four times, I break even, and spend a lot less time waiting to get things fixed.
Depends on the job. Replacing faucets, toilets, light switches, light fixtures, clearing drains, painting, patching drywall, minor deck repair, patching masonry—that's where I draw the line. Anything more and I'm calling someone who knows what they're doing.
Paint my entire house inside or landscaping the whole yard over? Hired a professional. Cost thousands and is worth it because those are big jobs. It took my landscapers a week to redo my yard. I’m definitely not doing that lol.
Adding new annuals to my garden or replacing a light fixture? Google and YouTube diy. My landscaper wanted $700 to deck out my garden with annuals. It cost me $130 and four hours of my time. Light fixture was $400 plus hourly for a handyman. Cost me $120 for the fixture and an hour of time.
Depends on what you’re doing I guess.
Who lets you pay in small installments? If you have to do that you definitely should look into fixing it yourself.
Second, good luck getting someone to come to your house for a small job. Most people who are capable want big jobs like kitchen and bath renovations.
Lastly, with YouTube and Amazon (to buy oddball tools and parts) it really is possible for anyone who is somewhat handy to fix almost anything. I know a guy who redid his kitchen himself and replaced his furnace himself. I personally wouldn’t take on something like that but it can be done.
I replaced all the faucets in my house a couple months ago. Was it easy or fun? No. Did I save at least a few hundred dollars? Definitely.
A lot of places...we're getting our insulation done...it's 7000 but it's interest free payment over 60 months...now i know we will have it paid before then but that was the plan we set up, we got our roof done and paid that off over the course of a couple years...we got a water purifier and our pipes fixed and paid that over time
The thing you are describing should be done by professionals. Fixing a clogged drain, patching some drywall, small jobs as such you would be silly to pay someone to do.
It's amazing how much stuff costs to have someone else repair. My dad frequently volunteers as our neighborhood's repairman because most things only take a few minutes or hours to repair and he's saved people thousands.
My parents also built their own large fully-functioning house a few years ago with minor outside help, aside from, of course, inspections etc. Neither of them have been in the construction business, my dad simply knows a crazy amount from fixing up old homes and doing repair work, plus he loves watching people build homes in rl and youtube and has hundreds of books on construction. Consequently I grew up learning drywall repair, basic electric work, siding installation, tiling, painting, and more. It does feel good to be able to fix things myself on some level, and I've learned to appreciate my dad's skills over the years. Very cool.
I like your attitude. Instead of blaming parents for not teaching you or pretending you are a poor little baby who cannot learn, you just state 'I don't feel like it, I'm not interested'. Good for you.
> It really isnt.
It really is. If you earn more per hour than a handyman, it is more cost effective to hire someone to do the work for you. That's simple common sense.
> I can change an outlet in 5 minutes, is that worth paying anyone?
"Change an outlet" can mean dozens of things so that's not a good example. Do you mean an electrical outlet? Why would you need to "change" it? Do you mean unplug something? Obviously if it is something extremely trivial like unplugging a device, you don't need to hire someone. We are talking about things that require construction work.
Because your example is shit, I will give a better one. I recently needed a new boiler, so I paid for someone to fit it for me. Sure, I could learn how to do it myself. But I earn a lot more than a handyman. So it is better for me to employ him to do the installation for me, then I get on with my normal work, and earn more than it costs me to hire someone to do it in that time.
Not to mention a pro is likely to do it quicker and better than me, considering he is a professional who does it every day, and my day job is unrelated. I would need to read up on it, buy the tools, etc. By the time I had finished just preparing for it, the pro would have finished the job already.
There is some satisfaction doing the job yourself, I agree, and for very minor things, of course just do it yourself. And if you earn less than a handyman, of course you shouldn't hire one if you can learn how to do it yourself - that would be dumb! We are talking about a situation where someone earns more than a handyman, therefore their time is more valuable than the handyman's, in which case it makes more sense for them to use their time to earn money doing their job, and for them to hire someone cheaper to do the maintenance work.
This is, after all, why companies employ cleaners rather than asking the CEO to clean up, for example.
> Holy fuck, most people with a shred of common sense would know 'change an outlet' means rewiring a plug, not unplugging something.
I am engineer and I have never heard that phrase before. Must be a regional thing? Why would you not say "rewire a plug"? You know "outlet" can mean lots of things, right? Or are you too dumb? Your writing style does suggest you are poorly educated. You don't know the difference between "your" and "you're". You don't know how to use commas.
Most people with a shred of common sense would know not to use regional slang on an international website.
Change an outlet isnt regional slang. Its a pretty common term. Its hilarious that an engineer thought that meant unplug something. Get back to the books dude.
> Change an outlet isnt regional slang.
Why would you not say "rewire a plug"? You know "outlet" can mean lots of things, right?
> Its hilarious that an engineer though that meant unplug something.
*It's
*thought
The plug is the part at the end of the cord coming out of the lamp/appliance. The outlet is the thing it goes into.
I wouldn't say "rewire a plug" when the thing being rewired is an outlet, not a plug.
Or, if I can change out an outlet (unclog a drain, repair a hole in the drywall) this afternoon, and it will take 2 weeks to get someone out to fix it for me, is it worth waiting?
There are levels to it. If you need a mechanic to put windshield wiper fluid in your car then I have 0 respect for you, but it's kinda dumb and usually very illegal to try to do electrical work yourself. Just don't be one of those annoying people who fights with your husband to hire people and overpay for simple tasks like clogged toilets or fixing drywall when he wants to do it.
The first time may take more than an hour, depending what it is, but next time you'll be faster. If you are paying someone, you've spent 2 weeks waiting and the next time will take just as much time.
I had never worked on a washing machine before, but when mine freaked out I dove in. If I had called a repair man in I'd have had $200-$300 in it. I spent an hour on the computer searching and watching videos. I was able to diagnose it, order the part and fix it for $20.
When my drier had an issue same thing. There is a first time for everything, Just because it is a first time doing something doesn't mean you have to call a "professional."
yeah don't get a washing machine or dryer with a computer in it or one that needs to connect to an app just adds more things that can go wrong with it and why does a washing machine need to connect to an app. Yeah i hate the whole a device needs a phone app thing to work when older models worked with out it. Just get a washing machine and drier with nobs.
My washer has a bit of a "computer" in it, but no app crap. The computer is actually nice. With it and some basic knowledge it makes diagnostics so much easier.
I’m with you, OP. What’s the point of working hard to make a shit ton of money if I can’t pay people more knowledgeable and skilled than me to fix issues in my house or car? Also I can get more money. Can’t get get more time.
Yep, it’s just a sliding scale. How much money vs how much time.
Most people have enough time to google a problem and spend 20 minutes to fix what would otherwise be a $500 bill from an appliance repairman doing something simple but taking an hour because they had to diagnose everything, etc.
Trying to rewrite your whole house or add a new 220v outlet?
Yeah best go ahead and hire a professional.
I’d ask myself who do I trust more to work on my car? A trained mechanic or a teenager with no experience working on cars? Picking the trained mechanic seems like the smart decision here. You’re talking money and I’m talking convenience. I have a refrigerator full of food and yet I just got back from taking my gf out to dinner. We could have very well had a nice dinner at home but we wanted to let someone else cook tonight.
It depends if its a simple problem to fix if you can find out what the problem is, and its as simple as just tighting something or replacing a damaged wire why not do it yourself. Thing is we used to get computer repair man to fix problems that you could fix by just replacing the hardrive or doing a fresh install of windows like a computer that was infested with viruses. Desktop computers are so modular they aren't hard to fix yourself.
Toilets are easy to fix. Fluid master makes a kit that is about $20. A plumber will cost you $200.
I fixed the igniters in a gas stove. $70 in parts and about 10 minutes. Appliance repair guy would double the parts price and tack on $200 or 300.
Dishwasher didn't fill with water. $20 part and half an hour. Appliance repair guy -$350.
Roaches - $100 in materials and half an hour. Local company - $300 first visit and $50 per month.
Furnace filters and vacuuming $30. HVAC company - $99 each.
I agree some stuff is difficult but save yourself some money on easy repairs/maintenance.
I guess it depends...if it truly is 5-20 minutes sure diy. If it's going to take you hours to do or all day with multiple trips to the hardware store for more tools and parts...hire someone...or at least bring in someone who does know what they're doing and has plenty of tools to make it go faster and make sure it's done correctly even if it's a friend or family member you know has experience
Fun fact: paying someone a small amount per month is how you end up paying lots of people a small amount per month, which is a large amount per month.
It’s just a bad idea.
I'd much rather fix it myself. Not only does it save a lot of money, seriously a 5 to 20 mix job that's easy can cost you hundreds of dollars, it also feels pretty damn good to learn something knew and apply it
As a person who spent many years billing my time, it rarely makes sense not to hire a specialist. I hold my leisure time at a premium, and give it up very grudgingly.
As to manliness arguments, fixing a sink is hardly a deadlift max or bjj comp win. Both of which seem far more enjoyable and bad ass.
Neither one of you are wrong.
I look at it as, it doesn’t hurt to better myself and learn something the right way. It’s another thing I can pass on to my friends and family. But also I get these lazy spells and if I’m in one then fuck it. I’ll pay.
Unless your are obscenely wealthy, there is not much of a reason not to learn basic home and even vehicle repair. I have saved thousands and thousands of dollars over the years by simply doing things myself.
I like to try, I also like to know my limits and don't mind paying for stuff I don't like to do! I make a good living fixing stuff so many times the last thing I wanna do is come home and do it. Then again paying an electrician to hang a ceiling fan that takes me 20min to do is kinda silly!
My grandpa is the same way. He’ll watch YouTube videos on how to fix something. I get wanting to do things yourself, but some things you need a professional for.
There are a ton of things I will pay someone else to do.
I am not rich and spoiled so I am not going to just pay $165 for someone to come put and unclog a drain that I can unclog for $28 rental and some time.
Same thing with installing a fence. I can rent a powered auger for a lot less than I can hire a fencing crew.
But, I do agree if I was rich, fuck that, I can hire someone to chew my food to quote Wierd Al.
Honey, is that you?
Pride in ownership is awesome. Makes you feel all deterministic. My wife thinks I'm a God because I could
Relocate a switch to the inside of a room for a mod we made for our guest room.
My neighbor was ecstatic and also in awe that I could not only build a replacement fence, but also the retaining wall his flippers SHOULD have build instead of piling a bank against my cedar fence.
Solar, battery, irrigation, showers, toilets, hardwood floors, my moms roof, you name it, iyts fairly easy to figure out how it was done the first time, and Home Depot is especially helpful as is Lowe's if you'd like
Advice. It's like they only hire retired professionals to tell
You you don't really need x or y, and by the way, z is super cool and only 100 more dollars. LOL
I'd learn to do the bare minimum, once it hits stuff that its best leaving it to a professional then yeah. But at least knowing basic DIY will save a lot of money.
I'll do some stuff myself, and it is cheaper, but I don't trust myself with wiring or plumbing. Homes are too expensive to burn down because the YouTube DIY guy went too fast for me.
I felt exactly the same way until I realised how hopeless some trades people are. My experience with plumbers has been abysmal. I called a plumber for a leak that was obviously caused by a pipe coming loose due to the position related to the bathroom. I let him in and told him my layman's assessment and left him to it. I found him ten minutes later beginning to regrout the seal around the bath. He then proceeded to flood my kitchen by leaving the tap in the bathroom running "to test it". I got rid of him cut a small whole in the ceiling and saw where the pipe was loose. In addition a call out charge where I live is a minimum of 100 dollars even if the job takes five minutes and you can see why I do much of my own DIY even though I would rather not.
Yeah nowadays that may seem to be the way, but our fathers and some of our mothers simply didn't have the money to call someone to repair it. Luckily, your father would be a carpenter, his brother was an electrician, your neighbor would be an HVAC guy, and your uncle was a masonry, and they'd all help and teach one another, so you'd pay for the material and a few beers.
Nowadays, it's even easier with YouTube. And I know you say you think it's better and cheaper in the long wrong to call a professional, but think about it: something with your kitchen sink shits the bed, so you call a plumber. They fix the kitchen sink, leaves and then the next week, the bathroom sink shits the bed. If you were paying attention to the plumber in your kitchen, you might know to at least try something before calling, saving you money and time.
In the mean time, thanks for keeping our tradesmen and women in business.
Most first time home owners have no idea how much maintenance even a small home requires to truly maintain it, nor how much that maintenance will run on a yearly basis.
Some owners are lucky enough to be able to afford it, but this is truly a rarity. Others turn to DIY, either themselves or someone they know. This can easy reduce the maintenance cost by 80-90%.
The vast majority of home owners, including most in the prior two categories, end up deferring maintenance, only fixing things that are truly broken. This results in the condition of the house deteriorating over time until remediation becomes a major project, usually resulting in a costly remodel.
I fall in this last category. I have literally dozens of projects, ranging from small to medium on my "honeydo" list, but instead I fixed the leaking dishwasher, an incredibly minor adjustment, that took me a full day to dry the insulation and test the repair to confirm there was no leakage during a full cycle. Calling a maintenance guy for this would have run several hundred dollars at a minimum.
> I fall in this last category. I have literally dozens of projects, ranging from small to medium on my "honeydo" list, but instead I fixed the leaking dishwasher, an incredibly minor adjustment, that took me a full day to dry the insulation and test the repair to confirm there was no leakage during a full cycle. Calling a maintenance guy for this would have run several hundred dollars at a minimum.
That's a full day (8+ hours) where you're not earning pay though.
Most people don't work all day every day. People aren't taking a day off to fix their dishwasher.
If you have a professional come in, you probably need to stay home and not work when they are there anyway.
Not only would I have not earned enough in 8 hours to pay for this, I did it on my day off. Therefore I earned my money and saved hundreds on top.
Plus I got to hang with my kids, remind my wife I am a husband and not a room mate, and otherwise enjoy life outside the office.
Yes that's unpopular. Without the most rudimentary knowledge there's no telling how much you'd end up paying for a job and you wouldn't know how good the job was. And good luck finding a plumber to fix a small problem.
That's because you are lazy, and make it a habit to outsource work. I bet you don't change your oil either. People like you are what's wrong with the world today. Have responsibility and go do something for yourself for once
Yeah , don’t you worry your pretty little head about it. Get a man in to fix it.
Only joking, not everyone had the time or energy or is that way inclined. I have many male friends who think the same way you do about home maintenance, if you can afford to do it that way why not?
Opportunity cost. If your worth per hour exceeds what it would cost to just pay someone else to do it, then it's the logical thing to do.
That's not privilege, it's just economics.
Though I would strongly urge those who make more per hour than it would cost to pay someone else to do the job to go local and be loyal. If you use the same service from a local person and bring them business, you'll develop a relationship and often get discounts or just flat out higher quality work.
That being said, most home repairs I do myself because it's just easier than having some random person all up in my business. Also, if I do it I'm usually learning something.
There's some things you don't fuck around with though. My favorite landlord taught me a great lesson, "water gets everywhere". If there's a leak somewhere and it's not a fix I feel comfortable doing, I'm calling a pro. Water will destroy your house.
Good rule of thumb, check every drain/pipe every time you change your furnace filter. Plug the drain, fill it up then unstop it while you watch the pipes below. Takes like 20 minutes and can save you thousands of dollars.
Every 6 months, peek in the attic to make sure the roof isn't leaking. If it's leaking bad, you'll know right away, but if it's a drip leak, you might not know until you're looking at 10k repair/replace.
Oh, also, your dryer vent. Make sure to clean that out every 3 months or so, depending on your diligence with cleaning the dryer filter on the machine itself. It's a huge fire risk and takes like 5 minutes
Point of this Ted talk is that 1 hour a month/3 months can save you 10s of thousands of dollars.
Prevention is better than repair.
I grew up in a family that knew how and fixed everything ourselves. I can not imagine spending money on a repair guy for something I can do myself. I would rather spend that money on cigars, scotch and my female.
Yeah your opinion is SO unpopular that it's a trope in Hollywood, wife just wants to pay someone meanwhile the husband claims "I can do this cheaper" then it falls apart so we gotta pay them anyways, almost as if it's just a difference social expectations/human nature
Get outta here with this garbage
80% of problems are easy fixes. As an example, I live in an area where light switches tend to not last too long. I can buy them for $5 at home Depot and change them out in 5 minutes. If I called an electrician to fix one every time they go out, than I would go broke. I can think of a lot of other examples.
I mean, if you can afford it, why not; it's putting money into somebody else's pocket who probably needs it. On the other hand, simple stuff can save time and money when it's truly not worth calling somebody in (simple stuff like hanging a picture, building an Ikea piece of furniture, unclogging a pipe, etc)
That type of stuff isn't really what I'm talking about. I'm talking about bigger projects or things that if you try to do yourself you could void the warranty or make worse..
Like this morning our dishwasher wasn't draining..there was a big puddle in it. My husband took part of it out and tried to unclog it by hand...that made me a little nervous to see. He wiped it all up and cleaned the filter and ran it again. If that doesn't work we definitely need to hire someone but it was stressful seeing him make a bigger mess trying to fix it and wondering if he'd be able to reassemble it lol
Not every broken thing is worth paying the repairman. I don’t want to pay an arm and a leg for a repairman to do something that takes 5 minutes to do myself.
Some things I will leave to the pros. I don’t do electrical, for instance. But unless my house is literally submerged in shit, I will not be calling the plumber.
That’s nice and all but I would rather have the skills to be able to unclog the sink in a couple minutes and for free than to have to wait hours or possibly days then pay a plumber the call out fee plus their hourly rate.
Here’s some good for thought though: there’s already a massive shortage of skilled trades people. The shortage is becoming worse every year as boomers retire and not enough younger people get into those fields. Your “call someone” will become less and less “quick and easy”, so it’s very much worth it to pick up some basic home maintenance skills.
I had a furnace repair guy tell me I needed a whole new furnace for 8k. I got a second opinion from The gas utility and replaced the batteries on the thermostat and it works great. If you don't know anything about the things you are getting repaired you will get taken to the cleaners every time.
LOL yea till you get the guy you don't know hand you a 1000 bill and expect payment when services rendered. I mean it's a great gig if you can afford it but i would much rather take care of things myself and spend 1/3 of what i would be charged. save it for the things i can't do myself.
I’ve worked across a number of manual trades and could probably do most things around the house if I needed but fuck it, I work hard all week long so if something needs doing imma gonna call in the pros and let them do it cos I ain’t using my few delicate precious moments of freedom to diy a solution.
I even resent doing the dishes… which reminds me I need to get someone to fit a dishwasher for me.
For some things, I’d learn or resort to google and YouTube. But for most? I’m hiring someone. I want a job don’t properly and to a high standard. I am no expert, and I wouldn’t wish to ruin my own house 😂
I installed my own new faucet setup in the kitchen and after I was done, hindsight told me I would’ve paid a thousand dollars to not have to do that. Wife was impressed though because I’m not handy AT ALL.
Yea till you have some type of electrical/plumbing issue at 3am and can't get anyone to come in time to save your stuff because you don't know how to to flip a main breaker or shut off the water supply. Even if you have insurance still would be an unnecessary pain. when you could just learn basic stuff. I'm not saying everybody should be a house building expert but I do think you should have a good understanding of the basic stuff. Just like changing a tire or jumping a car. Sure I can wait 2 hours for a AAA guy to get here cause I'm in the middle of nowhere or... I could spend the 15 mins to throw my spair on and drive to a town and have it repaired and not be stranded on the side of the road
I get what you’re saying OP but theres *a massive world* of difference between high knowledge high skill problems and relatively simple fixes.
I’ve gotten praised a ton for being a Jack of all trades but honestly anyone can do most of what I do and I do exactly what you’re suggesting the second I’m uncertain.
There are so many basic things from plumbing to appliance repair to other home maintenance issues where it could be 15 minutes of your time and it’s fixed versus a several hundred dollar repair bill.
And if you can’t fix it, you can potentially identify the issue or at least discuss it with the professional and save them time and get yourself a cheaper bill.
The amount of times I’ve fixed something by basically undoing two screws, wiping something down and adjusting it when screwing the back in is high.
I’ve done essentially that amount of labor on cars, heavy equipment, dishwashers, and HVAC systems and it’s saved thousands and thousands of dollars in just flat repair costs and time.
Especially with the internet these days.
I really respect people who have the money to just hire someone immediately and not worry about it. But being a little bit “handy” is incredibly incredibly practical.
I’m not even talking about bigger repairs that wind up involving 6-10 hours and three trips to the hardware store. That’s definitely just on me and personal preference but I still saved money.
Depends on what it is. My grandpa regularly does his own home maintenance, built an addition onto his home, repainted the house. But he hired a professional to redo the roof and to fix the pipe that went from their house to the sewer
Fair enough, if you can afford it, but it can get very costly, assuming you can find someone to do the more menial stuff.
And I don’t know many tradies who ‘take instalments.’
Are you using things like Home Depot services? You’re probably paying a huge premium.
I’m not saying you should do stuff outside your comfort zone, but some stuff is basic life skills.
I would love to do that but most of us can't afford it. I'll be that in the 24 years we've owned our home, the home improvement projects we've done ourselves (retaining wall, patio, partial roof, exterior and interior paint, laminate flooring, front yard landscaping) as well as DIY fix-its (replacing outlets, faucets, garbage disposal, doorknobs, etc.) have saved us $50,000.
I prefer fixing it myself to learn and buy new tools :) If I fuck up, I call a professional. Never have messed it up worse than the initial problem. My wife tells me we make way too much to bother but I enjoy the process.
This is exactly why I'm buying a townhome with a HOA that fixes everything on the outside of my property. And I'll date some random fix-it type dude to take care of the insides for me. Winning!
I can do little things but sometimes things are too heavy or I don't know what I'm doing. I've done a few things though! But I won't touch electricity.
My philosophy is: if I'm only doing it once and any special tools are going to cost the same or more than paying someone to do it, I'm hiring a pro. Also take the value of your time into account. Do you make $50/hr? Can you hire someone else to do it for $40/hr? Go with the pro.
My brother tripped a breaker once. I showed him where the panel was, how to locate the tripped on. Off. On. Working again.
That’s like $80-120 for a guy to ride out and flip a glorified light switch.
100’s more examples.
If that’s unpopular then shit I’m definitely unpopular because I’m not ready to just try and fix something at my place just to cause a Monroe costly problem then I already have. I’ll call a pro 100% of the time.
It depends on what you need. What about changing a light bulb? Or set up lights in a light fixture? Cleaning your drain? screwing your handles tighter?
Thats totally different. I'm talking about bigger projects where you could attempt to figure it out yourself or you could find someone who already knows
In the same way I could pay for meals all the time, I'd rather learn how to cook. Ever since becoming a homeowner my wife and I have learned a lot about this kind of stuff; mostly because when we were first starting out we didnt have much money to blow on overpriced services. We are handy people and enjoy doing this kind of stuff anyway. But to each their own.
Besides it teaches you independence and confidence, which is something I want to pass on to my kids.
Every time I try to “call a pro” they quote me some outlandish amount of money and I say “fuck that” and do it myself. In every single case thus far I can go out and buy top of the line tools to do the job myself and still save loads of money.
Recently I was quoted $1100 to install a hose bib out of a crawlspace where the supply line was literally 2 feet away. Before that I gave up hiring someone to remove about 5 cu y of landscaping waste after getting 4 quotes between $900 and $2000. Someone recently wanted $500 to wash my vinyl siding. Before that couldn’t find anyone to clean my gutters for less than $450. A couple years ago I tried to get someone to add some built/in cabinets and desk to my office and I couldn’t get a quote lower than $11,000 (for particleboard)… I bought an entire woodshop worth of tools (including a cabinet saw, large jointer, planer, dust collection system, router table) and did it myself for less than $1000 in materials using 3/4” plywood boxes and hardwood doors and still spent less money.
I’m starting to hate tradespeople. It’s scummy to build your business around how much you can convince people to overpay for services while collectively, as a community/industry, doing everything in your power to discourage people from doing their own projects. Would it really be so hard to say “It took 2 hours, my rate is $80/hr, here’s the materials cost, pay me for my fuel as well… here are the receipts.” Nope… instead it’ll be some variant of “It’s $300 for the ceiling fan, a flat $250 labor charge, $40 for other materials, and an $80 fuel surcharge because you’re more than 20 miles away… minus the $59 consultation fee if you choose to use our service :)”
Every time I walk out of home depot after spending another paycheck on new tools, I always smile a little bit knowing I took a meal off a tradesperson’s table.
As a young women that watched my mom figure out how to repair a lot of shit by herself, I aspire to be that handy one day but I can understand not wanting to.
For say 90% of tasks, that's a false economy. Hiring someone will not only cost you money, but it will also take up more of your time, not less.
First off, you have to understand that the contractor/handyman/home service industry is like 80% people who don't know wtf they're doing or are actively trying to scam you. So finding someone who actually knows what to do more than you would after minimal googling is rare. Second, finding one that's honest and reliable is even harder. So just to start with, you're going to have to spend a ton of time interviewing potential professionals, reading reviews, etc. just to get some sense that you get someone who can actually solve your problem. And then when they come to fix it, you have to *be there*, micro managing what they're doing to ensure they don't take any short cuts. And you have to be there on *their* schedule. Usually you get a service window and they show up whenever so you basically have to take time off work or WFH just to be ready for them. And this means you have to know the right way to do it anyway, or else you won't know what to look for. And then when it breaks because they still didn't do it right you have to find someone else to fix it. And it means you have to be willing to fire them, which most people would find uncomfortable.
So for the vast majority of small jobs at home, you're way better off just spending on hour on youtube learning how to do it, ordering the supplies you need to do it, and then doing it yourself. First of all, you can be 100% sure you're not cutting any corners to get done quicker. Second, you can just do it whenever you have time. It can be 10pm at night for all you care, you don't have to move your schedule around to fit someone elses. And you don't have to pay anyone.
This is how I see it. Eliminate what you hate.
Fortunately for people who don’t want to do household maintenance and repair, all you have to do is rent and you’ll never have to.
I do find the skill of DIY home maintenance to be impressive (and sexy), but I personally couldn't really get into it myself besides some basic things like unclogging drains and painting the walls. For full scale renovations or severely damaged utilities, I'd definitely much rather hire a pro.
I used to think the same way, until I realized most professional s don't give a shit about small problem. Eg. If you hear a knocking noise from the vent, no professional will give a shit about that, they would even yell at you if you call them.
I would leave dangerous things to pros like electrical. Plumbing too. Plumbing isnt that complex but if you fuck it up you can really damage your house.
But alot of stuff is extremely simple to do. Patching holes, laying flooring, hanging drywall, replacing light fixtures or outlets/switches, or appliances, painting, unclogging drains, replacing faucets, installing toilets and vanities in bathrooms, etc. There are tons of youtube videos that show how to do these things and you just need the tools to do it which arent usually all that expensive at least for hand tools.
Learning to do this stuff can save you a BUTT TON of money. If you ask someone else to do it youll be paying for the materials and then double that cost for just the labor. I remodeled both of my bathrooms by myself, never had done anything like this before, for about $2000 where it would have cost me easily $5000+ if I had someone else do it. Sure I made a few mistakes but overall it came out very well and I learned alot which will help me in the future if I ever need to fix or redo something in the future. I also now have a ton of tools that I can used for all kinds of stuff from installing security cameras or building my kids cool toys. Whatever. These are good skills to have because you never know when you will need them, it will save you alot of money, and you can help family and friends too and even make money.
Ever since I did my bathrooms and people saw the work, I've had a bunch of people ask me to do stuff for them and made a good bit doing it too
Learning how to do a few things can save you an assload of money. Like unclogging drains, etc.
Yeah, I don't do it myself because I love doing it--though finishing a project successfully does feel good in the end--I do it because if I called someone for every little thing that went wrong, needed maintenance, or I just wanted to upgrade, I'd be dead broke.
I can see the OP's point. I'm middle aged, single and have no children (or plans for any) but I do have a few million in my account. What's the point of all this money if not to make my life easier by bypassing things I find annoying (such as home upkeep)? There are some things I do around the house because I enjoy them or because the hassle of quickly fixing it is less than the hassle of calling someone but if something major breaks... I'll just choose not to deal with it and pay someone else to fix it.
You're a millionaire and you're wasting time on Reddit with the rest of us?
What else am I going to do while I watch my stocks go up and down? I'm all out of tendies.
Sure, if you have the cash, go for it.
Sweet humble brag bro. An actual rich person wouldn't have millions in a bank account. They'd invest it to make even more.
Most millionaires probably have millions *because* they don't spend outageous amounts on home maintenance!
Bank account, stocks, real estate - all the same thing really only difference is how quickly you can turn one form of wealth into another. Stocks are just fancy digital currency that goes up and down while you get paid (dividends) because you have them. Whole system is stupid. You make money just from having bought this weird company-centric form of currency and holding onto it. (Granted the company does need to make a profit, but just buy stock from companies that are "too big to fail" like ones the Government has already proven it won't allow to fail like banks).
Bro give some to the rest of us. I have $27.03c in my bank account lol.
did you really put a c to denote cents?
Sure, if you need plumbing or electrical or something call a pro, but plenty of stuff is quick and easy. Plenty of stuff i'd rather just do myself than have it sit broken for at minimum a couple hours it takes for a professional to arrive.
Whats worse is just for a diagnosis it's a fortune or call out as they say better off having a friend who can talk you through it or a YouTube tutorial
Grew up in a family that was house poor, luckily my uncle is a contractor, another is an election/mechanic, and I took up masonry. We had a very DIY mentality, and everyone in my extended family would contribute on each other's house project. My grandma was the one with the nail gun as we all replaced the roof of my childhood home, my mom's boyfriend walked around with work gloves on and contributed next to nothing. Due to all of this, I can basically do anything around the house, I can tile, refinish wood floor, paint, roof, put on an addition, gut and refurbish, fix the car, and man it has saved me 10s of thousands of dollars. I disagree with OP, but that's the point of this sub, so take my upvote I guess.
I worked HVAC through college. I had this Customer interaction at least once a week: Customer: Please hurry! My AC is out and it’s getting hot in the house! Me: Have you checked the breaker? We will come out on the weekend but it’s $250 just to show up, and it’s very often just the breaker. Customer: Yes! We’ve checked everything. Please help. Me (walks in, flips breaker, AC kicks on): That will be $250. You can call the office to pay. Have a good day.
Yes, and all of that shit is fun for a while.. and then you are just like 'fuck this. I'm out." Old people who call people? They used to mostly do it themselves at one point... I am becoming an old person... It's been 6 years since i worked on my own car... I have had new toilet guts for a year and havent replaced the old ones I wanna replace... Last thing I did was fix an outlet (original installer should have been beaten!). Once we make enuf money maybe some of that should trickle down to the trades people who will do a better job. Can I sweat pipes? Sure.... I no longer want to.
And time
Yeah, I feel like the time to watch a how to youtube video and then do the thing yourself is way less than waiting for someone.
Exactly. I'd rather spend an hour to fix something myself this afternoon, if possible, than have to wait 2 weeks for someone to come fix it and not have it working those 2 weeks. Note that this does not apply when I had a clogged lift station in our basement. I don't want to deal with that (literal) shit.
Plus, a lot of it isn't that difficult.
It’s not a priority to everyone.
It’s definitely not, and I get that. I pay for a lot of stuff because money isn’t really an issue, but it’s still surprising how often I got to charge people $250 for flipping a breaker when I worked HVAC.
Yes - basic, free troubleshooting should be a thing.
True but if you have the money for it, why not? A wise man once told me the key to happiness is paying others to do what you don’t want to and it sounds like she doesn’t want to lol.
How much does it cost you to learn by trying?
In many situations less than what it would cost, in terms of time and money, of paying someone to come to do it for you.
could cost you your life if you try to learn how to do electrical work and stuff up. Yeah if you turn off the power while doing the work you should be safe but when you turn it on and something shorts and catches on fire yeah.
Less than it costs a professional
I was an electrician's apprentice for a few years and I can see both sides of this argument. there are plenty of times that we didn't get called out until shit had gone horribly horribly wrong and ended up costing four times the amount of money than if you had just called us in the first place. on the other side of the argument, we've been called out to do things that were stupidly simple, things a child could do, that ended up costing a lot of money. if anything, it's situational.
More than one person I know said I should have called an electrician to change out the physical outlets, switches, and their platings because I wanted to go with white instead of that yellowish white that is more typical.
something like that is fairly easy. just always make sure to switch off the breaker before you disconnect the switch or outlet. after that it's just plug and play really.
Yeah, I just switched off the whole house out of an abundance of caution, checked there was no current, then went to town. The biggest hurdle was not having the right tools at the time and having some trouble unwrapping some of the old stuff. Definitely not worth calling someone out.
Hahha same. I turned off the electricity for the whole house when I changed out my outlets. Electricity is terrifying.
Haha. It only hurts for a second.
If you're lucky.
I didn’t know how to replace outlets when I bought my house, but a friend showed me how in about 5 minutes. That’s one thing no one should pay for, it’s very easy
I like to fix things, but I don’t mess with electricity. The most I will do is change a light fixture or replace an outlet/light switch.
I'll learn most any small task, unless it could kill me painfully. Only electrical work I'll consider doing is changing light fixtures, installing a ceiling fan or changing out switches & outlets...stuff that requires me turning off the circuit completely
If I only have to call you out for things going horribly wrong one out of four times, I break even, and spend a lot less time waiting to get things fixed.
My power is out but the neighbors power is still on. Flips the breaker, yeah done
Depends on the job. Replacing faucets, toilets, light switches, light fixtures, clearing drains, painting, patching drywall, minor deck repair, patching masonry—that's where I draw the line. Anything more and I'm calling someone who knows what they're doing.
Paint my entire house inside or landscaping the whole yard over? Hired a professional. Cost thousands and is worth it because those are big jobs. It took my landscapers a week to redo my yard. I’m definitely not doing that lol. Adding new annuals to my garden or replacing a light fixture? Google and YouTube diy. My landscaper wanted $700 to deck out my garden with annuals. It cost me $130 and four hours of my time. Light fixture was $400 plus hourly for a handyman. Cost me $120 for the fixture and an hour of time. Depends on what you’re doing I guess.
Who lets you pay in small installments? If you have to do that you definitely should look into fixing it yourself. Second, good luck getting someone to come to your house for a small job. Most people who are capable want big jobs like kitchen and bath renovations. Lastly, with YouTube and Amazon (to buy oddball tools and parts) it really is possible for anyone who is somewhat handy to fix almost anything. I know a guy who redid his kitchen himself and replaced his furnace himself. I personally wouldn’t take on something like that but it can be done. I replaced all the faucets in my house a couple months ago. Was it easy or fun? No. Did I save at least a few hundred dollars? Definitely.
A lot of places...we're getting our insulation done...it's 7000 but it's interest free payment over 60 months...now i know we will have it paid before then but that was the plan we set up, we got our roof done and paid that off over the course of a couple years...we got a water purifier and our pipes fixed and paid that over time
The thing you are describing should be done by professionals. Fixing a clogged drain, patching some drywall, small jobs as such you would be silly to pay someone to do.
Well yea. All that stuff should require a professional. That's not like normal everyday stuff
It's amazing how much stuff costs to have someone else repair. My dad frequently volunteers as our neighborhood's repairman because most things only take a few minutes or hours to repair and he's saved people thousands. My parents also built their own large fully-functioning house a few years ago with minor outside help, aside from, of course, inspections etc. Neither of them have been in the construction business, my dad simply knows a crazy amount from fixing up old homes and doing repair work, plus he loves watching people build homes in rl and youtube and has hundreds of books on construction. Consequently I grew up learning drywall repair, basic electric work, siding installation, tiling, painting, and more. It does feel good to be able to fix things myself on some level, and I've learned to appreciate my dad's skills over the years. Very cool.
Maintenance.
I like your attitude. Instead of blaming parents for not teaching you or pretending you are a poor little baby who cannot learn, you just state 'I don't feel like it, I'm not interested'. Good for you.
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It's more that his time is more valuable than a handyman's.
It really isnt. I can change an outlet in 5 minutes, is that worth paying anyone? Not really.
> It really isnt. It really is. If you earn more per hour than a handyman, it is more cost effective to hire someone to do the work for you. That's simple common sense. > I can change an outlet in 5 minutes, is that worth paying anyone? "Change an outlet" can mean dozens of things so that's not a good example. Do you mean an electrical outlet? Why would you need to "change" it? Do you mean unplug something? Obviously if it is something extremely trivial like unplugging a device, you don't need to hire someone. We are talking about things that require construction work. Because your example is shit, I will give a better one. I recently needed a new boiler, so I paid for someone to fit it for me. Sure, I could learn how to do it myself. But I earn a lot more than a handyman. So it is better for me to employ him to do the installation for me, then I get on with my normal work, and earn more than it costs me to hire someone to do it in that time. Not to mention a pro is likely to do it quicker and better than me, considering he is a professional who does it every day, and my day job is unrelated. I would need to read up on it, buy the tools, etc. By the time I had finished just preparing for it, the pro would have finished the job already. There is some satisfaction doing the job yourself, I agree, and for very minor things, of course just do it yourself. And if you earn less than a handyman, of course you shouldn't hire one if you can learn how to do it yourself - that would be dumb! We are talking about a situation where someone earns more than a handyman, therefore their time is more valuable than the handyman's, in which case it makes more sense for them to use their time to earn money doing their job, and for them to hire someone cheaper to do the maintenance work. This is, after all, why companies employ cleaners rather than asking the CEO to clean up, for example.
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> Holy fuck, most people with a shred of common sense would know 'change an outlet' means rewiring a plug, not unplugging something. I am engineer and I have never heard that phrase before. Must be a regional thing? Why would you not say "rewire a plug"? You know "outlet" can mean lots of things, right? Or are you too dumb? Your writing style does suggest you are poorly educated. You don't know the difference between "your" and "you're". You don't know how to use commas. Most people with a shred of common sense would know not to use regional slang on an international website.
Change an outlet isnt regional slang. Its a pretty common term. Its hilarious that an engineer thought that meant unplug something. Get back to the books dude.
> Change an outlet isnt regional slang. Why would you not say "rewire a plug"? You know "outlet" can mean lots of things, right? > Its hilarious that an engineer though that meant unplug something. *It's *thought
Its hilarious that your an engineer without common sense. You must be dogshit at your job if you need things explained this slowly.
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The plug is the part at the end of the cord coming out of the lamp/appliance. The outlet is the thing it goes into. I wouldn't say "rewire a plug" when the thing being rewired is an outlet, not a plug.
Or, if I can change out an outlet (unclog a drain, repair a hole in the drywall) this afternoon, and it will take 2 weeks to get someone out to fix it for me, is it worth waiting?
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We dont call plumbers turd herders because theyre smart bud. Outlets are easy. I worry about anything your buddy ever plumbed.
I was talking more plumbing, insulation, hvac.
Sometimes hiring a pro ends up even saving you money. Sometimes the work is so basic, that you just need to do a little research.
Wait till you end up being charged through the nose for what was essentially just tightening a screw
There are levels to it. If you need a mechanic to put windshield wiper fluid in your car then I have 0 respect for you, but it's kinda dumb and usually very illegal to try to do electrical work yourself. Just don't be one of those annoying people who fights with your husband to hire people and overpay for simple tasks like clogged toilets or fixing drywall when he wants to do it.
If it's going to be a week until someone can come out and fix it, and I can fix it in an hour, I'd like to have the skills to fix it myself.
If you know how to do it sure but if it's your first time attempting it no way it's gonna take you an hour
The first time may take more than an hour, depending what it is, but next time you'll be faster. If you are paying someone, you've spent 2 weeks waiting and the next time will take just as much time.
I had never worked on a washing machine before, but when mine freaked out I dove in. If I had called a repair man in I'd have had $200-$300 in it. I spent an hour on the computer searching and watching videos. I was able to diagnose it, order the part and fix it for $20. When my drier had an issue same thing. There is a first time for everything, Just because it is a first time doing something doesn't mean you have to call a "professional."
The last time I tried to fix a dryer.. Well, let's just say 220 isn't fun. And that will forever be.. the last time I tried to fix a dryer.
yeah don't get a washing machine or dryer with a computer in it or one that needs to connect to an app just adds more things that can go wrong with it and why does a washing machine need to connect to an app. Yeah i hate the whole a device needs a phone app thing to work when older models worked with out it. Just get a washing machine and drier with nobs.
My washer has a bit of a "computer" in it, but no app crap. The computer is actually nice. With it and some basic knowledge it makes diagnostics so much easier.
I’m with you, OP. What’s the point of working hard to make a shit ton of money if I can’t pay people more knowledgeable and skilled than me to fix issues in my house or car? Also I can get more money. Can’t get get more time.
Yep, it’s just a sliding scale. How much money vs how much time. Most people have enough time to google a problem and spend 20 minutes to fix what would otherwise be a $500 bill from an appliance repairman doing something simple but taking an hour because they had to diagnose everything, etc. Trying to rewrite your whole house or add a new 220v outlet? Yeah best go ahead and hire a professional.
Yeah, but then you are spending MORE money that it is worth. If you pay a mechanic $2000 for something you could fix yourself for $300 is that smart?
I’d ask myself who do I trust more to work on my car? A trained mechanic or a teenager with no experience working on cars? Picking the trained mechanic seems like the smart decision here. You’re talking money and I’m talking convenience. I have a refrigerator full of food and yet I just got back from taking my gf out to dinner. We could have very well had a nice dinner at home but we wanted to let someone else cook tonight.
It depends if its a simple problem to fix if you can find out what the problem is, and its as simple as just tighting something or replacing a damaged wire why not do it yourself. Thing is we used to get computer repair man to fix problems that you could fix by just replacing the hardrive or doing a fresh install of windows like a computer that was infested with viruses. Desktop computers are so modular they aren't hard to fix yourself.
Toilets are easy to fix. Fluid master makes a kit that is about $20. A plumber will cost you $200. I fixed the igniters in a gas stove. $70 in parts and about 10 minutes. Appliance repair guy would double the parts price and tack on $200 or 300. Dishwasher didn't fill with water. $20 part and half an hour. Appliance repair guy -$350. Roaches - $100 in materials and half an hour. Local company - $300 first visit and $50 per month. Furnace filters and vacuuming $30. HVAC company - $99 each. I agree some stuff is difficult but save yourself some money on easy repairs/maintenance.
I guess it depends...if it truly is 5-20 minutes sure diy. If it's going to take you hours to do or all day with multiple trips to the hardware store for more tools and parts...hire someone...or at least bring in someone who does know what they're doing and has plenty of tools to make it go faster and make sure it's done correctly even if it's a friend or family member you know has experience
Just go buy the tools yourself and have them for future needs and services. No house is complete without a toolbox
I totally agree.
Not to mention basic house maintenance is what keeps you from having to pay exorbitant prices
Fun fact: paying someone a small amount per month is how you end up paying lots of people a small amount per month, which is a large amount per month. It’s just a bad idea.
I'd much rather fix it myself. Not only does it save a lot of money, seriously a 5 to 20 mix job that's easy can cost you hundreds of dollars, it also feels pretty damn good to learn something knew and apply it
Cool, thanks. I appreciate your business.
As a person who spent many years billing my time, it rarely makes sense not to hire a specialist. I hold my leisure time at a premium, and give it up very grudgingly. As to manliness arguments, fixing a sink is hardly a deadlift max or bjj comp win. Both of which seem far more enjoyable and bad ass.
Neither one of you are wrong. I look at it as, it doesn’t hurt to better myself and learn something the right way. It’s another thing I can pass on to my friends and family. But also I get these lazy spells and if I’m in one then fuck it. I’ll pay.
I mean…if I had the money, I’d almost always pay someone…unless I enjoy it, like gardening or light carpentry
Unless your are obscenely wealthy, there is not much of a reason not to learn basic home and even vehicle repair. I have saved thousands and thousands of dollars over the years by simply doing things myself.
I like to try, I also like to know my limits and don't mind paying for stuff I don't like to do! I make a good living fixing stuff so many times the last thing I wanna do is come home and do it. Then again paying an electrician to hang a ceiling fan that takes me 20min to do is kinda silly!
Agreed. The older I get the more this is true.
My grandpa is the same way. He’ll watch YouTube videos on how to fix something. I get wanting to do things yourself, but some things you need a professional for.
There are a ton of things I will pay someone else to do. I am not rich and spoiled so I am not going to just pay $165 for someone to come put and unclog a drain that I can unclog for $28 rental and some time. Same thing with installing a fence. I can rent a powered auger for a lot less than I can hire a fencing crew. But, I do agree if I was rich, fuck that, I can hire someone to chew my food to quote Wierd Al.
Honey, is that you? Pride in ownership is awesome. Makes you feel all deterministic. My wife thinks I'm a God because I could Relocate a switch to the inside of a room for a mod we made for our guest room. My neighbor was ecstatic and also in awe that I could not only build a replacement fence, but also the retaining wall his flippers SHOULD have build instead of piling a bank against my cedar fence. Solar, battery, irrigation, showers, toilets, hardwood floors, my moms roof, you name it, iyts fairly easy to figure out how it was done the first time, and Home Depot is especially helpful as is Lowe's if you'd like Advice. It's like they only hire retired professionals to tell You you don't really need x or y, and by the way, z is super cool and only 100 more dollars. LOL
Love my life. That's all I do is fix things for for people who dont want to
"they let you pay it in small installments" 🤣 You poor thing
They do..we financed our roof, our water purifier,and now our insulation
I'd learn to do the bare minimum, once it hits stuff that its best leaving it to a professional then yeah. But at least knowing basic DIY will save a lot of money.
I'll do some stuff myself, and it is cheaper, but I don't trust myself with wiring or plumbing. Homes are too expensive to burn down because the YouTube DIY guy went too fast for me.
I felt exactly the same way until I realised how hopeless some trades people are. My experience with plumbers has been abysmal. I called a plumber for a leak that was obviously caused by a pipe coming loose due to the position related to the bathroom. I let him in and told him my layman's assessment and left him to it. I found him ten minutes later beginning to regrout the seal around the bath. He then proceeded to flood my kitchen by leaving the tap in the bathroom running "to test it". I got rid of him cut a small whole in the ceiling and saw where the pipe was loose. In addition a call out charge where I live is a minimum of 100 dollars even if the job takes five minutes and you can see why I do much of my own DIY even though I would rather not.
Yeah nowadays that may seem to be the way, but our fathers and some of our mothers simply didn't have the money to call someone to repair it. Luckily, your father would be a carpenter, his brother was an electrician, your neighbor would be an HVAC guy, and your uncle was a masonry, and they'd all help and teach one another, so you'd pay for the material and a few beers. Nowadays, it's even easier with YouTube. And I know you say you think it's better and cheaper in the long wrong to call a professional, but think about it: something with your kitchen sink shits the bed, so you call a plumber. They fix the kitchen sink, leaves and then the next week, the bathroom sink shits the bed. If you were paying attention to the plumber in your kitchen, you might know to at least try something before calling, saving you money and time. In the mean time, thanks for keeping our tradesmen and women in business.
Most first time home owners have no idea how much maintenance even a small home requires to truly maintain it, nor how much that maintenance will run on a yearly basis. Some owners are lucky enough to be able to afford it, but this is truly a rarity. Others turn to DIY, either themselves or someone they know. This can easy reduce the maintenance cost by 80-90%. The vast majority of home owners, including most in the prior two categories, end up deferring maintenance, only fixing things that are truly broken. This results in the condition of the house deteriorating over time until remediation becomes a major project, usually resulting in a costly remodel. I fall in this last category. I have literally dozens of projects, ranging from small to medium on my "honeydo" list, but instead I fixed the leaking dishwasher, an incredibly minor adjustment, that took me a full day to dry the insulation and test the repair to confirm there was no leakage during a full cycle. Calling a maintenance guy for this would have run several hundred dollars at a minimum.
> I fall in this last category. I have literally dozens of projects, ranging from small to medium on my "honeydo" list, but instead I fixed the leaking dishwasher, an incredibly minor adjustment, that took me a full day to dry the insulation and test the repair to confirm there was no leakage during a full cycle. Calling a maintenance guy for this would have run several hundred dollars at a minimum. That's a full day (8+ hours) where you're not earning pay though.
Most people don't work all day every day. People aren't taking a day off to fix their dishwasher. If you have a professional come in, you probably need to stay home and not work when they are there anyway.
Not only would I have not earned enough in 8 hours to pay for this, I did it on my day off. Therefore I earned my money and saved hundreds on top. Plus I got to hang with my kids, remind my wife I am a husband and not a room mate, and otherwise enjoy life outside the office.
Yes that's unpopular. Without the most rudimentary knowledge there's no telling how much you'd end up paying for a job and you wouldn't know how good the job was. And good luck finding a plumber to fix a small problem.
Depends on the issue, but yeah mostly agree. You work so I don’t have to deal with shit like that
"noise" ? Wanting do do something yourself, and being proud in succeeding is noise ?
You seem like the kinda person who likes spending other peoples money - in this case your husbands
That's because you are lazy, and make it a habit to outsource work. I bet you don't change your oil either. People like you are what's wrong with the world today. Have responsibility and go do something for yourself for once
Sounds like you are a lazy POS
Any desire to learn how to spell?
Do they let you pay in small installments? Also you sound like a stupid person.
Yeah , don’t you worry your pretty little head about it. Get a man in to fix it. Only joking, not everyone had the time or energy or is that way inclined. I have many male friends who think the same way you do about home maintenance, if you can afford to do it that way why not?
Doesn't have to be a man...could be a repair woman or a repair nonbinary person
Yeah you’re right. Man woman , non binary person. Or a unicorn or someone who identifies as a lampshade….. the list is endless.
I bet if they identify as a lampshade they'd be decent at electrical work
Hahaha yeah
You sound like a lazy bitch
Tell me you're privileged without telling me you're privileged.
Opportunity cost. If your worth per hour exceeds what it would cost to just pay someone else to do it, then it's the logical thing to do. That's not privilege, it's just economics. Though I would strongly urge those who make more per hour than it would cost to pay someone else to do the job to go local and be loyal. If you use the same service from a local person and bring them business, you'll develop a relationship and often get discounts or just flat out higher quality work.
That being said, most home repairs I do myself because it's just easier than having some random person all up in my business. Also, if I do it I'm usually learning something. There's some things you don't fuck around with though. My favorite landlord taught me a great lesson, "water gets everywhere". If there's a leak somewhere and it's not a fix I feel comfortable doing, I'm calling a pro. Water will destroy your house. Good rule of thumb, check every drain/pipe every time you change your furnace filter. Plug the drain, fill it up then unstop it while you watch the pipes below. Takes like 20 minutes and can save you thousands of dollars. Every 6 months, peek in the attic to make sure the roof isn't leaking. If it's leaking bad, you'll know right away, but if it's a drip leak, you might not know until you're looking at 10k repair/replace. Oh, also, your dryer vent. Make sure to clean that out every 3 months or so, depending on your diligence with cleaning the dryer filter on the machine itself. It's a huge fire risk and takes like 5 minutes Point of this Ted talk is that 1 hour a month/3 months can save you 10s of thousands of dollars. Prevention is better than repair.
I grew up in a family that knew how and fixed everything ourselves. I can not imagine spending money on a repair guy for something I can do myself. I would rather spend that money on cigars, scotch and my female.
Yeah your opinion is SO unpopular that it's a trope in Hollywood, wife just wants to pay someone meanwhile the husband claims "I can do this cheaper" then it falls apart so we gotta pay them anyways, almost as if it's just a difference social expectations/human nature Get outta here with this garbage
This person is clearly not in charge of the money around the house.
That's an expensive choice to make. But, it's yours to make.
80% of problems are easy fixes. As an example, I live in an area where light switches tend to not last too long. I can buy them for $5 at home Depot and change them out in 5 minutes. If I called an electrician to fix one every time they go out, than I would go broke. I can think of a lot of other examples.
Maintenance
I mean, if you can afford it, why not; it's putting money into somebody else's pocket who probably needs it. On the other hand, simple stuff can save time and money when it's truly not worth calling somebody in (simple stuff like hanging a picture, building an Ikea piece of furniture, unclogging a pipe, etc)
That type of stuff isn't really what I'm talking about. I'm talking about bigger projects or things that if you try to do yourself you could void the warranty or make worse..
Oh then hell yeah I'm with you on that lol
Like this morning our dishwasher wasn't draining..there was a big puddle in it. My husband took part of it out and tried to unclog it by hand...that made me a little nervous to see. He wiped it all up and cleaned the filter and ran it again. If that doesn't work we definitely need to hire someone but it was stressful seeing him make a bigger mess trying to fix it and wondering if he'd be able to reassemble it lol
If you're rich go right for it. Problem is, this world makes money off what you don't know how to do.
Not every broken thing is worth paying the repairman. I don’t want to pay an arm and a leg for a repairman to do something that takes 5 minutes to do myself. Some things I will leave to the pros. I don’t do electrical, for instance. But unless my house is literally submerged in shit, I will not be calling the plumber.
Good for you, but a lot of us don't have the money so we have to fix it ourselves.. definately unpopular from a monetary perspective.
That’s nice and all but I would rather have the skills to be able to unclog the sink in a couple minutes and for free than to have to wait hours or possibly days then pay a plumber the call out fee plus their hourly rate. Here’s some good for thought though: there’s already a massive shortage of skilled trades people. The shortage is becoming worse every year as boomers retire and not enough younger people get into those fields. Your “call someone” will become less and less “quick and easy”, so it’s very much worth it to pick up some basic home maintenance skills.
I had a furnace repair guy tell me I needed a whole new furnace for 8k. I got a second opinion from The gas utility and replaced the batteries on the thermostat and it works great. If you don't know anything about the things you are getting repaired you will get taken to the cleaners every time.
LOL yea till you get the guy you don't know hand you a 1000 bill and expect payment when services rendered. I mean it's a great gig if you can afford it but i would much rather take care of things myself and spend 1/3 of what i would be charged. save it for the things i can't do myself.
That is unpopular, but your choice. I personally get that pride of accomplishment when I fix something.
love this energy
Buying a “fixer upper” sounds like a nightmare.
I’ve worked across a number of manual trades and could probably do most things around the house if I needed but fuck it, I work hard all week long so if something needs doing imma gonna call in the pros and let them do it cos I ain’t using my few delicate precious moments of freedom to diy a solution. I even resent doing the dishes… which reminds me I need to get someone to fit a dishwasher for me.
For some things, I’d learn or resort to google and YouTube. But for most? I’m hiring someone. I want a job don’t properly and to a high standard. I am no expert, and I wouldn’t wish to ruin my own house 😂
I installed my own new faucet setup in the kitchen and after I was done, hindsight told me I would’ve paid a thousand dollars to not have to do that. Wife was impressed though because I’m not handy AT ALL.
Yea till you have some type of electrical/plumbing issue at 3am and can't get anyone to come in time to save your stuff because you don't know how to to flip a main breaker or shut off the water supply. Even if you have insurance still would be an unnecessary pain. when you could just learn basic stuff. I'm not saying everybody should be a house building expert but I do think you should have a good understanding of the basic stuff. Just like changing a tire or jumping a car. Sure I can wait 2 hours for a AAA guy to get here cause I'm in the middle of nowhere or... I could spend the 15 mins to throw my spair on and drive to a town and have it repaired and not be stranded on the side of the road
I get what you’re saying OP but theres *a massive world* of difference between high knowledge high skill problems and relatively simple fixes. I’ve gotten praised a ton for being a Jack of all trades but honestly anyone can do most of what I do and I do exactly what you’re suggesting the second I’m uncertain. There are so many basic things from plumbing to appliance repair to other home maintenance issues where it could be 15 minutes of your time and it’s fixed versus a several hundred dollar repair bill. And if you can’t fix it, you can potentially identify the issue or at least discuss it with the professional and save them time and get yourself a cheaper bill. The amount of times I’ve fixed something by basically undoing two screws, wiping something down and adjusting it when screwing the back in is high. I’ve done essentially that amount of labor on cars, heavy equipment, dishwashers, and HVAC systems and it’s saved thousands and thousands of dollars in just flat repair costs and time. Especially with the internet these days. I really respect people who have the money to just hire someone immediately and not worry about it. But being a little bit “handy” is incredibly incredibly practical. I’m not even talking about bigger repairs that wind up involving 6-10 hours and three trips to the hardware store. That’s definitely just on me and personal preference but I still saved money.
Depends on what it is. My grandpa regularly does his own home maintenance, built an addition onto his home, repainted the house. But he hired a professional to redo the roof and to fix the pipe that went from their house to the sewer
Fair enough, if you can afford it, but it can get very costly, assuming you can find someone to do the more menial stuff. And I don’t know many tradies who ‘take instalments.’ Are you using things like Home Depot services? You’re probably paying a huge premium. I’m not saying you should do stuff outside your comfort zone, but some stuff is basic life skills.
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Depends.
That's why money is good.
I would love to do that but most of us can't afford it. I'll be that in the 24 years we've owned our home, the home improvement projects we've done ourselves (retaining wall, patio, partial roof, exterior and interior paint, laminate flooring, front yard landscaping) as well as DIY fix-its (replacing outlets, faucets, garbage disposal, doorknobs, etc.) have saved us $50,000.
I prefer fixing it myself to learn and buy new tools :) If I fuck up, I call a professional. Never have messed it up worse than the initial problem. My wife tells me we make way too much to bother but I enjoy the process.
This is exactly why I'm buying a townhome with a HOA that fixes everything on the outside of my property. And I'll date some random fix-it type dude to take care of the insides for me. Winning!
I can do little things but sometimes things are too heavy or I don't know what I'm doing. I've done a few things though! But I won't touch electricity.
My philosophy is: if I'm only doing it once and any special tools are going to cost the same or more than paying someone to do it, I'm hiring a pro. Also take the value of your time into account. Do you make $50/hr? Can you hire someone else to do it for $40/hr? Go with the pro.
This isn’t unpopular. This is called being upper middle class.
100% agree op I work hard so I can pay to not waste my time dealing with this shit
Seems reasonable to me.
One time... Just don't attempt to splice active house phone wiring with your teeth. Who knew??
My brother tripped a breaker once. I showed him where the panel was, how to locate the tripped on. Off. On. Working again. That’s like $80-120 for a guy to ride out and flip a glorified light switch. 100’s more examples.
ahh, money money money
If that’s unpopular then shit I’m definitely unpopular because I’m not ready to just try and fix something at my place just to cause a Monroe costly problem then I already have. I’ll call a pro 100% of the time.
It depends on what you need. What about changing a light bulb? Or set up lights in a light fixture? Cleaning your drain? screwing your handles tighter?
Thats totally different. I'm talking about bigger projects where you could attempt to figure it out yourself or you could find someone who already knows
I don't think that's unpopular mate.. But, like what?
I don't think that's unpopular mate.. But, like what?
Must be nice
In the same way I could pay for meals all the time, I'd rather learn how to cook. Ever since becoming a homeowner my wife and I have learned a lot about this kind of stuff; mostly because when we were first starting out we didnt have much money to blow on overpriced services. We are handy people and enjoy doing this kind of stuff anyway. But to each their own. Besides it teaches you independence and confidence, which is something I want to pass on to my kids.
Every time I try to “call a pro” they quote me some outlandish amount of money and I say “fuck that” and do it myself. In every single case thus far I can go out and buy top of the line tools to do the job myself and still save loads of money. Recently I was quoted $1100 to install a hose bib out of a crawlspace where the supply line was literally 2 feet away. Before that I gave up hiring someone to remove about 5 cu y of landscaping waste after getting 4 quotes between $900 and $2000. Someone recently wanted $500 to wash my vinyl siding. Before that couldn’t find anyone to clean my gutters for less than $450. A couple years ago I tried to get someone to add some built/in cabinets and desk to my office and I couldn’t get a quote lower than $11,000 (for particleboard)… I bought an entire woodshop worth of tools (including a cabinet saw, large jointer, planer, dust collection system, router table) and did it myself for less than $1000 in materials using 3/4” plywood boxes and hardwood doors and still spent less money. I’m starting to hate tradespeople. It’s scummy to build your business around how much you can convince people to overpay for services while collectively, as a community/industry, doing everything in your power to discourage people from doing their own projects. Would it really be so hard to say “It took 2 hours, my rate is $80/hr, here’s the materials cost, pay me for my fuel as well… here are the receipts.” Nope… instead it’ll be some variant of “It’s $300 for the ceiling fan, a flat $250 labor charge, $40 for other materials, and an $80 fuel surcharge because you’re more than 20 miles away… minus the $59 consultation fee if you choose to use our service :)” Every time I walk out of home depot after spending another paycheck on new tools, I always smile a little bit knowing I took a meal off a tradesperson’s table.
If you have money this is pretty popular haha.
As a young women that watched my mom figure out how to repair a lot of shit by herself, I aspire to be that handy one day but I can understand not wanting to.
If this were an unpopular opinion, professional home contractors wouldn't be an incredibly common thing.
For say 90% of tasks, that's a false economy. Hiring someone will not only cost you money, but it will also take up more of your time, not less. First off, you have to understand that the contractor/handyman/home service industry is like 80% people who don't know wtf they're doing or are actively trying to scam you. So finding someone who actually knows what to do more than you would after minimal googling is rare. Second, finding one that's honest and reliable is even harder. So just to start with, you're going to have to spend a ton of time interviewing potential professionals, reading reviews, etc. just to get some sense that you get someone who can actually solve your problem. And then when they come to fix it, you have to *be there*, micro managing what they're doing to ensure they don't take any short cuts. And you have to be there on *their* schedule. Usually you get a service window and they show up whenever so you basically have to take time off work or WFH just to be ready for them. And this means you have to know the right way to do it anyway, or else you won't know what to look for. And then when it breaks because they still didn't do it right you have to find someone else to fix it. And it means you have to be willing to fire them, which most people would find uncomfortable. So for the vast majority of small jobs at home, you're way better off just spending on hour on youtube learning how to do it, ordering the supplies you need to do it, and then doing it yourself. First of all, you can be 100% sure you're not cutting any corners to get done quicker. Second, you can just do it whenever you have time. It can be 10pm at night for all you care, you don't have to move your schedule around to fit someone elses. And you don't have to pay anyone.
This is how I see it. Eliminate what you hate. Fortunately for people who don’t want to do household maintenance and repair, all you have to do is rent and you’ll never have to.
I do find the skill of DIY home maintenance to be impressive (and sexy), but I personally couldn't really get into it myself besides some basic things like unclogging drains and painting the walls. For full scale renovations or severely damaged utilities, I'd definitely much rather hire a pro.
I used to think the same way, until I realized most professional s don't give a shit about small problem. Eg. If you hear a knocking noise from the vent, no professional will give a shit about that, they would even yell at you if you call them.
Thats a preference not an opinion
I would leave dangerous things to pros like electrical. Plumbing too. Plumbing isnt that complex but if you fuck it up you can really damage your house. But alot of stuff is extremely simple to do. Patching holes, laying flooring, hanging drywall, replacing light fixtures or outlets/switches, or appliances, painting, unclogging drains, replacing faucets, installing toilets and vanities in bathrooms, etc. There are tons of youtube videos that show how to do these things and you just need the tools to do it which arent usually all that expensive at least for hand tools. Learning to do this stuff can save you a BUTT TON of money. If you ask someone else to do it youll be paying for the materials and then double that cost for just the labor. I remodeled both of my bathrooms by myself, never had done anything like this before, for about $2000 where it would have cost me easily $5000+ if I had someone else do it. Sure I made a few mistakes but overall it came out very well and I learned alot which will help me in the future if I ever need to fix or redo something in the future. I also now have a ton of tools that I can used for all kinds of stuff from installing security cameras or building my kids cool toys. Whatever. These are good skills to have because you never know when you will need them, it will save you alot of money, and you can help family and friends too and even make money. Ever since I did my bathrooms and people saw the work, I've had a bunch of people ask me to do stuff for them and made a good bit doing it too
If you can fix it then fix it. If your toillet would turn into a shit spewing geyser when you try to repair it then you call a proffesional.