DIY Jobs That Taker Longer Than you Planned, Or Just Go Badly Wrong
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I had to change out a bathroom faucet last week. Fairly straight forward in concept. Decided to watch a quick YouTube video to make sure I wasn’t overlooking any steps. Video was clean and precise. No problem…
…until all the lines and connectors were different, the tight spacing for the nuts up behind the basin were damn near impossible to get to (requiring me to use 4 different sized crescent wrenches) and the whole time the ledge of the cabinet digging into my back the two hours it took me to complete the job.20 minute job my arse!
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@Mizmazzle those contortionist jobs are the best especially combined with the need to have the hands the size of a toddler with the strength of Hercules. Don’t want to forget the needed dexterity to balance the nut and washer on the tip of the finger hoping it’s doesn’t fall into some abyss that swallows all light. Then the joy of going to the hardware store to replace said nut and washer trying to explain what you’re looking for to the sales people. They know exactly what you need, but take great joy in you describing it and making you sweat
…or you decide not to ask for help and guidance, pick out something that should work, get home to realize that it doesn’t, to drive back and exchange it with your head hung in shame.
Not saying that any of this has ever happened to me
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@Mizmazzle our old house had a mortis lock stuck in a door some 2” thick. It took a locksmith (owner of the company in his 60’s) over 3 hours to fix it.
Recently I was trying to fix a shower faucet that was super stiff to turn and dripped. After a few youtubes and a hardware store run, I had it figured out. I didnt take into account that the ancient ass cartridge would be cold welded in place. Another hardware store run to luckily get the last cartridge puller in stock and about 90 more minutes of cussing and fighting and it finally freed up. The cherry on top was I installed the new cartridge and turned on the water to test it and accidentally soaked myself.
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Tired, sore, bloody knuckles, and soaked. Last time I try to be a plumber…
IG: bluehandsslim
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I got a leaky shower rn, not bad but need get it fixed. Was looking at YouTube videos but I learned a long time ago I’m not super handy. Plus YouTube videos make it seem way easier than it actually is for me.
My story is almost blew up my old apt and myself 5 or 6 years back. Replacing a thermocouple on hot water heater. I technically did it right, but the old handyman that installed hot water heater, didn’t install or leave drainage pipe/pan. So all the insulation was all water damaged. I Turned gas back on and light it up. Proud myself thought easy fix, the hot weather heater went boom, jumped like 2 feet in air and all the gas went up my shirt and hair/face. Luckly no flames, Was scary AF. I had handyman come next day and warned him my experience, same thing happened and he was scared as well, said he never saw that. We ended up needing a new hot water heater and valuable lesson learned -
@meatmarketdenim1 that’s scary as hell.
I’ve seen what happens when it doesn’t turn out wellThose are my principles, and if you don't like them…
Well, I have others. -
Every home project I do ends up turning into a can of worms. My wife noticed deteriorating grout in our shower so I started on that yesterday. It interrupts the garage I'm insulating for A/C, and the bathroom sink I need to re-attach to the wall because my daughter leaned on it too heavily. I got about 30 minutes into scraping out grout and decided it requires a power-tool solution. Which means I need to find time to run to the hardware store. Which means we have to shower in the kids' bathroom until I can finish. It never ends.
"The whole future lies in uncertainty: Live immediately."
-Seneca -
@meatmarketdenim1 holy shit man, that’s nuts!!!
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A few months ago, I stumbled upon a second-hand listing for a nearby Concorde bicycle. The frame was steel and it had a Campagnolo groupset. Driven by curiosity to learn something new and brush up on my technical skills, I decided to buy the bike for €170.
After doing some research, it turned out the bike was much more special than I initially thought. The frame was built in Italy in the early 1990s by a legendary frame builder under the name Coïc. Everything was still in original condition and working fine, except for the rear derailleur.
I started by giving everything a thorough clean, taking it all apart and putting it back together. For example, the seatpost and stem were completely stuck in the frame because the old grease had completely hardened. I stripped the rear triangle of surface rust, re-greased everything, replaced the bearings, and added a new saddle and handlebar tape. The only thing left to do was replace the rear derailleur.
For this, I went to a local bike shop. The technician's eyes went wide when he saw it, and he was more than happy to help me restore the bike to its former glory. He decided that the shift cable needed to be replaced, and since we had to get into the levers anyway, we might as well replace all the cables. He snipped everything, only to suddenly realize that the old cable wouldn't release from the shifter.
After more than an hour of fiddling, I decided to take the lever home—along with the piece of cable stuck inside—to drill it out myself. Three drill bits and two trips to the hardware store later, the stubborn cable was finally out.
The next day, I headed back to the bike shop and got everything mounted. Only one problem: the shifting still wasn't running smoothly. So, we decided to replace the cassette as well. With a final bill of €200 from the shop, the bike was finally finished.
However, one major issue remained: the frame is a size too small for me, so I decided to sell it. This whole adventure literally cost me many hours, blood, sweat, and tears, and a total bill of over €400. In the meantime, the bike is still up for sale because there currently seems to be an oversupply in the market. On the bright side, I've learned a lot, and the bike has turned into an absolute little gem.
"I hate a man that talks when he's got nothing to say." – Woodrow Call
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@steelworker
Yeah man it was scary. Turned off the gas line right after it happened. I was all shaking from adrenaline after, was kinda in shock like so close to blowing up. I Went and hugged my wife right after and told her the story. I already knew not to mess with electrical, and after that experience way more cautious. I manage a few properties my old place being one of them and its worth paying the professionals. My handyman skills are limited, keep it to small safe repairs if at all -
Aww def a lot work put into that. Huge bummer the bike doesn’t fit, and hopefully someone buys in soon.
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@meatmarketdenim1 if I manage to keep it in storage for about 4 to 6 years, I'll be a great bike for my oldest.
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I could also get a raised stem and get a longer seatpost, but that would ruin the look IMO.
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What saves me is that I have so little experience and self confidence on house DIY jobs (runs in the family), that I do normally not even attempt them. A daily reminder: We have a small entrance gate to our garden, where one of the support posts (the one without the hinges) rusted trough and broke off. Iron with wooden core. I tried pathetically to place a new wooden element inside and ram it into the ground. Since this obviously did not work, the gate is now missing a post, and has to be blocked with a piece of firewood. I could either have it replaced professionally, or buy a new gate but then would need to try and set it myself (I imaging digging holes, puring concrete, getting exact measurements right etc).
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Almost everything that involves being handy
My rule of thumb … if it requires a tool to fix it, I call for help
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@WhiskeySandwich the first house I bought was when I was a single guy. I loved doing house projects and learning new skills etc. If problems arose (and of course they did) I could leave things in a state of disarray while I problem solved over the course of days or even weeks.
Now that I’m married and we have our new shared home, that same level of grace period to complete “new skill” projects is not nearly so relaxed. Therefore, I don’t love house project nearly as much anymore.
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I find bigger projects go easier and simpler than the oh that will only take 10min jobs
Install a new kitchen not a problem goes to plan
Strip the floor for a sand and polish no problemsThe squeaky sliding door that should just need some cleaning and some lubricant 5 hours later and the door is still out of the cavity the sliders are in bits and I’m about to sink my 4th beer and lose my mind
