DSWTK - DIY or not, and why?

[Captain Starfish]

Blessed as we are with the wide variety of personalities here, it's occasionally interesting to poke it with a big stick and see the different responses. Unfortunately, I only have a small stick. And I'm too subtle and polite to cause a fuss. So I'll ask a question instead.

Do It Yourself.

Be it fixing a busted tap washer, doing an oil change, replacing a piston, re-wiring your house or building a rocket that can take you and your pet flamingo Bruce into (and hopefully back out of) orbit.

Some people shudder at the thought, and reach for the yellow pages to find "the fella that does that stuff".
Some people don't have the skills, the sense, the time, or the inclination to tinker and happily pay someone else to make the problem go away.
Some people firmly believe in job demarcation and thus don't even think about it - they get someone else to do it.
Some people get a quote, freak, think (usually wrongly) that they can do it cheaper themselves.
And some people like to know how stuff works, and get a thrill out of bringing something back to life.

So, PSBers - how about you? Are you a DIYer? Do you have the knack? The fear? The loathing? The anti-knack reverse Midas touch where everything you touch turns to shit?

Tell us where you draw the line. Tell us a heartwarming story of DIY gone right. Tell us a side splitting (or at least sympathetic groan eliciting) tale of DIY gone horribly wrong.

[PBF]

There was a time where I would have tried to outsource everything I could.

Never was too handy. In the last few years though, I have changed my mentality a bit. Skills aren't that much better, but the enjoyment i get out of doing simple jobs is such that i now find myself wanting greater challenges. Still not doing big stuff, but with the increased enjoyment, comes increased skills for more basic things.

[agrid]

I used to DIY everything, home renovation, bike/car restoration, nike/car engine rebuilding etc. These days I have much more responsibility at work and at home and would rather spend time riding than wrenching so have started paying people. That or I've just become lazier.

I was thinking the other day, after paying someone to service the Ducati, that my pay increases probably don't cover the work I now pay people to do, and I was probably better off in the old days.

The ridiculous thing is that I now do the servicing on my kids cars to save them some money, but pay hundreds to have my own car serviced.

I did clean my own chain today though.

[benlikesbikes]

DIYer, I'd rather spend the money on buying the tools and learn than pay someone to do a shit job, it ends up taking me longer but at least I know its done properly, that applies to all mechanical, IT or general handyman stuff. I do draw the line at panelbeating and spraypainting though, need too much gear and its a talent I just don't have. I need to learn how to weld too. I like the satisfaction of doing something myself, but there are many times when I think why am I being cheap and just pay for it to be done.
Nothing like the first start of a motor after a rebuild to make all the skinned knuckles worth while.

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[Orson]

Depends on the severity of the task and what's required.

As far as home/house stuff goes, from memory, I've only ever shelled out one time for a contractor/tradesman and that was when there was a cracked water pipe between the mains and the house at my investment property. Gave the Real Estate agent the go-ahead to call in "their" plumber.

Have done everything else myself....

When it comes to cars/bikes, there is a very limited range of things I'm willing to turn my hand to. Happy to do an oil/filter/coolant change, change a set of pads, replace radiator hose and other tasks around that calibre, but I am otherwise more than happy to pay good money to someone else who knows what their doing.

[Shortfuse]

I removed a wall once to make the house open plan. Turns out it was a load bearing wall. Things got a bit funky.

I replaced my bathroom vanity and snapped the water pipe in the wall cavity on boxing day night. Things got expensive.

I retiled a bathroom with no tiling experience. How hard can it be? Things got re-done by a professional.

[agrid]

I even dug up and cleared my own sewerage pipes once. Nothing like digging through your own shit to save a few bucks.

[Orson]

I removed a wall once to make the house open plan. Turns out it was a load bearing wall. Things got a bit funky.

I replaced my bathroom vanity and snapped the water pipe in the wall cavity on boxing day night. Things got expensive.

I retiled a bathroom with no tiling experience. How hard can it be? Things got re-done by a professional.

But you can strip and rebuild the hell out of a 6 cyl motorcycle engine right?

[xsnoiz]

DIY - because I can. Last DIY was an ignition barrel and switch on the VX, prior to that an ABS module replacement. Hell, I pull brand new cars apart on a regular basis

[agrid]

I snapped a tendon in my finger playing basketball and spent about $800 bucks on a hand specialist in West Perth to have it straightened. It looks just like the rest and has 95% movement.

Later, when I snapped the same tendon in another finger I thought "How hard can it be".

It looks like a claw.

[gongzee]

I always try to DIY, though I research first and generally find that it's out of my skill level (which is pretty low to begin with). It generally has to be something im interested in as well. For example, tiling or paving does not interest me = outsourcing. Working on mechanical things = funner.

[Stoneville]

been there done that, Andy is the DIY guy, there's not much he can't do (apart from cars, his friend comes in handy here), he build the house we live in, took him a year to do it. He is getting picky now and won't offer to help other people with dirty jobs anymore, but he won't ever pay anyone to do anything, unless of course it is electrical/plumbing (major).

[Captain Starfish]

I tend to give stuff a go. Sometimes it works out really well - I've saved thousands on bike servicing and major repairs, and I now generally have a pretty good idea of what sounds are normal and where they're coming from.

Sometimes it's not so great. I'm in the process of trying to DIY an underwater torch, have been for ages. I'm up to about MkIII now which stayed watertight through a dive on Saturday, worked awesomely and then promptly fried itself after I got back on the boat I'm enjoying the challenge and learning a lot, so will persist. But (as Kylie correctly and often points out) for what I've spent on bits so far I could have just bought a really nice torch.

[Rich]

Depends what it is, but generally I do it myself...

I once got a fucked up TV when I was broke, went to the library and got a book about TVs and fixed that fucker...

Worked really good I could even listen to one side of some radio telephone calls, really needed a second TV so i could tune into the other side...

[Dragunov-21]

I love DIYing, but I used to try and do stuff without the appropriate tools, which I've only recently accepted is usually more expensive and far less enjoyable.

Computers, electrical, appliance, simple mechanical stuff, fine, but when it comes to my car I can't afford to have it off the road because I tried something and couldn't get it working over the weekend, so I drew the line at pad changes when I couldn't get the calipers off and needed it done within a couple days. When I get a company car I'll be pulling it apart to see how it ticks.

I'm about to start renovating my home. Paint, carpentry and elec will be all me (with the help of my folks). Plastering I'll probably get done by a tradesman if I can find one recommended.

[Dragunov-21]

I tend to give stuff a go. Sometimes it works out really well - I've saved thousands on bike servicing and major repairs, and I now generally have a pretty good idea of what sounds are normal and where they're coming from.

Sometimes it's not so great. I'm in the process of trying to DIY an underwater torch, have been for ages. I'm up to about MkIII now which stayed watertight through a dive on Saturday, worked awesomely and then promptly fried itself after I got back on the boat I'm enjoying the challenge and learning a lot, so will persist. But (as Kylie correctly and often points out) for what I've spent on bits so far I could have just bought a really nice torch.

Doesn't seem like it should be so hard... challenge accepted.

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[Sheikh Yerbouti]

With a workshop manual and a socket set ill give it a go, maybe 50% of the time it ends in tears and the shop..

[Captain Starfish]

Dragunov - aha, that's what I said when I got started

[Sonik]

<- Obviously I'm a big fan of DIY and inventing things to work around problems

That said, when I worked for a domestic electrical company I used to dread the home DIY'er who would have a go at fixing their appliances and then give up and dump a box full of parts on me. It is much harder to diagnose faults on a box of bits than a complete appliance and even harder to work out how it goes back together without pulling it apart myself.

[Dragunov-21]

Dragunov - aha, that's what I said when I got started

Wait, what sort of torch? Just realised for diving it's have to be a big bastard like a dolphin torch, yeah? And how deep's it have to be good for?

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