How proficient are your DIY skills?

On the noise of power tools, I will admit that I could never use a chainsaw. Even the smaller ones. Its partly noise and partly that I think it will go wildly out of control and saw me in half 😂

I used to do more when I was young and lacking funds! I’ve wallpapered a couple bathrooms, lined and painted a livingroom, constructed umpteen flat pack furniture…hung numerous shelves/paintings/mirrors. I am less confident with power tools beyond drills though. Now I pay for someone to do stuff.

@ForgedForDrizzleAndDisappointmenti think you live in my house!!

I can hang mirrors and shelves etc. Things like very large TVs I get a professional to do. Likewise anything to do with water or electricity!

I used to able to do most things I needed. Unfortunately due to my health i can't anymore.

My dad taught me loads of things, from changing a plug to decorating a room. He also taught me to cook (not very well 😅) and bake, sew and knit. Im not as creative as he was, sadly

Wish I could still manage the basic DIY stuff, but I guess thats what a son in law and grandchildren are for 😅

Read this thread and be amazed, https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/property/5481274-help-shower-waste-level-trouble-how-to-adjust-this-copper-to-cast-iron-junction-pics?page=1 I like to think I know the basics, but would never have considered that was possible as a diy project.

I despise it, I'm not very good at it, I had to do loads in a previous house, now I don't have to any more, so I avoid it if I possibly can 😀

Mine are horrendous. I can't visualise how to put things together even with a set of instructions in front of me. I'm autistic though and for me it's my executive functioning skills that let me down. I just get really stressed and have been known to lob everything on the floor and cry, lol.

I can do most things, including fitting a kitchen. Dad taught us from a young age, siblings are the same, we grew up in a rural lifestyle so were making jumps for ponies and fixing fences from very young. I draw the line at floor tiling, I will do click flooring. My bro will tile a floor with no thoughts at all.

I can do basic things that require patience, strength, fitness more than serious trade skills. Loft insulation, the grunt work involved in building a patio, painting, sanding, filling walls, stripping floorboards. I did rewire a couple of lamps once. Plus lots of heavy garden work. But I am less inclined to do it these days, partly because at 60, I don’t really want to spend the next couple of decades as I have done the last, and I’m more willing to pay a skilled worker to do something in half the time and many times better.

I found my diy skills improved exponentially when we first bought our house and were super poor!

Honestly, there's a you tube video on how to do almost anything!

Absolutely zero. I’m not proud. I am incredibly useless and lazy.

I made myself do some sanding on the upstairs floor recently, with headphones. Like you I associate the sound with bad things happening. I've always been the same, no idea why.

I don't like the noise.

Power tools, lawn mower, washing machine at full spin.

It makes me want to escape my own skin iyswim.

Hammer and nails, fine. Putting flat-pack together, no problem.

I know how to do it. I just won't - and earplugs etc don't help.

I love a power tool! One of my best presents ever is a cordless drill/driver.
I can do most things except plumbing (OH isn't bad at basic stuff) and living in a Victorian property, I'd love to be able to plaster. That is definitely a job for a professional.
There are jobs I won't do again eg fitting laminate flooring (ruined my knees) and balancing on the bannister to paint our very high stairwell.

I think if I got on and used them I'd get over it. I associate loud noise with something bad happening for some reason. I used to hate the blender but I'm fine now I'm used to it. I did try a jigsaw recently but turned it off as soon as it was on but it took a second ro tow to actually stop and I ended up with a wonky shelf 😂. Luckily it's in a cupboard.

I'm not autistic but I'm like that with the noise. Headphones help, but with drills you need to hear the change in sound.
I have had to get past it to some degree as I used to struggle with the hoover noise and had to leave the house when the washing machine was on.

Very proficient. I'm an engineer so there'd be something very wrong if I couldn't manage some DIY.

That said, I absolutely hate DIY and definitely don't want to spend my leisure time doing it so I almost always just get someone in.

I can do a fair bit and if a job comes up that I'm not sure of, then I will research, watch YouTube videos etc. I can be a bit of a geek and quite like learning this stuff!

I also do all my own decorating. Decorators charge an absolute fortune and I've seen enough complaints about their work to know its no guarantee they'd do a better job than me.

I don't really like paying people to do things I can do myself. I'm not tight generally, can spend a bit too much on other things! But I do have a lot of free time to do stuff myself.

@Meadowfinch
"I can repair a bike puncture, do basic car maintenance like oil levels and coolant etc and change a wheel in an emergency."

Well done.👍

That reminds me.
When In started to drive my Ddad suggested I went on a basic car maintenance course at the local collage, proved to be very useful and I think some level of competency should be compulsory.
I was already fairly practical as I was driving cars (on private property) at a very young age and at 16 started riding a moped as it was the only way to get to work & college. That sort of thing tends to make you independent very quickly.