How handy are you?

[NowNumber5]

Are you any good at DIY?

Can you just about put together a Billy Bookcase or are you capable of building a summerhouse off plan, complete with indoor plumbing and fully insulated in a couple of hours?!

I’m not too bad (actually better than DH 😉 ), can definitely assemble flat packs, and am quite proficient with an electric drill but would love to learn other skills!

Any horror stories of DIY gone badly wrong?

Building a summerhouse (well, an office…) is actually the next challenge on my list - no plumbing but definitely insulated plumbing is actually the one thing I am a bit scared of, but otherwise I’ll try my hand at anything. No bad DIY stories, my biggest fail to date was when my drill bit broke and the tip fell behind the wall. Oh welll 😂

I consider myself very good at DIY. My dad was useless growing up, my mum was always the one with a fully stocked toolbox and I think I've taken on this trait too. I love putting furniture together, I did actually put together two Billy Bookcases with drawer inserts this past May, loved it. Took me about 3 hours altogether. Have always wanted a proper workshop with the right saws and tools to make just about anything, and I have been making miniature dollhouse type builds for many years. I would just love to make things full scale! When we have our own house I'll definitely invest in some saws, a workbench, all the trimmings!

I'm pretty handy, my husband is too although in different ways to me but together we make a great DIY team. We've done some really fun projects together like a complete redesign of the garden and a self build campervan conversion.

Wow, you guys are good!

@justasoul I am scared of plumbing too. Does your summerhouse/office come in prefab kit form? What size are you looking at?

@GR8GAL It sounds like you could actually build your own house - complete with workshop!

@shivawn That sounds amazing, you are a DIY dream team. Do you have future projects on the horizon?

Re flat packs - has anyone done any IKEA hacks with great results?

I'm not too bad but DH is very good at plumbing, electrical stuff, decorating and general DIY. So I have to make sure I get to do stuff before he enthusiastically takes over.

@NowNumber5 no, I bought a book called ‘How to build a shed’ and adapted their plan to suit 😁 looks reasonably simple, but we’ll see! 🤣 if I remember correctly it’s 4.5 x 2.3m, 1/3 shed and 2/3 office.

I’m not bad, but my sister is way better. We were preparing to have the bathroom done and she said “I could do that”…she then proceeded to tile the whole bathroom floor to a professional standard at 15 years old

@justasoul Famous last words “looks reasonably simple…” 😆
I think I need that book in my life!

@WetBandits That is seriously impressive! Tell me, does she have any time in her schedule, say, December? 😁

@FourChimneys You are living the dream!

I quite like a bit of DIY, but DH says I’m too much of a perfectionist. I just say if a job’s worth doing, it’s worth doing properly.

@NowNumber5

the book is amazing, beautifully illustrated and incredibly detailed - and written by a woman. I will let you know if it works 😂

@justasoul Now that is my kinda book! Genuinely thanks for sharing. I will definitely look out for an update from you 😂

Yep pretty handy.

Between my husband and me.... absolutely useless. Hoping to send the kids to some trades course in secondary school as part of their fourth year.

Yep, I'm pretty handy and have gotten more skilled and knowledgeable over the years. Won't do plumbing but can do basic electrics (changing light switches, plug sockets, light fittings).

Wouldn't lay a carpet (maybe a small one) but am happy to do the underlay.

Decorated a room last year including fixing a knackered ceiling, building false walls and ceiling in a cupboard and building shelves the whole way round. The whole project took 3 months.

Have tried some bricklaying too 🥴.

I can assemble flat pack stuff, but am useless at much else. My mum is ace at DIY, so she does it for me.

My limit isn't following simple instructions but physical strength. I do wish I could still manage a Billy. Bookcase.

I’m good at flat pack stuff. Built a few Billy bookcases, PAX wardrobes and Malm chest of drawers in my time. DH and I just built a flat pack wooden gazebo which was pretty challenging. I also do tiling. Tiled our kitchen and bathrooms. Last year DH and I tried our hand at plumbing in a small sink which went well (but it already had those bendy pipes and the waste plumbed in). I’ve also done lots of painting and filling in holes with poly filler. We changed all the door handles in the house. DH is now talking about getting a concrete mixer as we need some outside work doing and finding it hard to get a builder. We are now both getting older though and I find it more physically tough than I did when we were younger.

Yes, handy.
I don't do electrics but will have a go at everything else.

Useless. Willing to have a go but DH is no longer willing to have to rescue me. We play to our own strengths and mine is not DIY. I have made curtains and hung them though…and DH wouldn’t be up for that!

I grew up in a household where I was carefully taught how to get three quotes and arrange to have the work done.

You asked for disasters…boiler went out when DH was working until midnight. DC were cold (mid winter). Boiler pressure was low. I Youtubed how to re pressure our brand of boiler. Did so. Didn’t realise the accurate gauge was under the boiler so tried to do it using the digital gauge. Over pressured boiler. Turned off tap thing, unhooked tubing I’d attached to add water. Only I hadn’t turned it off but on full. Water everywhere, I’m drenched. Turn off tap. Boiler now leaking through safety valve. More water everywhere. I’m at drowned rat stage. Find DIY help online that tells me to bleed radiators. DH arrives home early from work to find me sodden, bleeding radiators and running to and fro to check I don’t go to far and depressurise the system. Lifetime ban from all heating systems. I maintain I would have eventually got there and DC we’re at least snug.

Oh, OP, you have hit a nail on the head for me (excuse the pun) I am also in total admiration of most of the previous posters on here. When it comes to "common DIY" flat pack etc, I will have a good go, and I do read the instructions which massively helps. But, I would pay good money if there was an evening class that taught all comers (not just women, anyone who felt a bit hopeless tbh) "practical stuff" whilst fully acknowledging boundaries - for example, do not try rewiring your whole house if you are not an electrician. There is SO much that can be done fairly simply with just a few tools. I am fed up of feeling a bit helpless when something goes wrong, or I want to do something that I KNOW is a ten minute easy job for a professional - and although I recognise I could google (do you trust it though?), or, the alternative is, for just one aspect, go on a course which is too in-depth on one subject, and too time consuming for what I actually need. One day the car won't start, the next day the boiler has gone off, the next the lights are not working, then I need to put up a picture. You need to know when you are beat, and to call a tradesperson in (without getting bullshitted). Thankfully, for some of us, this stuff is sorted by others who care about us "your grandad will come round", "I will ask Johnny at the pub" but not everyone does, and actually, I want to do this stuff for myself.

How I'd love to build my own house! The only things I won't mess with are electrics and plumbing. But carpentry, plastering, tiling, coving, carpeting, painting, wallpapering....done it all at this stage. I really enjoy learning things myself and hate relying on other people. As the saying goes, if you want something done do it yourself!

How I'd love to build my own house! The only things I won't mess with are electrics and plumbing. But carpentry, plastering, tiling, coving, carpeting, painting, wallpapering....done it all at this stage. I really enjoy learning things myself and hate relying on other people. As the saying goes, if you want something done do it yourself!

But can you get a professional finish? My friend prides herself on doing all this herself, and it shows.

I can build any flatpack, put up curtain rails and similar, paint and sand and generally wing it on a fairly base level for everything else. Would love to learn a bit more properly. When you're a single parent you have to do EVERYTHING yourself so it pays to learn and be a bit practical. Could definitely improve though.