As a female how good are you at DIY?

[chickenriceorspud]

I'm very impressed at all these fabulous woman that can do their own DIY. I need to learn more.

How handy are you?

I am terrible, I tried to put a picture up this weekend and I've ended up with 6 holes in the wall and still no picture up.

Very good. Won’t touch electrics though (dad always told me never to mess with electrics).

Why are you embarrassed?

Hanging a door is not some beginner task. There is much more to it than you might imagine. It’s not hanging a picture. Most people don’t hang their own doors.

Can you afford to just call a joiner? There is absolutely no shame in employing one.

I can do everything. My hobby is to renovate houses, so there is nothing I can't do.

I just do some things a lot slower than the professionals. And I always have to triple check the regulations, as they change every two and a half bloody minutes.

My DIY skills are basic at best. DH's are even worse. I rely heavily on my Dad who can turn his hand to anything.

The most common problem for beginners is to just not take enough time to do a job.

So if you hang a door, putting the door up is only a small part of the job. You have to make sure the angles are right, you have to adjust things, you may have to plane bits. It really is one of the fiddlier jobs.

Similar with filling a big hole. You don't just bung a load of filler and leave it. You do it gradually, and sand off until it looks right. It doesn't matter how many iterations it takes, you just keep at it until it's right.

I come from a long line of "I'm not paying someone to do something that I can do myself". So I do it all. Sometimes badly, sometimes well.

I’m pretty good 😁 my dad was diligent about teaching me as a kid (we lived in a very sexist country where girls didn’t do those sorts of things). I can do wiring - I’ve done cable electrical underfloor heating, converted an existing lighting spur to spots etc. flooring I’m now a dab hand at. I’m looking to like plaster our walls as it’s an old stone cottage and it very much doesn’t like normal plaster. I watch a lot of YouTube videos!

having said that, I haven’t done the kick stands in the kitchen because we have a very higgedly floor (riven slate tiles) because I can’t seem to wrap my head around scribing. So if anyone has any tips that’d be greatly appreciated!!

I'm absolutely terrible, can change a lightbulb and thats it. I have never really learned to sew or knit either so I fail at all practical tasks, though I can sort of darn a sock if I have to. I can cook but even then it's not technical stuff.

I employ people to do all DIY and pay on the nail without question because I at least value the skills, even if I can't do them.

Pretty good, same as my husband. It’s not something I’ve really thought about and certainly not something I would say is a skill based on sex.

Yesterday I put up shelves and hooks in the nook for coats etc. Tomorrow I'm putting up some shelves in my bedroom. I definitely can do putting up shelves. I decorated DC bedroom single-handed and built the furniture and fitted the carpet but I get in professional decorators for the downstairs rooms because I recognise my efforts are a little amateurish and prefer a higher standard for the rooms visitors will see more of.

I won't attempt electrical work because it's safety critical or plumbing (beyond replacing a washer in a tap which I can do) because it's icky.

DH is almost totally useless at DIY - can rewire a plug and drill a hole in a wall if needed but will only do so under duress.

@PermanentTemporary I’m shit a sewing too. I can crochet. But I find sewing annoying and tedious.

I’m particularly atrocious at gardening. I hate gardening. I cannot see why anyone enjoys it.

Brilliant. But I've been doing it for 45 years.

First house we bought we replaced the roof ourselves!!

Don't enjoy it so much now though.

And for the PP that said 'there are evening classes' I don't know where you live but our college hasn't done that type of adult classes for decades!!!

And I bet all these DIYing women do all the daily household tasks and childcare too!🤣

Unlike DIYing men who claim that putting up a yearly shelf is 50% of the domestic tasks.

I do sometimes wonder what people put on all those shelves......

I think I could have done better if I had had someone to hold the door while I was screwing the hinges on.

The hole is about 30cm x 40cm. I have watched videos so I know what to do. But I don't think it will look very nice when I have done it. I need to manhandle a whole sheet of plasterboard too.

We’re both capable of most things, but neither of us like doing it so now we pay someone to do things we need doing most of the time.

If I apply myself I'm more than capable to do basic diy but I absolutely hate it so I don't apply myself🤣

Some jobs are almost impossible to do as one person. Don't beat yourself up about it.

If you have dc, they'll soon enough become big enough to help.

Prob as able as my husband, but more willing, I don’t understand the mind set though, you don’t need a penis to diy, you just google how it’s done, or ask someone to show you, and do it.

you and all your female relatives are perfectly capable of doing diy unless a disability, choosing not to and playing the helpless female , letting a man do it, is a choice. It’s not a gender limitation.

I can paint and wallpaper to a decent standard. I'm going to paint the kitchen cupboards. I also did a plastering course and would tackle a small job, but probably not a whole room and definitely not a ceiling (my back wouldn't cope with that).

I have never tiled but would have a go at it, although I'll be getting someone in to do the bathroom as the whole thing is being replaced and I just want it done quickly.

Electrics - have done very basic things like changing a plug socket or light pendant, would only replace like with like though.

I would like to learn a bit of wood work. I'd like to panel my study. But think that's one for when the weather is a bit better and I can do the cutting outside. We have a circular saw but I might need to borrow a mitre saw from somewhere.

I know nothing about plumbing.

Husband can turn his hand to most practical jobs like plumbing, tiling etc (also used to do a lot of the maintenance for our cars when we had older cars and no money) but he's hopeless at decorating.

Our local college doesn't do any DIY type courses at all, unless you want to be a full time apprentice.

Not in my house or any of my friends houses. Living like that is a choice.

I could have written this. DH always prefers to get someone in & then moan about the quality of the workmanship & the cost. Fortunately I have a couple of friends (one male, one female) who can help me out with stuff & we do it when he's working away.

Don't do any, have zero interest. Delegate this to DH

I am embarrassed because I am not competent at life. Most people can accomplish basic tasks, and more so if they are on their own and supposed to be self reliant. I could get a joiner for one or two tasks but not for everything that needs doing and the list grows longer every week.

DI what now?

I tried to use a screwdriver once, didn't go very well.