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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to say women who live with men don't own power tools

212 replies

54321nought · 23/08/2021 10:28

Iooking at the early responses, I maybe asked the wrong question, many women are responding that they own "small" tools or "small" toolboxes, but not the power tools,

so basically the same again

YABU- I am a woman living with a man, and I own power tools, or share equal ownership of the power tools in our household

YANBU - I am a woman living with a man, and he owns the power tools in this house, or mostly owns them

Again, if you don't live with a man, please don't vote, but please comment

OP posts:
lovelybitofsquirrell · 23/08/2021 12:48

It's an odd question. I don't really know what you are trying to achieve by two threads.

  1. Either they are in the house and jointly owned. Regardless of who purchases it.
  2. One of the partners is a tradesperson. So they are their work tools that get used in the house if something needs doing.

I bought a new knife block last week, it's not mine, it's just in the house. I think it's the same thing really

lovelybitofsquirrell · 23/08/2021 12:49

@Comefromaway

We own tools including power tools. Dh bought them. However neither of us have any clue what to do with them.
Love this comment !
Tuscancat · 23/08/2021 12:51

All shared, everything apart from hedge trimmer which I have never laid a finger on.

DDIJ · 23/08/2021 12:52

This reply has been withdrawn

Message from MNHQ: This post has been withdrawn

Stompythedinosaur · 23/08/2021 13:25

I do the DIY in our household and I bought the power tools. I suppose they are technically half dp's as we share money.

FuzzyPuffling · 23/08/2021 13:27

I live with a man and all the power tools are mine.

altiara · 23/08/2021 13:31

When I lived with ex DH, I would’ve said we had a drill etc but now we’ve split up, I see that I own nothing bar a couple of screwdrivers and he owned all the tools, power tools and interesting stuff.
He also accumulated my wallpaper stripper and sealant gun.

I on the other hand have discovered task rabbit and they come and put furniture together/other small tasks and it’s then done.

tedsletterofthelaw · 23/08/2021 13:32

I have my own drill. I had it when I was single and came with us when I first moved in with DH Smile

Falleybollolo · 23/08/2021 13:39

'teacher' and 'Isle'
🙈
Biscuit

lazylinguist · 23/08/2021 13:39

Dh is the diy-er in our house. I mean... the power tools technically don't belong to him, they are bought out of the joint account and are used for doing things to the house we both own, so really they belong to both of us. But he buys them and uses them. I've used the sander a few times. And an electric drill maybe once.

I'm pretty sure I have never personally bought so much as a screwdriver. I'm a feminist, and I guess that’s pretty crap. I generally do the decorating,and I wouldn't be apprehensive about having a go at the heavier diy, but dh actively enjoys it and I have plenty of other stuff to do, so I don't.

Miliao · 23/08/2021 13:43

I own the majority of the tools and love doing DIY. YABU.

Elephantsparade · 23/08/2021 13:47

Well they are our tools but he uses more of them more often. I decorate so use a little electric sander and a steamer for wallpaper stripping. I have an electric screwdriver for building flatpack furniture or minor things.

But he does drilling into wall, circular sawing, tiling cutting, wood choppering, chainsawing.

Madcats · 23/08/2021 13:51

I'm the one that does the decorating in the house; I bought myself a sander and power screwdriver. Are hedge clippers a power tool? I had to buy those, too, as we have a stupid number of over enthusiastic shrubs.

DH bought his drill and does the electric and most of the plumbing repairs (brute strength).

Row1n · 23/08/2021 13:52

My dh mostly uses the hoover, I use the drill, multitool, nail gun etc etc. Not smaller versions of tools, the proper sized ones

Coogee · 23/08/2021 13:56

I have some powertools left over from when I was single but they have been absorbed into the general household powertool collection, which is quite extensive. My husband gets Christmas cards from Makita.

pinkhousesarebest · 23/08/2021 13:56

I bought, own and use all the power tools.
Dh has a large cookbook collection.

SparksAndLarks · 23/08/2021 14:01

The tools are all jointly owned like everything else
.
.
.however
.
.
.
I would class them more as mine in use because DH is not good at DIY. I am very good at it.

The circular saw, sander, dremel, drill, heat gun, electric screwdriver, jigsaw, small tools, gadgets, masonry and decorating materials are all my remit to organise and are found most often in my hands.

DH cannot be trusted to even use the tape measure accurately.

I choose the tools, do the research, read the reviews, order and pay. DH fetches things using Click & Collect.

Couldn't send him out for even a packet of screws.
He would get confused in the shop, leave the store before claiming Wickes don't sell screws (yes, really).

Even if he was good, I think I would still be the one holding the tools though as I love it and he doesn't really enjoy DIY much.

Patapouf · 23/08/2021 14:20

YABU

MarioPants · 23/08/2021 14:40

@SparksAndLarks

The tools are all jointly owned like everything else . . .however . . . I would class them more as mine in use because DH is not good at DIY. I am very good at it.

The circular saw, sander, dremel, drill, heat gun, electric screwdriver, jigsaw, small tools, gadgets, masonry and decorating materials are all my remit to organise and are found most often in my hands.

DH cannot be trusted to even use the tape measure accurately.

I choose the tools, do the research, read the reviews, order and pay. DH fetches things using Click & Collect.

Couldn't send him out for even a packet of screws.
He would get confused in the shop, leave the store before claiming Wickes don't sell screws (yes, really).

Even if he was good, I think I would still be the one holding the tools though as I love it and he doesn't really enjoy DIY much.

Mine is the same. He finds shopping difficult without very specific instructions. I recently sent him to the supermarket with a recipe and said "this is for one person so you'll need to buy double". He came out with less than enough for one person because he "got confused". When I tried to question what was confusing about doubling a recipe or why he didn't Google how to convert ounces to grams he couldn't give me an answer.
lauren234 · 23/08/2021 14:41

I do all the diy in my house, I brought all the tools we own. My husband has no interest in it

Ronnii · 23/08/2021 14:48

I own the tool box but we have no power tools in the house. If we did going forward it would be joint owned and likely used by me.

Enko · 23/08/2021 14:50

Married 25 years neither of us own power tools. We have got a box with muddled up screwdrivers etc does that count?

Enko · 23/08/2021 14:50

Ps I think there is a hammer in there too

Dilbertian · 23/08/2021 15:18

[quote FusionChefGeoff]@isthisareverse and others feigning faux confusion - surely you understand the concept that in a lot of relationships the DIY is heavily 'owned' by one member and therefore the tools to do that DIY would be considered 'theirs'?

Of course you're so equal and progressive we would never so that about YOUR relationship.....

But It's not that alien an idea that OTHER people might do it differently?![/quote]
I had a hammer drill long before I ever had dh. But he loved using it, and it fitted his big hands better than it fitted mines (as a PP pointed out, they tend to be made for larger hands). Within a few years it effectively became 'his'.

TractorAndHeadphones · 23/08/2021 15:20

Our house power tools are technically DP’s because his family bought him the lot for a birthday. I didn’t have any because I lived mostly in furnished places and got the LL to fix everything.
I’m not very good at DIY so DP does it.