How proficient are your DIY skills?

[CardboardBoxesLily]

I feel rather proud when I’ve hung a mirror or shelf (simple, I know) and just wondering how skilled others are in DIY? Are you confident using power tools, saws and so on? Any tips or general advice?

YABU - I can do basic DIY
YANBU - I need help with most DIY

Working on the house with your Dad must have been such a great learning experience. I feel like I can do things now from having experienced the super basics getting involved with family when young, yet hadn’t realised it at the time.

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 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.

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 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 😀

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.

So true. YouTube is such a fabulous resource for learning these things.

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 😅

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!

Everybody with all of these skills is really inspiring and empowering. I find confidence grows each time you tackle a new task e.g. ‘oh, drilling into this type of wall and using the correct fixing isn’t as scary as I thought’ once you’ve done it.

I’m not looking forward to paying thousands to have a patio laid next year but I watched some YouTube videos and it does seem extremely complex.

@ForgedForDrizzleAndDisappointmenti think you live in my house!!

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.

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 😂