35 year old man I'm seeing doesn't know how to plumb a washing machine in. Would this be a turn off to you?!

[yourcolourgrey]

This made me feel weird about him. Completely over the top, I know. But does anyone else think this is un-sexy? Or is it just me?

Do you mean 'plumb it in' (that is, provide a feed and waste to the machine) or connect the machine to a feed and waste that already happen to be there? The first requires plumbing skills whilst the second merely requires knowledge of how to screw a hose on to a washing machine feed tap (left to tighten, right to loosen) and how to hook up to the waste pipe. Delivery men will often do the second, but not the first as that would clearly take some time. Which of those 2 is your man unable to do?

I'd stand over him and tell him how to do it if I needed it doing and my useless hands weren't cooperating but it would make me worry about how bloody useless he is in other respects. I mean bad enough that he doesn't know how to do it, but even worse that he doesn't know how to look it up on the Internet and decide whether or not he still can't do it. Lack of resourcefulness really is a turn off (though was a long way down the list of reasons why I LTB when he was 35 and couldn't even do something that basic).

coffeeisnectar LOL" "hello, I am Hans ze vashink machine man! I haff brought ze big spanner mit me. Vould you like to see ze big spanner? It iss in my massive toolbox."

I prefer my DH to keep doing what he's good at doing and being successful, that's pretty sexy. The fact he can't plumb a household appliance in doesn't bother me. Altgough this is the first washing machine we ever bought and the men who delivered it plumbed it in, so maybe I denied him the chance to get all sexy and 'manly' for me. If this is your way of saying you think he's a man child who can't do anything, I don't have a problem with people paying other people to do things they don't want to.

My 36 y/o DP has the softest hands in the world, never done a hard day's work in their lives. He has other skills more impressive and more of a turn on than plumbing!

I know this isn't AIBU but YABU!

It would entirely depend on his attitude to it.

If it was 'no, I've never done it, I assume it's straightforward, I'll give it a go' then fine. If it was no, I'll pay the delivery people 50 quid to do it for me, I would be worried about his profligate spending habits, and probably wouldn't see much future, but if it was one of horror at the idea of getting his hands dirty then yes it would be a turnoff.

Now I know where I've been going wrong when trying to attract a woman!

I haven't advertised the fact that not only can I plumb a washing machine in, I'm a qualified electrician, I can fit bathrooms and kitchens and generally most jobs around the house. AND I can cook, do the washing, iron,mow the lawn, vacuum.......etc. etc.

OP, you're very shallow

Unless "plumbing in a washing machine" is a euphemism for something else then no it wouldn't bother me at all.

I was told by an ex once that my lack of ironing ability was a turn-off. He didn't last long

Thinking about it, one of the first things DH ever did for me was replace the brushes in the knackered old washing machine in the flat I was renting at the time. More recently, he changed a 3 way valve that had clogged up with limescale in a washer dryer that was just out of warranty and got the money back for the parts from the manufacturer. That sort of resourcefulness is pretty damned sexy, actually.

He swears marginally more when he's doing those sorts of jobs than when he's writing code, though.

Do you mean he's never done it before, or couldn't follow the instructions to do it?

Yes I have a questionnaire.

1. Can you plumb in a washing machine?
2. Do you know where the tip is?
3. Can you do flat pack?
4. Do you know where the stop cock is?

If any of these are no then he is not getting in my knickers.

Well I only learnt how to connect up a washing machine recently. However, I did know how to change a leaky washer, lay a wooden floor, and numerous other DIY stuff.

On the other hand 35y/o DH doesn't have a danny.

Ineed, I can just see it on match.com: "required: man who has GSOH and knows his way around a toolbox"

Also, we have not been told whose washing machine the gentleman is failing to install. If his own, I'd say it's nobody else's business. If not his own, whoever is asking him to do it for them is a cheeky fecker and should jolly well do it/pay to have it done themselves. So, er, same result really.

Hilarious thread! I am very grateful that my inability to churn out consistently edible meals didn't turn DH off. He can do pretty much anything he puts his mind to and it's very sexy.

DP would have said he didn't until a couple of years ago - I did our last one and it turned out he thought it was some really complicated bit of DIY. I was a bit reluctant to ruin his opinion of me as some sort of guru.

Sadly he now knows that it is screwing a tube to a tap and is quite a bit less impressed by me.

Oh God, just remembered, a male "friend" plumbed in a washing machine for me once. He also tried it on with me, when I was very pissed, emotional and in a bad place. Strangely, i wasn't impressed enough by his mad plumbing skillz to get off with him...

Really? How hard can it be. Especially if there is already a hot and cold water supply and waste from the old washing machine.
It is very very simple!
Just screw the new pipes into where the old ones came from.
red for hot, blue for cold and grey for waste.

Every man should be able to install (its not plumbing) a washing machine and dishwasher as well as repair a bike puncture and light a fire.

Hmmm
I'm on the fence with this.
If I can't do something I need to do and it's a reasonable thing to be able to do - not like electrics or plastering or welding - I use the internet to find out how to do it.
If a bloke couldn't/wouldn't do likewise, I'd think we weren't soulmates because I can't stand a lazy fecker of either gender. I don't find incompetence attractive.
That would apply to him being able to stuff that was traditionally 'woman's work' as well as plumbing though.

I'm thinking a more useful attribute would be having the skill and willingness to correctly operate said washing machine, no matter who plumbed it in.

I'm 42 and don't know how to plumb a washing machine in.

I'm guessing the OP doesn't either?

What happened to equality or is this yet another example of women expecting more from men than men do from women?

ouryve I'm liking the sound of him.
Has he got nice hairy forearms when he rolls up his shirtsleeves and takes off his tie?

YABU unless he's your co star in a porn film.

wideboy26 I thought it was 'righty tighty lefty loosy'??

Turn it on and use it yes - plumb it in no!