Who needs the pros!

Leif

alinwales wrote: »

Fitting a kitchen. I had fitters do it in my house a few years ago, it was wonderful. Then we moved to a house where the owners did it themselves. It was (and still is) a bit on the slightly-below-adequate side... to the point they stuck formica strips over the joints in the worktop, and none of the cupboard doors line up top and bottom (though I know I can adjust these myself).

I've seen bodging too. But my neighbour completely rewired his house, put up a shed and greenhouse on a proper foundation, put up wooden fences and so on, all done well. A friend down the road did his own bathroom. It's immaculate.

I suppose some people are neat workers, some aren't, some can work methodically, some can't. Anyone who calls themselves an engineer should be able to do DIY.

latecomer

I do most small things myself such as decorating, plumbing and electrics. Have done a few bathrooms over the years and a couple of kitchens. Have also had some poor tradesmen who have made me more determined to do things myself but to counter that I've also had some good ones who do the stuff I cant/wont do.

We had work done last year when we were thinking of selling quickly and although it cost around £10k it was work that would have taken me months to do and cost me time I should have spent with the family. We didn't move in the end but I dont regret spending it.

And on wednesday we had a leak upstairs through one of the downlighters, I dont do roofs. OH phoned the builder we used for the work above and he got in touch with a young roofer he uses and it was all (hopefully) sorted in about an hour and he and his mate got beer money for the weekend. Everyone happy.

BJV

MY Oh Is quiet good at DIY but I admire him more because he is not afraid to say no don't think i can do that. E.g he never touches anything to do with Gas, electric mains and plumbing but anything else fab. In fact he has just laid a wooden floor in the dinning room. We had had it professionally done in the living room and I honestly can not tell any difference if anything I would say the finish on the floor he did is better.