For the Home Improvement Gurus

[SlyHigh]

What type of work do you like and dislike?

My favorites are probably electrical and landscaping.  If I was to do a trade it would be an electrician.  In my current house I'm 95% done rewiring the whole thing from the service line inward.  It still has some knob-and-tube wiring in use and a lot of really scary connections like bare wires hidden in walls.

My least favorite is finishing drywall.  It's not hard, but I just hate it.  I think it's because you tape, mud, mud some more, sand, mud, etc. and it takes forever without the feeling of progress.  There's only two things I've hired out:  drywall and having a slab and driveway busted out and poured.

In my houses I've done just about everything.  I've done plumbing, framing, painting, flooring, windows, doors, trim, siding, insulation, kitchens, bathrooms, etc.

Right now I've gutted the master bath down to the wood walls (it's an old house that actually has solid wood over the studs).  This weekend I'll start the plumbing and electrical.  Next is the framing around the shower, then drywall, then floor and tile, then all the finishing with fixtures and such.

[Timmay]

my problem is I like doing stuff like that but I never have the time to do it.  It takes me forever to redo that stuff.  I want to gut my main bathroom out but the only problem is, its the only bathroom with a shower.  We have a bathroom on the main floor that has one of those deep claw foot tubs that I have refinished but, no shower to it.  I would estimate that it would take me every bit of 6-8 weeks to finish it as I want to put in a ceramic tile shower wiht all the works.  I have guys here at work that can get it done in like 2 weeks but ....my pockets say NO! lol

[marty22]

Ill hire u anytime SLy High!

[D.A.L.U.I.]

Reworked my camp in Waveland MS, and I did the framing, sheet rock, some finish carpentry, but the plumbing and wiring I had to let out.  I kind of liked the sheet rock and finishing, it was a calming time to tape and work w/ the compound--except that it drew flies for some reason.  It was a nice place until this Sl_t named Katrina swept it off its foundation and crushed the joint.  Anyone want three buildable lots?

[SlyHigh]

The master bath is pretty much the last project.  I had to wait until I finished the guest bath so we would have a shower to use.  My wife has given me an 8-week deadline to finish.  I think it will go pretty quickly, mainly since I just finished the other bathroom and all that kind of work is fresh on my mind.

I did some plumbing this past weekend, and I'm going to hang the sheetrock this weekend.  The plumbing has been hard because just about every place I need to put a pipe there is something in the way, a stud, floor joist, etc.  I've had to get real creative.

I'm doing two new things in the bathroom:  heated tile floors and a built-in stereo system.

The bath is going to be a surprise for my wife.  I'm not letting her see the progress, and I will reveal it to her when I'm done like on TV.  I'm getting her input on some things like the paint color since she's picky about that.

[The Scottish Ambassador]

I am totally hopeless at all aspects of DIY. 

[Alexander215]

I enjoy putting up vapour barrier, drywall and painting and putting down hardwood floors. There is something really satisfying about swinging a mallet and using the floor gun.

[Ringside]

I cant do CRAP around the house!  I am somewhat embarrassed that my wife does more of that DIY stuff than me. I am hopeless in that regard.  BUT,,,,,,,,,,  I can do a vasectomy in about 8 minutes;;    or open your chest and sew up a hole in your heart from a gun shot or stab wound in 4 minutes.  Not exactly a "Handy Dan"  or "Mike the Mechanic"   but suddenly useful if YOU are the one that got stabbed.   

[Michael]

My ol' dad is a woodworker.  It's amazing how much I learned stand at the eject end of a plainer, covered in saw dust.  I like woodworking, yard stuff, puttering around the house.

[hammerdrill376]

Landscaping I like...Carpentry, plumbing, etc. I really dont have the skill though I could develop them. My main thing is having patience about the work. Thats the area I really have to work on

[PigPen]

In the house we own now, I put down a hardwood floor in the laundry room. Replaced the tub faucet in the master bath and am currently tiling the master bath.

[SlyHigh]

I enjoy putting up vapour barrier, drywall and painting and putting down hardwood floors. There is something really satisfying about swinging a mallet and using the floor gun.

Was your floor nailer pneumatic?  I used one that was manual, and that was awful.  I had to swing the mallet HARD and square on the plunger or the nail wouldn't go in all the way.  After about 1200 nails I gave up and used my finish nailer for the closet (I don't care if the floor in there squeaks, and it was a tight space anyway with no room to swing).  My arm hurt for a week.

Click-lock flooring sounds better and bettter.  Except for the bathroom tile I'm done with flooring on this house.

[SlyHigh]

I cant do CRAP around the house!  I am somewhat embarrassed that my wife does more of that DIY stuff than me. I am hopeless in that regard.  BUT,,,,,,,,,,  I can do a vasectomy in about 8 minutes;;    or open your chest and sew up a hole in your heart from a gun shot or stab wound in 4 minutes.  Not exactly a "Handy Dan"  or "Mike the Mechanic"   but suddenly useful if YOU are the one that got stabbed.  

I'll teach you home improvement if you teach me surgery.  Deal?

[The Scottish Ambassador]

I cant do CRAP around the house!  I am somewhat embarrassed that my wife does more of that DIY stuff than me. I am hopeless in that regard.  BUT,,,,,,,,,,  I can do a vasectomy in about 8 minutes;;    or open your chest and sew up a hole in your heart from a gun shot or stab wound in 4 minutes.  Not exactly a "Handy Dan"  or "Mike the Mechanic"   but suddenly useful if YOU are the one that got stabbed.  

I'll teach you home improvement if you teach me surgery.  Deal?

Me thinks you guys should stick to what you are best at. Sorry SlyHigh, you aint operatin on me

[Tyler]

I'll teach you home improvement if you teach me surgery.  Deal?

Can I watch both of you?