From Family Handyman · Laurie M Nichols · · 2m
The Best DIY Skill Is Knowing When to Stop
A lifelong DIYer learned the hard way that good judgment beats knowing how to use every tool.
In brief
A lifelong DIYer learned the hard way that good judgment beats knowing how to use every tool. Before any project, picture the whole job start to finish. If you don't have the time, skills or tools, hire it out without guilt. Originally reported by Family Handyman.
Confidence and a tool collection
A broke first-time homeowner with a toolbox and an internet connection took on every repair herself, sure that only fools called a professional.
“I didn't have much money, but I had lots of confidence, a burgeoning tool collection and an internet connection.”
The myth of working harder
The belief was simple: watch enough videos, buy the right tools, push hard enough, and any job is yours. One plumbing job broke that idea.
A hundred-year-old two-family
During a remodel of her first home, she decided to replace the water lines to the tenant's second-floor bathroom while the walls were already open.
One joint that wouldn't take
She had just taught herself to solder copper. By late afternoon the work was going fine, but the last connection refused to seal no matter what.
Skipping dinner, pressing on
The tenant had no working bathroom, so she skipped dinner and kept going, getting more frantic with every pass of the torch.
The tenant left at 8 p.m.
Her tenant took pity and went to stay with a friend so the job could wait until morning. Exhausted and beaten, she finally put the tools down.
Fixed in minutes
A maintenance pro friend soldered the joint the next morning. Her mistake: she never cleaned the pipes properly. He also noted she was lucky she hadn't burned the house down.
“He also noted that I was lucky I hadn't burned the house down using the torch as long as I had.”
Tired, hungry, stressed
Most jobs take longer than you think, and work done while depleted rarely ends well. Sometimes the skilled move is to stop and pick up the phone.
“Sometimes the most skilled choice was to stop and pick up the phone instead.”
Unease as a warning sign
Running a handyman business, she learned to trust the queasy feeling certain jobs gave her. Turning those jobs down became her superpower.
“Being comfortable passing on a job became my superpower.”
The jobs she hires out
No plumbing, no electrical, no hardscaping, no drywall on ceilings. She hands them to pros without a shred of regret.
“At this point in my life, good judgment is more valuable than being able to do every project myself.”
How she sets up now
Start in the morning. Rent before you buy a one-off tool. Eat, drink, take breaks. Clean as you go. Check what's behind the wall. Quit when you start making silly mistakes.
“If you're feeling frantic or making silly mistakes, stop and clean up for the day.”
What matters most
Before any project, picture the whole job start to finish. If you don't have the time, skills or tools, hire it out without guilt.
