Does anyone else suck ass at building stuff???
Hey monkeys,
So I’ve been moving into my house for my senior year and brought all my stuff over. I was able to build some of my furniture like my desk, but overall really struggled with my window A/C, mounting my TV, and especially my new bed frame. Feeling kind of dejected that I’m able to fully analyze a company head to toe within a few weeks and come up with an educated investment thesis but not able to fucking assemble something like a mount. Is anyone else in the same camp?
Franky, I’m just looking for solace lmfao. It’s been a rough move in, and I finally gave in and just got a handyman to do everything for a reasonable amount.
If a fish judges itself on its ability to climb a tree it will spend its whole life thinking it is not enough
Anything can be learned, with enough time and practice. It helps if you have someone with you the first time.
I have been building engines, cars and bikes for more than 15 years now, can do full rebuilds, conversions, swaps, ..
House DIY: I can do anything but really complicated stuff. Roofing, solar panels, extensions, windows, floors, bathroom remodels, etc are no problem.
1) Invest in quality tools early on. They do make a difference. Especially the right tool for the right job.
2) Learn things by doing, watching, .. - Youtube is a great help also. Or ask friends.
3) The business case is better if you look at your entire life, not just a fix at the moment. You will need to fix a lot of things until the end of your life.
Nah dawg mounting an A/C and TV is reasonably hard fam you good.
I am the most unhandy man ever, always have been and not ashamed of it. Good thing making enough money now to task rabbit whenever I need something done (although I'm sure this is considered "unmanly" especially being from the midwest). I'd rather be doing something else with my time...except mowing the yard I like that... but not in NYC.
I can speak on this a little bit - I would consider myself the upper level of a novice/amateur in building things. Won't pretend to be an expert, but have gone from fucking up IKEA furniture to full-fledged smaller woodworking projects - so far, I have built a completely custom walnut and steel coffee table, two white oak nightstands for my wife and I, restored a set of rustic barstools for my parents, and am currently designing a custom espresso bar for my setup in a small kitchen offshoot we have. But, like I said, I used to struggle with things as simple as splitting wood while drilling and failing to find studs in walls.
Whether it's custom or prefab stuff, the rule is simple - slow way the fuck down, and do EVERYTHING right. I can't tell you how many pieces I've ruined because I thought to myself something like "man, this epoxy doesn't need 48 hours to cure, I don't want to wait" and ended up ruining the project. Investing time into assembling stuff will lead to a better result. Open YouTube, search for stuff that'll help. Look for reasons why craftsmen do the things they do, then apply it to your job.
For example, let's take your TV mount - what are you struggling with? I'm not sure what tools you have at your disposal, but I'd recommend a starter kit. Don't feel the need to buy a bunch of stuff, but I'd at-minimum recommend an electronic stud finder, a solid toolkit (non-power), and a powered drill. Borrow a friend's to save money, or buy your own - do not cheap out, get something that'll be a little more expensive but will last you forever (DeWalt or Makita). Correctly identify studs in your wall, measure and pre-drill holes, and ensure they are level with a hand leveler. Take your time and slow down. This is one example, but can be applied to everything.
Good luck guy. Building shit is fun, I promise - it's even more fun when you get a little good at it!
Great advice as always Stonks1990!
I can't agree more with this, especially as you're learning to do things on your own. When I first started DIYing I didn't know anything outside of flathead vs phillips. Now I could gut and remodel a small bathroom with confidence. I am continuing to build my skillset, but have found that the following steps/tips help a lot:
(1) Watch as many youtube videos as you can on the project and make a list of supplies.
(2) Compile the information you got from the youtube videos and make a plan.
(3) Know you will run into issues as you work through the project. Don't let this frustrate you and do not take the shortcut solution.
(4) Level is level, measure twice (or three times), check and double check.
Once you finish you feel incredibly satisfied.
Very true - your comment hit everything my comment didn't. Appreciate it!
I must say, I am so excited to buy a house - we're probably less than six months away from signing papers. While the obvious reason is that I am so tired of paying rent w/o equity, there's an equally exciting prospect of me being able to do actual shit of it. I'm not too experienced with DIYing building sections, I've found most of my success in furniture. However, I can't tell you how many times I've looked at something in my apartment and been like "some built-ins would totally work there", or "I could completely re-plumb this water system for better use" - alas, I cannot or I'm paying a hefty fine to my apartment company.
If I may ask, what's been your experience with renovation work? Framing, drywall, some finish work? Or am I speaking w/ a pro who dares to dive in to terrifying shit like electrical or mechanical work? I'm pretty confident in plumbing, and I'm fortunate to have past development and construction knowledge of how systems work, but not too sure I wouldn't blow up my house if I ever laid my hands on a circuit breaker... would like to change that though.
Thanks again for your reply. Happy building!
Yeah building is fun. I drink a little alcohol too because I am a perfectionist and things can’t always be perfect when building stuff and the alcohol helps me brush off little inconsistencies, especially when building from scratch.
Not everything has to be built perfect to your liking. Sometimes building a good/great product is good enough of an outcome
I mostly agree with all of this. Only bit I disagree with is on buying a starter kit. Most starter kits are made by no-name brands in China with cheap materials. I had one in college that all the tools rusted within a year, had to throw the whole thing away. Also there's a ton of useless crap they throw in starter kits you'll never use, they just throw it in there to make it look like you're getting better value (e.g. 60+ tools in this kit for $50, etc.).
My advice is to build your toolkit piece by piece wisely with good quality tools (DeWalt, etc.). For most simple DIY projects all you'll need is a screwdriver, hammer, powerdrill with bits, duct tape, measuring tape, stud finder, and a laser level.
Anytime I see starter kits normally I think it's just a bunch of garbage (most of which you don't need) wrapped up in a nice package to sell.
Great advice! Curious though, what’s the significance of starter kits and why are these better in your opinion? Also, why do some people suggest otherwise? What’s the difference?
Currently trying to build a TV stand, first time building anything. I have some boxes and stuff with layouts for designs in there, but twiddling thumbs / procrastinating a bit and haven’t made much progress.
Quality over quantity. I'd sware that 90% of household tasks can be done with a 4-way screwdriver and a pair of channel-locks (Straight or pipe grip is an augment I've gotten into more than once)
That being said, there is something awesome about having an insane amount of tools, and that 1% of the time that you need the ridiculous tool is worth it. I grew up with my grandparents watching me after school 4 days a week until middle school. My grandfather was a master machinist for an IBM competitor back when they built adding machines, and he had a full machine shop in his basement. I was a terror at the cub-scout pinewood derbies for years.
Will 100% agree w/ you regarding quality over quantity, and can see firsthand how those cheap generic 'starter kits' that analyst1243 warned about can get you. The rationale for the starter kit was due to a similar mindset regarding the '90% of home tasks'... can't say I'd recommend someone whose JUST getting into being handy to go pick up a Makita ultra pack that'll run them over a rack for simple tasks.
BUT, yes - if you've read some of my stuff in the past, I'll always scream quality over quantity. To OP, using this method will actually save you MORE money in the long run. It's definitely cheaper to buy one DeWalt drill than three Ryobi ones over their respective lifespans, I just didn't want the OP thinking s/he needed to drop four figs on a bunch of hand tools early on.
I liked analyst1243's recommendation of building your own handkit over time - to OPs (pinging zoo84 + [pavos] for context), I will formally retract my starter pack comment and recommend you pick up a couple of good quality hand tools that you'll need for some day-to-day tasks, and maybe one or two that you need for a specific project. A good multi-bit screwdriver, channel-lock pliers, a robust tape measure, a hand-leveler, quality 10-ct ratchet set, and a speed square / clamp set will set you right for a good while. Stanley-BD and Bosch are two key players that come to mind for hand tools, and for power tools I'll honestly only recommend DeWalt and Makita for general building purposes. Milwaukee has had some leads automotive-wise, but that's a whole different territory entirely. Just take your time and shop around for what you feel fits you.
I'm a DeWalt man myself, but if I had to go back & do it again I'd choose Makita, at least power-tools-wise. Can't go wrong w/ either of 'em. Please... AVOID RYOBI!
I’m pretty good at building stuff from putting together a girlfriend’s apartment to making a bookcase or assembling large 5 x 7 foot canvases. But, if I fully assemble a girl’s new apartment, I demand free drinks for at least a week. It’s only fair.
Stonks hit the nail on the head. Yes, we are likely in a position to get a handyman in for trivial tasks. The problem I’ve seen is many handyman care about quantity vs quality of work and do the task worse than you would have.
Learn how to do things that you’ll need to do over and over.
Things like backsplash, garage epoxy, or other one off tasks can be outsourced because how many times will you really hang backsplash in your life.
If you ever get a woman in your life, she’ll appreciate that her man can fix things vs ponying up for a handyman when the dishwasher filter needs to be cleaned (easy job).
I partied with Bob Vila’s daughter in Sayulita, Mexico. She was going to NYU at the time and I would see her around NYC sometimes too. She is a bit shy, but cool.
Bobb the builder
Never Happene…wait it’s you.
Respect.
analyzing financial statements = nerd
building things around the house = manliness
so always laughed about the machismo around finance when in reality is full of guys with polished nails and expensive perfumes that can't even change a tire. giving a proper manly handshake is already a challenge for them, so no big expectations about those gays around Manhattan (I mean guys).
can't wait to be the next trump and send all the woke to Poland to raise a healthy nation with good and conservative values that would be able to build things around the house (I'm already getting hard thinking about this).
it's like bragging that you can clean shit well off of public toilets. changing tires and such is a shitty activity, so why would I do it if I can pay someone to do it for me. obviously any finance professional could learn how to assemble furniture and such, it's just it's not a worthy activity.
Yeah - I have changed car tires before and it sucks. If I ever get a flat again, I'm calling USAA to tow the car to the auto shop and Ubering home.
why would you even attempt doing any of that? you can hire professionals and they'll do everything for you. that's why I work in finance so I can afford to have professionals do everything for me (cleaning, cooking, assembling and fixing things, etc.).
Unless you routinely build things, your first few attempts at building anything (other than pre-built furniture that you screw together) will be sloppy. Building anything tangible is a sill and an art and requires familiarity with working with different tools and materials as well as how to manipulate them.
This takes time, practice, trial and error, etc. Anything from how to use a Dremel, to how fast a specific type of wood glue settles, to how to piece together an outdoor patio all takes experience which can only be had through time. An apprenticeship is ideal but you can definitely teach yourself, just have to get your hands dirty and practice.
Recently I built a custom pedalboard that looks the like a Marshall amplifier head for some of my guitar pedals. It turned out great but far from perfect and it was the first time I had really built anything so intricate out of wood. I learned so much about wood, glue, sawing, routing, tolex, etc. I then used what I learned to restore a 1989 Engl amplifier I picked up and the experience from the prior project definitely helped but I still made mistakes as I used a different type of glue, different materials, etc. and I was dealing with large chucks of electronic equipment that I had to move around whatever work I was doing and ultimately put it all together.
Don't give up and write yourself off, just build more!
Wow I've never even seen a vintage ENGL. Only know them for the powerball/fireball haha. Awesome!!!!
I unintentionally stumbled upon it whilst searching for a vintage 2-channel amp. I didn't even know about these until it popped up and then after doing some research, I immediately bought it. Probably the only amp I'll ever need, one owner, amazing clean and lead channels, built in Germany in the late 80s. George Lynch used these at one point.
I worked in construction for two months in Canada for my church. We tore down part of a building on the side and built an extension.
Demolition was fun, then we had to jackhammer these large rocks before laying the foundation. I largely did all the jackhammer work for three days. Every day after work my whole body would still feel like it was vibrating.
Then we laid down the foundation. We had to get perfect right angles on the corner so we used the Pythagorean theorem for perfect 90 degree angles. We hung rebar in the middle and then mixed concrete to pour in. Let me tell you, a bag of concrete mix is a lot heavier than it looks.
We built up the frame, put up drywall and then also put on matching siding on the inside. It was a crew of 3 of us including me. We got a lot done in those couple months.
I'd echo what poster said above about slowing down. But also having the right tools for the job makes a huge difference.
Have mounted a couple TVs myself as well. First one I did in college my friend at the time let me borrow his powerdrill which was the biggest POS drill I've ever used. Was very difficult to drill into the wall at the correct angles and the TV was crooked but oh well cause we were in college and no one cared.
Now I have much better tools as I can afford it (good powerdrill, laser level, etc.) and I was able to mount my TV very well and keep it leveled.
It's a mixture of practice and having the right tools for the job. Also youtube is a great resource if you're not already using it for DIY projects.
That's great, I learn how to cook food from youtube
When I try to build stuff, I usually try to make it simple. Maybe over time I’ll get better at building more elaborate furnitures or have a contractor help me build.
Second this
Has anyone tried to re-caulk a bathtub? It’s a lot harder than it looks getting a smooth line going with the caulk.
I may need to actually. What’s difficult about it?
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