Why I hate DIY

[Huge]

The toilet in our en-suite has (had) a crack in it. No problem, I've got today off, I'll swap it out. The replacement arrived weeks ago.

Ever had one of those jobs where *everything* goes wrong? Seized nuts, faulty service valves, leaks, stripped screw heads, more leaks, wrong tools and on and on and on. The leak at the service valve only stops when the connector to the cistern leaks, and vice versa. I can't tighten the service valve 'cos it's jammed hard against the skirting board - what pillock installed this? (Oops!). Everything cross-threads, nothing fits.

Five hours later, and I've just finished (including a trip down the local shed to get a flexible tap connector.)

I bloody hate plumbing.

Sigh.

[Bob Watkinson]

Te hee hee. Not just me then?

[Mr Fizzion]

All my jobs are like that :-)))

That's what I actually hate most. Not having all the parts and tools necessary. Invariably I forget something: OH NO not another trip to B&Q. (Note B&Q is generally for emergencies only due to their high cost for most stuff)

I love the actual plumbing. What I really hate is stuff like lifting the floor and drilling holes in walls.

Mr F.

[Owain]

What no trip to A&E?

Never mind, all finished now, have a nice cold beer and look forward to the Ceremony Of The Inaugural Pee.

Owain

[Mungo "two sheds" Toadfoot]

Toilets are always awful things, IME; everything leaks, nothing lines up, and even the seats are bloody awful to fit. One of our khazis is sloped downwards towards the back so the loo seat's plastic rest thingies underneath the seat, at the back, don't touch it, and no amount of tweaking the mounts does any good. I had to pack the bloody things out with rubber washers or the hinges would have broken. Again.

Si

[Chris Bacon]

Ack, ptui.

Tee hee hee, ITYM.

[RichardS]

"Do a job and make a job" as my missus always says...

Then the other problem that the dutiful DIYer encouters is when doing a simple job they notice something else that's wrong - perhaps incidental, perhaps underlying. Unlike the professional who can simply walk away, completing only the job in hand, they then feel bound to put this problem right ("whilst I'm at it, I might as well..."), leading to the all-too-familiar spiral of scope creep and delay. Ever sanded a wooden floor, only to end up replacing the whole floor, half the joists, clearing the floor space out, rebuilding many of the sleeper walls, rewiring half the room, replacing all the skirting, replastering half the walls.....? :-)

[Huge]

Fortunately not, in this case. About the only thing that *didn't* go wrong.

*grin*

[Steve Walker]

You ought to try our local Focus - it's hysterically expensive!

[Doctor Drivel]

B&Q Warehouse is far cheaper.

Get yourself an SDS drill.

[Biggles]

DIY = Project you do yourself Project = set of interconnected problems linked by a common desired outcome The more problems you overcome, the more successful a project manager you are! Biggles

[dave]

The thing I hate most about ANY DIY job is getting the bits. There's *always* some other bit I've forgotten, break or run out of. AND having to get 1/2 cleaned up in order to go to B&Q (or anywhere) is the worst thing for me. Maybe I could start a business fetching things for DIYers "We get on your bits 24/7"

I did a little task before Sunday nosh once - just trim an overgrowing firethorn branch. About the third full-force forward cut with the bow saw and a thorn disappeared inside my thumb. It snapped off inside and left just a tiny tiny dot on the outside. Throbbed a bit. Later that night, great pulsing pains in my thumb so off to A & E. A three hour wait, two very painful injections of local anathesthic and some neat scalpel work followed up by a tetanus jab completed the evening and I walked out to greet the dawn. As I arrived home wifey appeared yawning "where have you been"? Some people just have no consideration! :-)

[DJC]

I live in central London, with every resource with walking distance. Apart that is from one of the sheds, or even a local ironmongery open weekends. Now 5-7 miles may be nothing in the suburbs or further afield, but from here its likely to be a two hour round trip.

[Doctor Drivel]

Swiss Cottage has a Homebase.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Swiss Cottage isn't central London. Ask your nurse to show you a map and explain it to you.

[Doctor Drivel]

Near enough for a shed.

[Rob Morley]

That's why you need a bicycle :-)