Ask This Old House... WTF?

[P.Thorsted]

No, I don't think you are. Over the last year or two I have found that This Old House has got so involved in building and remodeling to the extent that the most things are way above what the home owner would want to do, with very little how-to being done. It has become more to a entertainment show rather than a how-to show in my opinion. That may be way they have made Ask This Old House so simple. A lot of things I see on this show, I think any home owner with a little thought and intelligence could do without help.

Paul T.

100% Uncensored , 100% Anonymous, 5$/month Only!

[Bill]

A bit OT, but I know a lot of folks here watch it.

In this past weekend's show, Tom goes all the way to Las Vegas to ... help someone straighten up her garage? WTF? I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop: a cracked slab, bowed walls, leaking roof, something that required the intervention or assistance of a pro. But no, she just needed help assembling some particle board cabinets. Why in the world was this segment green-lighted? Anybody who can read assembly instructions and use a screwdriver would have learned nothing.

Am I off base?

[Woodhead]

I think you missed the point...... Los Vegas....... All expense paid trip for the crew........Los Vegas........

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Two weeks ago Richard changed the aerator on a facet. The guy had poor flow for two years and did not know to check the aerator to see if it was clogged. This must have been a relative of his with the cabinets. I guess there are a lot of people with NO mechanical ability.

[Test Tickle]

But, at least this guy had a problem, and couldn't figure out how to solve it. Of course, most people that didn't understand aerators would have just replaced the entire faucet. But I have to agree that the garage cabinet segment was just crazy. Don't order cabinets if you can't assemble them -- or ask a neighbor with a screwdriver to help, in exchange for dinner, or a sixpack. That was the dumbest segment I've seen.

tt

[gw]

This reminds me of a scene I personally witnessed in Lowes this weekend. I was in the storage aisle, looking at some plastic bins, and I encountered a store employee helping a woman (I'm guessing in her early 50's) load some of their "high-quality" particle board knock-together shelving onto a cart. After thanking him for loading it for her, she began lamenting (near tears) that she was A. On disability B. All alone C. Had no friends D. Was unable to do "anything" for herself.

She managed to convince the guy to come over to her house later and unload the shelves and put them together. She then happily pushed her 300lb. cart away. On my way out, I saw her load the shelving into her car all by herself.

[George]

One of those "fixed income" folks who have to choose between eating Purina or taking meds, I assume? Then park in the handicapped spaces with their Cadillacs and sprint across traffic to the entrance.

[Doug Miller]

LOL -- I think I know her!! Did this happen on the west side of Indianapolis by any chance?

[blueman]

Glad I am not the only one who was saying WTF. I mean the cabinets were the cheapest, most-dummed down type available. The only use of the screwdriver was to tighten a cam.

Next time, maybe they can call Richard in to to scrub a toilet bowl or maybe call Roger to help rake the leaves...

[Patriarch]

blueman wrote in news: [e-mail]:

They already did the leaf raking piece a couple of years back with Roger & Steve Thomas...

Patriarch, thinking that this has _never_ been a high-end show...

[Lee Michaels]

In this day of reality television, anybody can be on TV. Think of the episodes as a handyman challenged contest. Ya know, like a home repair special olympics. Where EVERYONE is a winner.

I wonder if I can get Nahm to clean my office.

[Brent Beal]

Maybe someone needs help turning the compost pile!!!!!

[Bill]

Glad I'm not the only one who was perplexed by that segment. Every week, Howdy Doody brags about the enormous volume of letters and email that they are receiving, and yet they sent a crew across the country to show someone how to use a screwdriver... egad. For a project so simple, surely one of Silva's neighbors has a messy garage, and he could have walked to work that day.

[Greg O]

Sounds kind of like my mom!! If I would let her I could live at her house and work full time at fixing and remodeling! I don't mind helping out once and a while, but seriously I could have spent 20 hours a week with her this summer doing stuff. If I ignore her it seems to get done anyway! When she bought the house I spent four whole weekends doing things that really needed to get done before she settled in. After that the work request kept rolling in and I pulled the plug! She found some local handy man that likes to work for minimum wage!

Work that she asked me to do,

1. Total rewire of the house
2. Re-roof
3. Re-side
4. re-insulate
5. new deck, (I gave in and did this one on a Saturday with the help of my sister and her boy friend)
6. remodel the kitchen, including moving the entrance door, and a window. Those were just the major jobs, I still have done numerous small jobs to many to list! I have to remind her I do have a life, family and a house of my own! Greg

[Puckdropper]

"Greg O" wrote in news: [e-mail]:

*snip*

Hey, sounds like the work we need done! Know anyone good who's having a two-for-one special? lol

Puckdropper

[gw]

Nope, Maine. Where 4 out of 5 people around you at any time are on assistance programs.

[Tim Taylor]

Just be thankful that you have a mom, period. I know there has to be a stopping point somewhere, but where was her stopping point when she was raising you?

[Brent Beal]

Sounds to me like it might have been better to have built a whole new house!

Also, I thought 4 or 5 people around you at one time in Maine was considered a crowd!

[Mortimer Schnerd, RN]

You've got to be kidding. Maybe your mother couldn't say "no" to you but my mother suffered no such disability.

[Doug Miller]

LOL! Neither did mine -- or my wife. Our kids have plenty of experience hearing that word. "Can I have these designer jeans?" "No. We're paying for Levis. You want Calvin Kleins, you pay the difference." "I guess Levis are ok."