How did you get good at DIY?

case_sensitive · 13-04-2023 11:52AM

Youtube and making mistakes. I did FAS courses for MIG and TIG welding, I loitered around my cousin in his garage a bit, and when I had to pay a guy to do plastering, I watched him intently. I've had occasion to need to patch up burst water and waste pipes a few times, which was hairy. Keep your nerve, and learn where the off switches for everything are.

I can now do most things from plumbing, electrics, brickwork, carpentry, the only thing I won't touch is gas.

I also have a big Box of Shame where I keep the evidence of work I made for myself or jobs I botched, from the first rounded oil sump nut right up to the floorboard through which I drilled into a heating pipe I wasn't expecting.

The Continental Op · 13-04-2023 12:28PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120472406#Comment_120472406

Immediately thought of this ....

https://youtu.be/oZVSi6Kprv0

Sleepy · 21-04-2023 12:18PM

The only way to get handy is to get stuck in really, your skills improve as you do more jobs.

My rule of thumb for DIY vs Hiring a Pro has been that if I can get a job done, including buying any tools I may need to get the job done for less than half what the Pro will charge, I'm going DIY. As time goes on, and my tool collection has become larger, that means doing more and more stuff DIY. At this point I'll tackle anything I'm legally allowed to (i.e. I'm not going to run a new spur off the fuse board or go near the gas boiler) or that clearly requires a skill built up over years to do well (i.e. plastering).

My advice would be to start by picking a job you want to do. Research it on Youtube. Post any questions you have about doing it here. Then get your tools & materials together, measure twice and get stuck in. You'll make mistakes, you'll end up back on Youtube / here asking questions and you'll get the job done. Next time that job needs doing, you'll know what to do.

As time goes on, you'll have done lots of jobs and your friends and family will start refering to you as "being handy"... then you'll be on here asking how to get out of doing their jobs too! ;)

dublin7runner · 23-04-2023 08:29PM

Watch plenty of youtube channels in your free time and if any of your friends need a hand give them a few hours if you can, nothing better than hands on experience! practice makes perfect!

looksee · 23-04-2023 09:01PM

I started doing bits of woodwork when I was about 11, around the same time I was making my own dresses. I learned that both woodworking and other DIY and dressmaking require much the same skills - look at the problem, understand what needs to be done, read up on how to actually use the tools and what are the best fixings etc to use, then practise. Plan, figure it out, scribble diagrams, think about it, don't try and cut corners. Its no good having someone else tell you what to do if you don't understand what it is you are doing, so learning by doing - cautiously doing - is much more useful. Buy appropriate tools as you need them, a chisel is not a screwdriver, and a pair of trestles will save you a lot of chairs. 😀

Neither my dad nor my husband had the first clue about diy so I didn't learn from one, nor could I rely on the other, so I did it myself. I learned much more from books and experimenting than I ever did from school sewing and cooking lessons. Mostly they were a waste of time.

Beyond the most basic (wiring a plug, or fixing the ballcock in the toilet cistern for example) I never got involved with electricity or plumbing.

Akrasia · 23-04-2023 09:08PM

Best way to be good at DIY is to embrace the wonkiness. That shelf is mostly straight and hasn't fallen down yet = success

A pro will almost always do a better job but you lose the satisfaction of seeing your own work, and they can cost more

blackbox · 23-04-2023 09:30PM

I'm pretty handy at DIY - partly driven by not wasting money.

Tonight I replaced the battery in my wristwatch - and smashed it in the process of closing the back.

I'd had it for years and done this several times before - luckily it wasn't valuable.

You have to accept that things don't always go to plan.

Declan T · 26-04-2023 01:38PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120438387#Comment_120438387

Yes, there are plenty of them on Instagram

policarp · 27-04-2023 01:25AM

If someone can do it you can do it.

Maybe not changing a nappy on a new born child.

notthereyet · 28-04-2023 10:07AM

Necessity, 12 of us in A 3 bed council cottage it wasn't un common to see a washing machine pulled out in the middle of the floor and taken a part and all of us having a go at fixing it same with cars and TVs, that was the 80s and people forget how poor and backwards this country was back than, unfortunately I still have that I can fix this myself attitude.

Bluefoam · 02-05-2023 05:18PM

I worked for a shopfitting company when I was in college and used to get stuck into helping in the workshop at every opportunity. I'm not the most taleneted, but I do aim for reasonable quality and it's amazing how much knowledge I gained... While still being very green.

Woodcutting · 17-09-2024 03:34PM

Get a simple flat pack like a bookcase to start. You get instructions, so it's a good place to start. A small stubby ratchet screwdriver or even a battery power 4v screwdriver is very handy.

Hope it's OK to reply here a year later

boardsdotie44 · 01-10-2024 12:20PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120429295#Comment_120429295

Their is so many different types of DIY jobs, that no course will cover everything. Like everyone else said here, Youtube is great, have fixed my dishwasher earlier this year from a youtube vid (Was about to buy new one, but decided to give it a go, glad I did)..

Built garden walls earlier this year, steep learning curve, but between Youtube and Boards got some good advise.. And their still standing (only 4 months old tho)

Have addressed few issues with car over the years from Youtube vids…

Its the way too go…..

Woodcutting · 01-10-2024 02:25PM

https://parslickstownhouse.ie/etb-do-it-yourself-classes-for-beginners/

Deregos. · 01-10-2024 10:06PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122672333#Comment_122672333

That looks to be an absolutely brilliant beginners course for anyone interested in learning DIY, it covers nearly everything . . and its free!

Good call Woodcutting.

Woodcutting · 02-10-2024 01:17AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122674235#Comment_122674235

And as far as I know it's possibly in other areas. Check local ETB site.

policarp · 02-10-2024 11:44PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058290726/how-did-you-get-good-at-diy

Some people are actors, some singers, some farmers, some engineers, some carpenters, some accountants, some lawyers but there is only one Donald Trump.