Talk Morgan Forums Community The Malvern Arms DIY as a lifestyle choice

Absolutely.

And I’m chuffed to see that my sister and BIL have brought eldest nephew up to be self sufficient. Always thrills me to see how he makes money go a lot further than it might for his young family.

Our No2 Daughter (Solicitor) was always learning by my side and when she and her husband who is a Chartered Accountant and non practical moved into their first home in Kent the outside tap leaked after an overnight frost.
She shut the water off and stripped it down and went along to Homebase and picked up some 15mm olives and stuck it back together again and lagged it - he was very impressed.

No1 Daughter (Scientist) wasn't practical at all but our Son (Yachtmaster and currently student at Eden Project) was and is and he and his girlfriend lived off grid for 5 years until they bought their second home and they are both very practical. They go back off grid on chosen days in the summer as it's where their cabin and 2 acre veg and fruit tree plot is.

Proud of them all for their individual choices as that's where happiness lies.

p.s. What a grand lifestyle we could have had if Heather had chosen to work out of the home and we hadn't had these delightful adults with their partners and offspring to enjoy, it's all about choices and we have been blessed.

At 69 I could match you shovel for shovel but now that I'm pushing 76 I need help from the younguns. Congrats on finishing your project.

In my case DIY was not so much a choice but a necessity, if I wanted the oh so many things I could not afford in life, and as best I can tell it worked wonderfully well. I was never cut out to be an academic, practical skills came relatively easy and mechanical understanding by nature it seems and hard work never scared me.

A bit like K of this parish, there was not much I would not have a go at, though I only ever grew a few tatties, rhubarb, and strawberries, I put all that aside as life`s other priorities took up my time. Self-building extensions on to extensions around our home over too many years, finally finishing an ever evolving grand plan around age 67, and on completion, maintenance schedules will ensure I will not become bored any time soon I am beginning to doubt the sanity of it all...

As a kid, we didn't have much cash so it was a case of 'do it yourself or it don't get done' Dad was an engineer in the RAF for a time so could usually turn his hand to most things, with me as a willing assistant.

As I've got older, I now tend to live by the mantra 'if you want a job doing properly, do it yourself'.There's not much I won't tackle, although am sometimes constrained by my environs.

In my younger days any physical work was treated as a form of training for rugby. In my teens I helped my uncle with haymaking, volunteering to stack bales. Great workout.
In our first house I dug out the footings for an extension by hand. Did the labouring for my BIL to build the structure but we “did a deal” for the concrete. Lorry arrived and we laid it in 20 mins.
As the years passed I tended to ease off really heavy jobs but did hire tools/ equipment to save manual stuff. So much easier and meant more time for getting the job done and saving time. Laid a large patio area from scratch by hand, moving materials by barrow etc due to no rear access. Planning the job saved excessive double handling etc..
The last “ heavy” work was about 5 years ago. Removing a plum tree that wasno good to clear space for a shed. Worst par5 was getting the roots up. Dug out the b@se, back filled with hardcore, used a mixer to make mortar to lay spare slabs for the base. Decided then to ease off really heavy jobs. Muscles were protesting a lot!
I enjoy DIY but have changed how I do it. Either hire the tools or, ifa big job get the pros in.
We recently remodelled the garden. Too big for me and would have taken a long time with assosciated earache from SWBO. The patio was porcelain not sandstone ( convinced SWMBO and she loved it after seeing some laid out. The pro who did it was a perfectionist. Took him a week. Well worth the money for the finish and time saved.
Same for a fence. Paid a recommended supplier. Excellent job and done quickly.
We had a budget for work when we moved here and used it.
Next job is finishing clearout of stuff we brought with us. Shed and garage.
Garage refurb planned so a good time to do it. Get rid of the temporary storage and replace with better. VERY tempted with a scissor lift to ease access for the Mog.

An interesting thread , much like everyone on here I do a fair number of jobs myself , it started when I brought my first house , having come from a family who normally " got a man in " I was a bit hesitant at first but soon gained confidence , perhaps too much on occasions !

Anyway ....sospan mentioning garage refurbishment reminded me I keep meaning to do something about insulating the plastic coated corrugated steel roof on my garage (and shed) .
Has anyone got any recommendations as to the best way to do it ?

Always done my own stuff, was trained by uncle who was a building services engineer and architect who taught me to plan, draw and undertake some serious DIY projects, remember those proper DIY magazines in the 60's ?

Being able to submit my own drawings and tech stuff for planning and building regs has saved me loads over the years

I've re-roofed my mums old listed cottage, replaced every window in our previous house, built a lovely hardwood conservatory from scratch (my employer had a joiners shop I was allowed to make it in), kitchens, bathrooms, massive cut-n-fill landscaping in steep gardens, taking chimneys down, extensions and garages, the only pro's I had to hire was the piling rig last time for some seriously deep foundations

Without 50 odd years of graft, I would never have been able to move up the property ladder and live where we currently are

The only slight downside is that the extended family think now I'm retired I've got loads of time (and inclination) to do all the DIY they can't manage

DIY for me, usually means c*cking something up.
I am happy on things mechanical (cars, bikes, motorbikes) but anything involving the house is a no-no!
Fortunately, I know a number of excellent local tradesmen who sort this stuff for me.
Bud
4/4 - Stanley

I always reckoned it was cheaper easier and a better job if I went to work and used the money to pay someone who knew what they were doing.