DIY or get someone else to change a bulb?

coolsurfer said:
On the subject of rewiring, I am going to convert some MR16 fittings to GU10 by removing the transformers and rewiring GU10 holders. This is so I can use LED bulbs. How many would do this themselves or hire someone else?
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I'd do it myself. But I wouldn't put GU10 fittings in and LED lamps, I'd put in LED lights.

If the old transformers are the large coil type rather than the small electronic ones then I'd probably need a plasterer when I was finished to put the ceiling back together.
 
I can do most of the items on that list. While I agree it's sometimes more cost effective to get someone else to do the work I think it is important to be able to do them. For example I know what I'm looking at when I view a house to buy because I've done a lot of work on my own houses in the past. I am a little older than some on this forum though so come from a different generation.

Be independent and self reliant in life. Learn. Try things yourself.
 
All to often these days we get the the same old reasons why things are not done or cannot be done and that is because you all work long hours as if you are the first generation to do so.
Being a member of the older generation I can assure you I also worked long hours in my case 12 hours a day 7 days a week but still had time for a pint or two and decorated or DIY and bring up a family.
It has always been this way, you want decent things you worked to pay for them. So can we think of another reason but please do not mention that other well worn excuse, stress. I think that is the biggest cop out excuse of the 21st century.
 
Being a 25yo I can do most basic stuff around the house. However, if I am faced with something I'm not familiar with, I'll google it!

For example, with my previous vehicle, being a very cheap and old Ford KA, I did not warrant having to pay X amount of money for a service, as I was not planning to keep the car forever.

So I went online and read on how to make a basic service, and voila, changed the filters and spark plugs. I even changed the heat pump (although I had help from a colleague as I did not have all the tools required for the job).

Same goes for anything, I'll first google it, or ask my dad, if it looks hard for me (i.e. I would need specialist tools that I would not warrant buying, or it would take longer than me working those hours earning that money and paying someone to do it), I would just call someone over. Otherwise I have no problem realising that my time is better spent elsewhere.

Although, in the chance that someone is over to fix something, I will stand around and observe, and even ask questions, to learn how to fix something similar in the future.
 
Doesn't surprise me in the slightest, there's a couple of regular Posters here I can think of that are shining beacons of inadequacy.
 
I would like to say i'm surprised by that article, but sadly i'm not.

The stupid thing is, it's far easier now than it ever was before to get the information on how to do a lot of basic DIY tasks, but people don't seem able/willing to even look it up, instead they'll put up with a problem that would take 15 minutes to fix, for days and then complain that they've had to pay £50-75 for someone to do the job*.
I know people who don't even have a screwdriver and torch, let alone something like a drill, and they can't change bulbs in certain housings because of that (a lot of bathroom fittings have some form of screw/nut holding the cover in place for example).


*A great example is the mixer or filters on a mixer shower, it takes about 5 minutes to swap the mixer over if it's died, and a little longer to clean the filters (as you have to take the mixer cart out to reach them, then clean them rather than just put the new part in), yet I've seen people who were unwilling to do that job themselves, and then complained a lot that the plumber charged themthe standard £50+ call out charge for five minutes work.
 
Speaking of showers, does anyone set them to anything other than off, or full blast? What's the point of the crazy amount of flow adjustment?

I want a shower with on/off and lots of temperature adjustment.
 
You could probably make an equivalent point in the opposite direction too, thinking about it. I spend a lot of time helping elder people do simple things that I take for granted but they seem to struggle with.

Things like connecting AV equipment with leads that only fit the correct plugs anyway, or pressing the reset button on a router when the Internet has died, or they'll pay pcworld £50 to defrag a slow computer.

Plenty here will be able to do these sort of things but plenty can't or won't simply because they are not used to it, never needed to do it and don't want to learn, not a lot different from younger people and the tasks suggested in the OP.
 
Personally I'm quite happy to pay someone to do decorating because I hate it and I'm bad at it, but other stuff around the house is really easy to find out how to do these days. I'd much rather spend a few hours researching on the interwebs than paying somebody to come and do it.

I've saved tons of money on fixing my car by just taking the time to learn myself.
 
malachi said:
Well that's what you get when kids in schools are trained to pass exams and not taught life skills.

Anyway, want to know how do anything? That's what youtube is there for :)
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thats exactly why its surprising - everyone is so tech savvy yet cant be arsed to look at a quick youtube video? odd!
 
I'm 25 and there's very little on that list that I can't do. The only one that sticks out is winning a fist fight...I might be able to win a fist fight, but I won't know until I'm in one!

Regarding DIY, I can do a lot of stuff mainly related to electronics, or if someone wants something simple fixed I can handle that. I know the methods for things like putting up shelves, but I'm a bit slapdash and therefore tend to get lazy and mess up that sort of thing.

5 of the 6 shelves I put up in my bedroom are still there!

There's no way I could wallpaper a room though, despite having watched my dad do it many times. Maybe due to fear of ruining it completely :p

I very much like to have a go at things before employing someone to do it, though. My girlfriend and I will shortly be buying a flat, so maybe that will be the time to assess what I can and can't do.

PS. I can change a light bulb and a plug.
 
I fall down on 4 (CPR), 7 (Not really my thing), 26 as I've only ever learnt very basic French and German and 34 as its not really my nature to fake stuff like that.

I'm fairly handy at DIY, etc. but thats mostly due to an innate ability to understand basic electronics and physics.

I'm not surprised though - about half of my working life has been in jobs where we have a fair turn over of temps often straight out of school and its been noticeable over the years how increasingly more useless at anything related to life skills, thinking for themselves, common sense, etc. they've become. 9/10 of the current younger temps are actually a complete waste of time hiring to be frank - compared to a few years back when it was more like 2 out of 10.


EDIT: To be fair they aren't all useless - one lad pulled a 5am to 5pm shift on Christmas Eve and really puts an effort in.
 
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Caged said:
Speaking of showers, does anyone set them to anything other than off, or full blast? What's the point of the crazy amount of flow adjustment?

I want a shower with on/off and lots of temperature adjustment.
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We have something similar to this, no flow control as such just the 'higher' you set it the hotter it is

http://www.mirashowers.co.uk/online... showers&resultPageKey=2000826190-0&category=

Flow does increase a bit as you go from colder to hot but I've never really noticed it, I just always whack it on the temp level I want.
 
Kenai said:
I'm struggling to think of any where you would either. If the fuse has blown, you change that, if not it must be incredibly rare for a plug to actually break somehow and then at the same time not be a removable lead type that everyone has a dozen spares of.
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A plug doesn't have to break for you to change it. What if you needed to thread a plug through to somewhere else? You'd have to cut the end off, thread it through, and reconnect said plug. Done this numerous times.
 
adam98150 said:
A plug doesn't have to break for you to change it. What if you needed to thread a plug through to somewhere else? You'd have to cut the end off, thread it through, and reconnect said plug. Done this numerous times.
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I have never had to do this, usually anything I've had to do that with has had removable kettle leads, though it is at least a genuine reason for doing it. I can't think of any others though. :p
 
adam98150 said:
A plug doesn't have to break for you to change it. What if you needed to thread a plug through to somewhere else? You'd have to cut the end off, thread it through, and reconnect said plug. Done this numerous times.
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I'd rather unwire the other end because the way plugs are wired is arcane.
 
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