As a homeowner, I have chosen the life of a handyman. When I finally looked upon my domicile and fully fathomed that I owned it, the life of the handyman was instantly thrust upon me. Immediately I began to furiously plan what my next improvements would be, their budget, their time frame and the tools needed for the job. My resolve was further strengthened when I tried to hire a contractor.
Let me say, hiring contractors is total ass. First of all, they are very expensive. The most minuscule job nowadays in the times of 12% inflation cost 4 figures. Any little thing is going to cost you a G. After they finish and hand you the invoice, you realize how truly easy their work is. With a small amount of experience and the right tools, 99% of home improvement jobs could be completed by a 12 year old. The next annoying thing about hiring work is that in the Boise market in 2022, you can’t even find anybody. 4 different times I have invited a contractor to my house to look at my project to provide me with an estimate. Each time they have looked over the project, nodded, muttered about how they would complete the job, and then never contacted me again. I’m assuming their too busy to bother with my lowly $3,000 project. The last thing that will keep me from hiring people whenever possible is that some of them are pieces of shit who will scam you. Enough said.
Now I am firmly determined to never hire a man to do a job I can do myself. This means I need to acquire enough knowledge to do everything my house might require, as fast as possible. I think rpg video games have made me this way, always trying to optimize the progression. My recent add-on project has taught me many skills very quickly. The project goal is to enclose an existing covered patio and turn it into a workshop/extended garage space. The new walls are complete, constructed on the existing concrete pad. I have also finished 90% of the electrical, which includes recessed lighting, 5 new indoor outlets, a porch light and one outdoor outlet. A utility sink is also being plumbed into the room, brought through the foundation. Next phases are insulation, exhaust fan installation, siding and drywall. The best way to quickly go from complete novice to journeyman in skills of home improvement is to jump right in.
Here’s a list of skills I wish to master and my current experience level:
Framing/Wall Construction: Experienced, pretty easy, many tools.
Electrical: Competent, completely understand concepts, many tools.
Plumbing: Familiar with concepts, lack appropriate tools (PEX crimpers, roto hammer)
Drywall/Wall Texturing: Competent, some tools. Experienced with skip-trowel mud.
Siding/Exterior: Novice. Only demo-ed aluminum siding. Will learn soon. Lacking appropriate sized nail gun.
Irrigation/Drainage: Novice. Only screwed with existing sprinkler system and adjusted sprinkler heads. Want to build a french drain in my yard.
Concrete: Novice. Only mixed concrete to set a post. Hiring out a patio in May.
Cabinetry: Novice. Only built simple shelves.
Masonry: Novice. Fired nails into concrete. Laid pavers in mud.
Will add more in the future.