Election Section

I have known quite a few handymen and even a couple of handywomen over the years and there’s nothing especially distinctive about them as a group. Perhaps there is one thing and it might be worth taking note of. Each of them is willing to do something they’ve never done before…every day.  

What most people don’t understand about their handyperson or even their contractor is that they often have no idea what they’re doing. It doesn’t stop them, it just makes their day a bit more interesting than the average accountant. You see, when you go to the store to pick up a faucet or a new deadbolt, you don’t really know what you’re about to contend with. They keep changing them. One day you only need a screwdriver and the next, you need a wrench, three hands and the ability to breath underwater.  

Sometimes I just sit down and watch one of these people work. They open the box, read the instructions and start fiddling. At some point things start making sense and eventually the whole thing gets done. Now, in all fairness, these folks do learn a thing or two along the way, but that isn’t where I want to go with all of this, so don’t give it too much weight. The point is that when a fixer-upper (as my Tennesseean friend calls them) starts to fix, they know with almost absolute certitude that they are going to have to figure out some of the details of their task from scratch, upside-down and in the dark.  

Now why am I telling you all this? Do I want you to pay your handyguy or gal more? Buy ‘em a beer at the end of the day? Feel more gratitude in your life? These are all nice, but no. The reason I’m pointing out these daily struggles is that there is positively no good reason that you, dear reader, should not attempt to undertake at least some of these adventures for yourself. 

As one who is conscripted to study the workmanship of others each day, I am often amazed at the quality of the homeowner’s efforts. Though they may be flawed in one way or another or show a lack of familiarity with the subject, they often show great care and are not infrequently superior to the work I would expect to see from a good portion of the paid workforce. This isn’t surprising, really, when you consider the notion that one can generally figure these things out and often perform simple repairs with only limited knowledge. Additionally, the homeowner has a high vested interest in doing things well and this can compensate for a lack of experience. All too often I’ll see second-rate work produced by paid people for, I assume, the simple reason that they just didn’t care enough. 

So what do you have to lose? Fair question. First, don’t bite off too much. There are loads of tasks that you might start with but certainly some you want to avoid at first. Leave the furnace alone. Don’t mess with your breaker or fuse panel. Let someone else deal with gas piping. 

That still leaves a huge list of things you might try your hand at. If this is your first time out, how about changing the washers on a leaky faucet or replacing a set of doorknobs? This isn’t the sort of thing I want to try describing here and now, but there are a load of books at the library or at the bookstore on simple repair jobs like these.  

Consider starting a small fix-it library as inspiration for your newfound avocation. A good simple book to get is New Fix-It-Yourself Manual: How to Repair, Clean, and Maintain Anything and Everything in and Around Your Home, published by Reader’s Digest. Another is The Complete Photo Guide to Home Improvement: Over 1700 Photos, 250 Step-by-Step Projects (Black & Decker Complete Photo Guide). 

Buy yourself some tools. There is nothing so satisfying as arming yourself with a cordless drill with a keyless chuck. Every woman and man should have one these babies in their own plastic toolbox. Get yourself a small set of drill bits and some screwdrivers. You do not need to buy these things new. If they have no moving parts (hammer, screwdriver, toolbox) used is just fine. Drills are better bought new because they start to act badly just prior to people selling them. Same thing with electric saws and almost anything else which is motor-driven. New is nice and it does not need to be the most expensive one in the store. Here is a good rule of thumb for buying tools as a new explorer in this very exciting world. Buy the tools you need for your first job. See how it goes. Do it again with the second job. Rent or borrow here and there (Berkeley has a Tool Lending Library!) As things move along, you may decide that you want to buy a nice set of drill bits (when they’re sharp, life goes more smoothly). 

Although it is not my goal to have this “teach you a lesson,” one of the things that will surely come out of doing a few household repairs on your own will be an increased appreciation of the time and effort (and savvy) it actually requires to do some of these seemingly simple projects. This isn’t a reason to turn tail and run from your chore but you may find future interplay with paid help may prove less upsetting when you see how long or difficult a “small” job can be. 

Women, take note, these words are for you. Men who claim to be lousy at fixing things. These words are for you. Start small. Get someone to show you how. Read the book and go forth and fix.  

Here’s a parting thought as I wish you all a great adventure. A girlfriend of mine, some 20 years ago, used to say something that I often think about: “I can do anything if I do it slowly enough.”