The DIY Girl Background
Some background on the DIY Girl and as explanation for how I approach projects.
I don’t believe in spending one more penny on repair and maintenance than I have to. If I invite someone into my house to do it they are going to charge a lot for their time (and hopefully expertise). If I figure out how to do it properly and do the work myself I can save a ton of money. Money that can go to fun things instead of fixing things.
We all have our limits and our priorities and there are plenty of folks who want the only tool they use on home repairs to be a credit card. I get this because I draw the line on some things too. Examples — new roof, new siding and windows, hanging large pieces of ceiling drywall. I wouldn’t be caught dead on my roof and I know there are t-bars you can make to hold drywall up to the ceiling, but I just don’t want to go there.
Some other things that affect what I will and won’t do. I have a 3 story house that scares the bejesus out of people (including me). When my roof gets hail damage and needs to be replaced most roofers turn the job down due to the height and steepness of the roof. I don’t blame them; as I said I wouldn’t be caught dead up there. The height of the house makes other things difficult too and I will point those out as I go along.
And one last house issue. It was built in 1984 so I am maintaining a 28 year old house on a heavily wooded lot. Anyone who has a lot of trees knows it adds to exterior house and yard upkeep.
Last issue is my size. I am 5′ 3″ and petite. I’m strong for my size, but come on — it’s nothing in comparison to a strong man. So I am constantly devising workarounds so I can accomplish what I want. But sometimes I hit a brick wall and simply am not big enough and strong enough to do some things. And it ticks me off…
The biggest reason I do the repairs I do is because it’s fun. It’s fun to figure something out that not everyone knows how to do. When the project is all done and looks great it’s so satisfying.
How Post will be Organized
I have run across some how-to’s that would explain brain surgery in these steps: 1. open skull, 2. operate, 3. close skull. Gee — that was helpful. Now I feel like I can perform surgery myself. If I post anything remotely like this please feel free to send me a nasty email or comment. I hope to be a tad more helpful than that.
The opposite is sometimes I feel like I have to wade through pages of blah, blah, blah to finally ferret out what I need to know. If you are that type of person I will have a summary of steps at the beginning of every project and then go into the blah, blah, blah :-). Seriously — I want to provide enough information that a person who has never done something like it feels that they can do it successfully. And don’t forget you can also post questions in the comment area and I will respond.
Icons I will Use
Below is a little menu of icons I will use in posts to let you know when I’ve done something dumb, found something great, etc. I will include it in any posts I use an icon.
And Last of all…
Don’t forget this is supposed to be fun. If you’re having a bad day and things aren’t going well I suggest you walk away from it if possible. Regroup, ask more questions, get your sense of humor back, and try again later. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve walked away from something I was having trouble with and once I’d mentally let it go gotten a sudden flash on how to solve the problem. Stressed brains can’t come up with creative solutions, so take a break.
Let’s get started!
The DIY Girl
