Thursday 11 October 2018

Fixed it Myself

To anyone who is handy with drills and screwdrivers and bits of wood the small job I did the other day is peanuts and not worth a mention. But I wasn't handy with DIY stuff, I didn't need to be, I had a husband who loved fiddling and fixing so he did it all,  as he would have said "by the time I'd have explained how to do it I could have done it myself"

During the summer I noticed the wood staging in the greenhouse was sagging on one side.
  The tiny bit of wood that should have been holding it up wasn't man enough to support the weight of 6 pots of peppers and 5 pots of aubergines I'd got growing.
Less than an inch wasn't big enough to support the staging
  I couldn't do anything except prop it up until all the pots were taken out.

After clearing the peppers out  last weekend I was able to have a go at fixing a new bit of wood to hold up the staging and eventually after a couple of attempts I succeeded. I had to use the drill with a wood drill bit to drill through the block, find a long screw and screw it through the wood and into the greenhouse.
The new bit is an inch and a half..................much stronger

The Ta Da ! moment!

I thought this was a job that was going to need brother-in-law's help, so I'm feeling quite chuffed.

The next thing I want to have a go at is replacing the lock on the garage door.
Should be another learning curve

Back Tomorrow
Sue

36 comments:

  1. Well done. I am seriously impressed!
    xx

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  2. Very impressed! The learning curve may be steep but you are keeping it very smooth.

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  3. i think the one thing that annoys my other half more than anything else is that im more than competent with tools, i was raised by my dad and he just treated me like a boy . Now he cant do much he just belittles everything i do as not being good enough , i just switch off and get on with it ...lol

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  4. absolutely worth mentioning. Violet is already handy with power tools, which I am beyond proud about. I've told her that everyone should know the basics, like wiring a plug and using a drill. It's such a rewarding moment to fix or create something yourself. So you shout about fixing it and be proud about doing so! :o) x

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  5. Well done again Sue! I have a similar husband, and this weekend we have four holes to drill in the wall, so I am going to try and get him to let me use the drill so that I know how to use it should the situation ever arise!

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  6. Like Joy I am seriously impressed and am sure that you'll go from strength to strength.
    I find that asking Google “How do I?” Often produces very useful videos.
    Sometimes they need sifting through but I’m truly grateful to the people who produce them.
    That question has saved me and my family a lot of money.
    The major one was when one of our sons mended the window mechanism in his car for pence!
    You can imagine the garage quote!
    Good luck with the garage lock. Sue

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  7. Well done - I bet you felt very pleased with yourself. I have always had to do my own DIY but I'm not particularly good at it. My dad could do anything, and I wish he had shown us how to do things - but he preferred to just get on with it, like Colin, and girls weren't expected to show an interest in things like that. Onward and upward, good luck with the lock!

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  8. We never know what we can do until we have to. Well done Sue. Ashamed to say I have never changed a plug, think it may be time to learn! Sure you will master changing the lock, no problem!

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  9. Well done Sue and I’m sure you’ll have given yourself the confidence to do many more jobs around the house and garden. I find Google is my friend for lots of jobs, in my case, sewing related.

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  10. I would be in the same position as you as my hubby does all the repairs, I've never used a drill. Well done for having a go, and learning a new skill.

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  11. I have a "man who can" so am woefully inept at DIY. I do act as the assistant and keep my eyes open so I have the theory.

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  12. Well done, it's a learning curve. You don't know if you can do something till you try.

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  13. I am impressed! Well done Sue.

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  14. Well done Sue, I have been on my own now for 30years and have had a go at lots to little things, as the other ladies say "Google" is a good teacher.
    Hazel c uk

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  15. Well done Sue.
    I don't mind a bit of DIY although I do draw the line at plumbing or anything to do with electrics.
    Hugs-x-

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  16. Excellent work, well done Sue! I wouldn’t have a clue where to start :-(

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  17. I'm the same in that husband works all the power tools. I think he'd be afraid of me doing things for fear I'd muck it up so badly, he'd have more work to do fixing it. -Jenn

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  18. Well done. Learning new skills helps keep the brain going.

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  19. Good for you! I'm the same way. I must admit I take him a little for granted. I shall do better to treasure what I have.

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  20. Great to be able to tackle these tasks ourselves (even when we aren't thrilled about it), so good job. My father had no sons so I was the beneficiary of learning skills that might have gone to the male species had there been one (esp. in the early 1960s). By the age of 14, I had been shown how to put up drywall, mix cement, lay brick and a myriad of other building tasks. Very grateful for that early training.

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  21. Go Sue! No limits to what you can achieve (especially if you can find help/instructions on YouTube)! X

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  22. Great work Sue,. I love a bit of DIY. Not always appreciated by hubby though.... and sons always say things I do are not straight but that is the problem living with engineers. I am happy with higgledy piggledy.😂

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  23. I learned the hard way. I drilled a whole same diameter as the raw plug I was using but of course it comes out bigger so the raw plug didn't grip. Poly filler needed! Drill a size smaller and then knock in the raw plug for a snug fit!

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  24. I am speechless with admiration Sue.

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  25. Very clever, though of course as a woman you should be able to turn your hand to most things. Must admit Youtube can be a little unclear on certain things though. Or it could be that I am stupid......

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  26. Bravo on fixing it yourself! I wish I had a greenhouse like that. ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

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  27. Big Thank you to everyone above for your support.

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  28. Fabulous Sue. Perhaps it's the case that we're all far more capable of doing things than we think.
    Arilx

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  29. Well done, you obviously learnt a lot more than you thought by watching.

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  30. Yes! Congratulations! You can do anything!

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  31. Well done Sue. Today an inch of wood, tomorrow a whole new workshop :-)

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  32. My husband is at the age (80's) now that he just wants to call a service to get things fixed. I always want to tackle it myself first. DH says it's my Scottish blood (1/4) that makes me cheap and not want to pay someone. I always say google is your friend and it showed me how to fix our washing machine, successfully I might add. We had a problem with our deep freeze and i was all set to tackle it but it involved taking the back panel off and he wouldn't let me. Called a service man and he came and did exactly what I had seen on google and charged $100!! I've fixed many computer problems reading Mr. google as well. Like others have said, if you don't try you'll never know! Good for you for giving it a go!!

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  33. Well done for having a try and boosting your confidence for DIY jobs.
    Most men aren't smarter than women or have better problem solving skills, so there isn't much stopping us from these jobs.Some men are stronger but that is often not a factor that matters.
    We all had to start at the beginning with our other skills for homemaking so there is no stopping you on this new endeavor.

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