Where to find Home Improvement How To Resources.

[zipper]

Don't have much to add, other than I have yet to master the angry beaver technique

I don't know that plumbing term...this will fix your plumbing. Lol





How's this for a home improvement resource. It is always pleasurable to hold an angry beaver in hand and just sip it.

 

[Robconn]

My most memorable trick for a copper pipe that has condensation or a trickle of water despite draining entire house is to ball up bread and shove it in pipe before the joint. It gives you a few minutes to sweat the pipe.
I learned that one the hard way. I thought I knew my limit as what I could handle and one day short of time going to work I couldn’t leave the wife and toddler without water. Plumber came right away and said he makes a good living from guys like me.
fast forward a couple of years and I was able to fix neighbors dilemma the same way as I had witnessed. I said to the neighbor don’t be surprised if your water taste like beer. (plumber humor).

 

[AZMark]

I learned a lot of basics as a kid but most big recent projects I have learned on the web.

It’s easier to find info and tutorials when you have a more detailed project in mind (e.g. how to plumb a water line vs how to remodel a bathroom). I just did an extensive wiring job on a new garage myself after getting outrageous bids. After planning the general layout I wanted I just took it one circuit, outlet, etc at a time and it really wasn’t bad besides the time it took one person. I’d never done 220 before but I read enough to get started and then when I got stuck on something I’d stop and read some more.

On every project you mentioned besides the door, code is going to come into play and will be your primary concern so you don’t have to redo things after an inspection. You can find all that online and some of it is pretty explicit so there’s not much gray area to worry about.

House stuff is generally pretty easy…you say you’re uncomfortable “crafting from wood”, but that’s furniture not houses. Wait until you see the mess of crap behind your walls, door frames and cabinets when you start demo. Not many real craftsman in the trades at that level, lots of shims, hacked up notches, construction adhesive, extraneous or missing fasteners, etc. They just make it work and cover up the ugly stuff.

Tile and things like that do require some experience to have it come out looking good. Don’t start with a shower wall, get that experience on projects that don’t matter (tile a table top or a tray or something and see how it goes) or hire it out.

 

[drewkaree]

Wait until you see the mess of crap behind your walls, door frames and cabinets when you start demo. Not many real craftsman in the trades at that level, lots of shims, hacked up notches, construction adhesive, extraneous or missing fasteners, etc. They just make it work and cover up the ugly stuff.

What you're describing is the stuff that goes on with multiple trades during the build process. The framers aren't notching things without a purpose, that's other trades doing that, 99% of the time. Shims will be necessary no matter what you're doing if it involves installing something - go to Home Depot and try to find 10 straight studs in your first 25, and you'll quickly see why shims will come into play. Construction adhesive has become the better way to get stuff to stay in place with less damage later on as the house settles, etc. I don't build houses or boats, and I agree with your point about the mess left behind, but there's more that is missing from your assessment.

 

[AZMark]

What you're describing is the stuff that goes on with multiple trades during the build process. The framers aren't notching things without a purpose, that's other trades doing that, 99% of the time. Shims will be necessary no matter what you're doing if it involves installing something - go to Home Depot and try to find 10 straight studs in your first 25, and you'll quickly see why shims will come into play. Construction adhesive has become the better way to get stuff to stay in place with less damage later on as the house settles, etc. I don't build houses or boats, and I agree with your point about the mess left behind, but there's more that is missing from your assessment.

I didn’t mean offense to the trades. I have a number of friends that are plumbers, electricians, tilers, GCs etc. My point was there is no reason for them to do furniture level work for something no one ever sees. They do functional work quickly.
No one reasonably competent should be intimidated from trying to do the work themselves because they think it has to be perfect.

 

[jdkaeser]

I learned everything from watching This Old House! You'd be surprised what you can learn from watching the shows on HGTV as well. YouTube is the new HGTV or This Old House. I follow a guy on YouTube called Stud Pack. I've been building stuff for 20 years and I learned a few things from this guy, highly recommend. Also, my philosophy has always been, I can try something and mess it up 2 to 3 times for what it cost to pay someone to do it and I get some cool tools that I can keep forever in the process. Electrical is pretty easy for basic home stuff. Same goes for plumbing, just need to know the things not to do, which again for a basic home is about 10 things not to do.

I project manage the building of retail stores, restaurants and coffee shops for the company I work for. I deal with a lot of the trades and I can tell you that many of them, especially now, are not very good. I get some good ones from time to time, but right now it is about 50/50 good to bad. I don't want to shit on anyone who do these trades for a living but it is hard finding qualified trades. I also did an extensive remodel on my house this year. The painter I used, because I hate painting, was not up to my standards. I did all the plumbing supply lines and hired a plumber for the gas lines and half of the drain lines. Those guys were good, and I watched them and learned a few tricks. I did all the framing, drywall, electrical and custom work.

I will also say, you get what you pay for!

 

[Robconn]

When I lived in New Jersey, at the county level they offered adult classes that ranged from cooking, home repair, and basic auto maintenance classes. I took a stained glass class with my in-laws and a beginner home renovation / repair class. It was the you tube of its day.