Home repair difficulty rating systems
Me, I'm a fan of DIY repair jobs, the missus, not so much. Well she doesn't remind the DIY type projects, it's just she isn't so much the fan of me doing them. I personally don't think she's being understanding or caring when I turn the kitchen and dining room into a work-shop, but that's just me.
Earlier today we were discussing a couple of items on the "Honey-Do" list and I started explaining what all was involved and about how many beers it would take to complete the project. At first she seemed puzzled by my response so I explained it just a bit further, with examples.
A task such repainting the bathrooms is easily a eight beer project. One beer during the preparatory stage, three beers per bathroom and one beer during clean up. For something more complex, such as repainting the hallway and living room it's easliy a twelve pack project. Two or three beers during to remove the four-million pictures, spackle the holes and sand them smooth, two or three beers to prep for painting, four or five during the painting process and one during clean up. See really it's not a complex theory to grasp at all.
Satisfied that I'd thoroughly explained the process of evaluating project difficulty we made our way down her NEVER ENDING list. It's gonna be a long drunken summer folks, I'm just hoping my liver can hold out.
Just wait until she hits the, "Well, I've never done anything like this before, but I'm going to do it myself" stage. That there instantly makes it a case project for you. The first twelve to prepare you for the statement, "I didn't think sheet rock was that difficult." and the next twelve for "We can't leave it that way, you'll need to fix it today as we aren't going to pay for a contractor to come in and fix all the damage I've done." Trust me... god, please trust me.
Posted by: Contagion at July 20, 2006 10:09 PM.. Contagion is right... but I recommend vodka...
Posted by: Eric at July 20, 2006 10:21 PMMy last DIY project (and I mean ME doing it not some incompetent man) was changing my doorbell. I mean the box in the dining room that goes ding-dong not the button on the porch. (I'd already done the button.) Anywho, a doorbell is simple - two wires, right? Well, it's much more complicated if the idiots who built your house screwed the old box into a pipe for your fire suppression system. This involves thousands of gallons of water shooting out of the wall and all over your freshly painted home (that would be the paint job for which you just paid $5k).
I'd say hire a professional, but he would have had the same issue.
Oh well, just don't look to me when you need a new liver. I'm looking for a donor myself.
Posted by: bobgirrl at July 20, 2006 10:59 PMI'm with Eric. And we do all of our own home improvements. Heck, I can hang drywall as well as he can. :P Of course he has to hold it up there for me... ;)
Posted by: Theresa at July 21, 2006 06:20 AMWater heater is 12 beers, right?
damn, it's a good thing that I hate beer. ;-)
Posted by: agent bedhead at July 21, 2006 09:28 AMHave tools, will travel?
Posted by: tony at July 22, 2006 05:38 PMOff topic, do you know anything about Ward Brewer and his website? I'd be interested in hearing how he is doing. Thanks
Posted by: paul skurnick at July 23, 2006 10:26 AM
