how does someone learn to become handy?

[dave_the_nerd]

Research, and trial and error

This, this, this, this.

It helps if you have other peoples' homes to experiment on too!

 

[Moonbeam]

..but can you fix a broken toilet float?
..or collapsed leach field?
..level a house?

I can row a oat. Canoe?

 

[dmcowen674]

how does someone learn to become handy?

so, I'm in the process of very casually house-shopping... not really looking to buy soon, but probably within the next 2-3 years once I've got a downpayment saved up and my great aunt/landlady is presumably in a nursing home/passed away*.

when I've got time to kill and I'm out of internet articles to read, I've been casually browsing sites like Zillow/Trulia just to look at what's out there, figure out what I want in a house, and get a feel for overall prices in my area.

every once in awhile, I'll come across a property like this -- http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/220-Mountain-Ave-Bound-Brook-NJ-08805/39847389_zpid/ where it has great bones and a super low price for the area, but obviously needs a lot of work. it makes me wonder, how to people actually learn to become handy so they can put the work into a fixer-upper rather than having to contract it all out?

sadly, I'm descended from a long line of people whose only home repair skill is picking up a phone.

(*at the moment, I live in a 2-family house with my 90 year-old great aunt in the other unit. as tenant and her only source of income, I want to stay here for as long as possible... the big x-factor is if she were to die and leave the house to me, in which case I'd probably sell it and use the money to buy something brand new and otherwise out of my price range)

You said it right there. You know it's all in the parenting.

Start watching HGTV everyday and learn, learn, learn.

 

[Leyawiin]

I think you really need to have a knack. When I was 14 I spent the summer helping my dad and uncle (a carpenter) build our house in the Sierra Nevada. After that I helped dad do all sorts of improvements on it. I never got handy to the point I could start a project without explicit directions from someone else. I usually was a just the person who held something, fetched something or did a mundane job like nail shingles down. I just didn't have the interest in it I guess.

 

[iGas]

I agree with boomerang that practice makes perfect, and it helps if you get some guidance.

TheSlamma, greenboard was used in the past (which still is acceptable if Durock is not available) before the better Durock got into the market, however both will fail in poor drainage installation.

I certainly can sink a 16 penny in 3 blows with this cheap hammer using 1 hand.

 

[iGas]

You said it right there. You know it's all in the parenting.

Start watching HGTV everyday and learn, learn, learn.

You are not going to get anything done or learn much standing around watching with your hands in your pocket, and it's worst if you are sitting in front of the TV.

Doing + watching is how you learn.

 

[BD231]

I think you really need to have a knack. When I was 14 I spent the summer helping my dad and uncle (a carpenter) build our house in the Sierra Nevada. After that I helped dad do all sorts of improvements on it. I never got handy to the point I could start a project without explicit directions from someone else. I usually was a just the person who held something, fetched something or did a mundane job like nail shingles down. I just didn't have the interest in it I guess.

Likely not. I knew a guy who built all kina house's had hella wives then lost every single house he built in the divorce's. Guess he's doin alright now but back in those days I wasn't allowed to hang around him. He only ended up training one person and 20 years later that same person is still working under him.

 

[alkemyst]

I am not sure how you do it once grow up. My dad was a self-made man, but had to fix literally everything he owned himself until he became on.

Even when he could afford to hire someone to take care of things, he did not. He started me around 8 years old (maybe earlier) and I learned sprinklers, wiring, how to care for a lawn, how to install a pool, how to replace a roof (both tile and shingle), how to pressure clean, how to replace a toilet, how to replace a sink, how to do automotive repair from the basics to a full bolt by bolt restoration (my first car), and much more. Along the way he gifted me the tools for the jobs.

Today we both hire people usually and usually we have to go behind them to fix little things they didn't do quite right.

 

[feralkid]

Common sense helps;It is not abundant on this forum.
Can you drive a 16-penny nail home with 3 whacks?

That's not a construction skill, that's a parlor trick.

 

[natto fire]

I am not sure how you do it once grow up. My dad was a self-made man, but had to fix literally everything he owned himself until he became on.

Even when he could afford to hire someone to take care of things, he did not. He started me around 8 years old (maybe earlier) and I learned sprinklers, wiring, how to care for a lawn, how to install a pool, how to replace a roof (both tile and shingle), how to pressure clean, how to replace a toilet, how to replace a sink, how to do automotive repair from the basics to a full bolt by bolt restoration (my first car), and much more. Along the way he gifted me the tools for the jobs.

Today we both hire people usually and usually we have to go behind them to fix little things they didn't do quite right.

Right, well Florida industry is based on the fact that there are large amounts of people embracing citizenship. Granted, no one has any attachment to Florida, but why not be known as the state that is proud of it's immigrqant heritage, despite it being largely false/

 

[xgsound]

You could start today with where you live. Begin with paint only. Caulk, daywall mud, 3 putty knives, and a sanding sponge will get the walls straight. When you do a good job get the aunt to pay for the supplies to build in shelves or add custom crown molding or install light fixtures with rosette medallions. Redo it twice if you have to. Then move on to your aunts/ landlady's place and improve it repeatedly. Your aunt will love you. You and your aunt will live in a nice place until you have money to move. You will also learn your limitations. When you start on plumbing learn how to add a shutoff where you are working first so the other plumbing (read toilet) can work!!

When you move you will have the work ethic, knowledge, and skills to do a great job. Remember to take 1 day a week off or you turn into a jerk.

Jim

 

[boomerang]

Right, well Florida industry is based on the fact that there are large amounts of people embracing citizenship. Granted, no one has any attachment to Florida, but why not be known as the state that is proud of it's immigrqant heritage, despite it being largely false/

How is what you posted relevant to this thread?

 

[manimal]

How is what you posted relevant to this thread?

dudes in a K hole

 

[Muse]

OK, read the OP, that's it, here goes:

I've been "handy" for a long time. Had to be.

You will accumulate tools. You can't be handy without tools. By and by you'll figure out a lot of what you'll need. Basic hand tools, some power tools, cordless stuff.

There's plenty of help with DIY stuff, Youtube, an infinite resource. I have a couple of helpful books: Reader's Digest big bound books, really well done and illustrated:

New Complete Do-It-Yourself Manual (the better book for you)
New Fix-It-Yourself Manual

A guy I know who bought a house, lived in it, fixed it up a ton and sold it for ~3x what he paid for it, and painted houses for a living for many years told me that a big part of successfully doing your own work on a house is just buying stuff and reading the labels carefully. They tell you what to do. Now, I think his comments were mostly about painting a house but you could extend it to some other stuff.

 

[Muse]

It also helps it the friend/family has a full set of tools you can borrow.

As a recent homeowner who has tried to be more handy, the biggest limitation is often that the tool or set of tools I need to do the job RIGHT is often pretty pricy- like pricy enough I need to do that job more than once to justify it. Which, in the end, kinda pushes you to fix even more...

I have a whole lot of tools that I've accumulated over the years, but of course at times I don't have the tool(s) required for some job. I'm fortunate in that I live a couple of blocks from my town's tool lending library. Many times I've gone there and for free checked out the tool(s) needed for a job. I especially like to do that when the odds are slim to none that I will need said tool(s) again.

 

[DrPizza]

I think that it helps a lot to start off with that stuff when young. I don't think that people who learn those skills later in life really gain that aptitude for such tasks. E.g., I don't think you become mechanically inclined later in life, rather than learn individual tasks. Some people can encounter things that are completely new to them, and in a matter of minutes, "figure them out" and become nearly as knowledgeable about them as people who have worked with them for years.

For example, one of my kids needed to change the brake shoes on his car; he had learned when he was young how to replace the pads on disk brakes, but drum brakes function rather differently. The springs inside had corroded and broken; he bought a new spring kit along with the shoes, and based on the parts alone, figured out how everything went together and worked, without ever having seen inside a drum before. I think that sort of ability - "learn to become handy" starts at a young age; not later in life.

 

[tcsenter]

Sure pal. Contractors are licensed and bonded. They aren't bringing happy harry homeowner into someone else's house so they can fuck up all their shit while "learning." LOL So no they won't have you.

Contracting business owners are licensed, workers doing the labor very often are not for home/residential work. I wasn't suggesting they would turn him loose in a home by himself, any more than I was intimating the folks at the Chinese restaurant in my preface would just turn me loose in the kitchen and expect me to cook orders without any instruction, direction, and oversight at first. I'm sorry that had to be explained to you rather than you deducing it on your own.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Sure pal.

Contractors are licensed and bonded. They aren't bringing happy harry homeowner into someone else's house so they can fuck up all their shit while "learning." LOL
So no they won't have you.

Actually they will, usually through an apprenticeship though. I don't know if you could just randomly ask one but I suppose it would not hurt to try. Probably better luck with a smaller self owned company and not a big commercial company, as a smaller one will have less red tape and political BS. Might even pay you a little something under the table if you are a good help. :twisted:

Though I find I just learn by tackling my own projects. I'll run into something I'm not sure how to do, guess how it's probably done, then look it up first to see if I'm right.

 

[MongGrel]

Right, well Florida industry is based on the fact that there are large amounts of people embracing citizenship. Granted, no one has any attachment to Florida, but why not be known as the state that is proud of it's immigrqant heritage, despite it being largely false/

Nothing much really.

 

[Zebo]

Just do it like nike commercials say.

Little about me. About 13 years ago... I was a materials engineer didnt know shit about construction but wanted to build my own house. So I got a construction loan and watched. Every trade every step between draws. I built 3 more on my block on the 5 acres I purchased. Again watched everything and played along sometimes.. (e.g. I did all finish 5th draw work... work like crown moulding and trim out, painting, finish plumbing.) 43 houses later I can manually build a house from ground up. But Mexicans are cheaper.

Edit get bids put a time clause in and have a nice day. I'm out of it now since housing bust but you should be able to steal labor these days. Not worth it to DIY IMO if you have decent employment.

 

[Zebo]

Contracting business owners are licensed, workers doing the labor very often are not for home/residential work. I wasn't suggesting they would turn him loose in a home by himself, any more than I was intimating the folks at the Chinese restaurant in my preface would just turn me loose in the kitchen and expect me to cook orders without any instruction, direction, and oversight at first. I'm sorry that had to be explained to you rather than you deducing it on your own.

Depends on state. some states let a man work. Mobifornia requires licences bonding and insurance if you hang a picture on the wall.

 

[Bitek]

so, I'm in the process of very casually house-shopping... not really looking to buy soon, but probably within the next 2-3 years once I've got a downpayment saved up and my great aunt/landlady is presumably in a nursing home/passed away*.

when I've got time to kill and I'm out of internet articles to read, I've been casually browsing sites like Zillow/Trulia just to look at what's out there, figure out what I want in a house, and get a feel for overall prices in my area.

every once in awhile, I'll come across a property like this -- http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/220-Mountain-Ave-Bound-Brook-NJ-08805/39847389_zpid/ where it has great bones and a super low price for the area, but obviously needs a lot of work. it makes me wonder, how to people actually learn to become handy so they can put the work into a fixer-upper rather than having to contract it all out?

sadly, I'm descended from a long line of people whose only home repair skill is picking up a phone.

(*at the moment, I live in a 2-family house with my 90 year-old great aunt in the other unit. as tenant and her only source of income, I want to stay here for as long as possible... the big x-factor is if she were to die and leave the house to me, in which case I'd probably sell it and use the money to buy something brand new and otherwise out of my price range)

1st off, do not buy that house. Water damage = danger danger, $$$.
This project is like you saying "hiking sure looks like fun. I think I'll head off to K2 after work. Probably should buy some sneakers on the way..."

Even little projects can be time consuming and difficult. Even with a bit of experience
and having the tools. You have neither yet, do your eyes will easily get bigger than your wallet.

Old houses are weird. Nothing is std to what is used today, so everything will be more difficult.

Get a newer place that will be low maintenance. Low maint is still a lot of work and s lot of money, but that is where you can build skills and your tool chest. I have many thousands in tools that taken me years to build up. And that's fairly basic stuff.

Look on CL for tools. Done really good deals if you look. Other ways too. Then get out there, crack some books, get online, then get to work and learn.

 

[M0oG0oGaiPan]

You just got to get your hands dirty. Some things you're probably better off contracting but a lot of stuff you could do on your own.

i've posted this blog before but these people learned how to fix their own stuff and I think it's pretty amazing what they've accomplished.

http://www.younghouselove.com/

 

[Brian Stirling]

Asking how does one become handy is like asking how one becomes tall. But, handy and Jewish are mutually exclusive things.


Brian

 

[Miramonti]

One step at a time, one project at a time. And start with youtube for diy videos.

/edit: Wow that house listed by OP looks like a complete disaster. Not just wear or minor fixes/replacements, but redoing everything. That's not handyman stuff, that's called a financial sinkhole.