how does someone learn to become handy?

[momeNt]

Having the will and patience to learn is important for being handy, but also knowing which things take experience/expertise. Laying a wood floor down is relatively easy, because all your cutouts for doorways, or columns, or other wall protrusions give you approximately 1/2" of play because you are burying those cuts underneath base trim.

If you were to do floor designs like square where your cuts are actually exposed, then that takes expertise and skill that being unable to do it doesn't make you not handy, just not an expert.

some examples.

 

[BurnItDwn]

You got any friends who know how to fix shit? Hang out with them, ask them for advice/tips/hints ... bribe them with food & beer to teach you shit ...

 

[alkemyst]

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/

We usually don't hire people off the back of a truck.

I have found even US born and raised workers terrible at their crafts. We also don't go for the cheapest people.

However; many times I have found a great contractor for cheap like my current A/C guy. My alignment guy is excellent, but pricey compared to some at his $120 rate.

What's sad is surveying their job and finding screws, covers and grommets missing.

 

[alkemyst]

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.

I agree, that looks like a restoration project not something for a noob.

Many of those jobs need to be figured out in the right order of operations lest you have to redo work you already did.

 

[Artorias]

What? Not even one mention?

And remember folks

 

[Blackjack200]

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.

I disagree. I worked for my father's construction business for years and learned almost nothing. Yeah, I'm probably better with a framing hammer than almost anyone on the forum (Estwing 24 oz. with the blue handle, I also ground down the claw teeth so I could use the back of the hammer like a chisel, I could extract a sunken nail with a hard swing to dig into the lumber, then a single rock back out, two if it was a 10 penny or larger) but I couldn't so much as change a light switch without someone telling me what to do. I eventually stopped working for him, went to school and got a white collar job.

Not sure what happened, but a few years ago, I got really into home repair stuff and starting learning how to do stuff on my own. If you're determined, and genuinely curious, youtube, google, and your public library will take you very far. At this point I'm pretty comfortable with almost any electrical or plumbing task.

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.

Listen to this man OP, for he is wise. The house you linked is a bomb, the appropriate buyer is an owner of a construction firm that already has the tools, and can make use of his crew's downtime. You're looking at $100k in materials alone.

 

[DrPizza]

I disagree. I worked for my father's construction business for years and learned almost nothing. Yeah, I'm probably better with a framing hammer than almost anyone on the forum (Estwing 24 oz. with the blue handle, I also ground down the claw teeth so I could use the back of the hammer like a chisel, I could extract a sunken nail with a hard swing to dig into the lumber, then a single rock back out, two if it was a 10 penny or larger) but I couldn't so much as change a light switch without someone telling me what to do. I eventually stopped working for him, went to school and got a white collar job.

Not sure what happened, but a few years ago, I got really into home repair stuff and starting learning how to do stuff on my own. If you're determined, and genuinely curious, youtube, google, and your public library will take you very far. At this point I'm pretty comfortable with almost any electrical or plumbing task.

So, you're saying that you're fairly mechanically inclined and began at a young age? I didn't say that people would necessarily know every skill when they're young, but in my experience, those who had some sort of background when they were young tend to pick up new things a lot easier.

 

[Howard]

That isn't even the trademark blue and maize rubber grip. I get it if you are a Stanley sympathizer, I have a Bostitch hammer myself, but disparaging speed jokes of Estwing will not be tolerated.

Really my favorite hammer was lost in New Mexico unfortunately, it was a Craftsman 32 oz. ball peen.

That is their old-school design. It's my dad's absolute favourite, and I think he's had it for over 20 years probably.

 

[sdifox]

What? Not even one mention?

And remember folks

More like you didn't read the thread.

 

[Sho'Nuff]

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.

I think the "knack" can be learned somewhat, but agree that people who have it naturally are often better at home improvement than those that had to learn.

When I bought my first home I didn't know the first thing about home improvement. Now (2 homes later) I will tackle most carpentry projects, light electrical, light plumbing, roofing, painting, etc. Basically anything that I think I can knock out by myself in a weekend or maybe two. Larger projects I contract out. Not because I cannot do them but rather because I can't spare the time. 2 young kids and a demanding job limits what I am willing to take on.

OP - As others have said you learn by doing. It helps if you can find someone who is already handy to "help" you with projects. And by "help" I mean that they will guide you through a project, not simply do it themselves. For me that used to be my dad. Until I realized that my dad knew just enough to do most projects wrong (sorry dad). Now if I have questions I ask my brother in law (who is a very good carpenter though he doesn't do that for a living) or a friend who is a home builder. Between the two of them I can usually figure out what needs to be done. And they are great in the sense that they will help out as much or as little as I want.

Youtube and the net are not bad resources. But my honest opinion is that they can only take you so far. Each home and project will present unique challenges that are unlikely to be addressed by most youtube videos, home repair books, etc. Those resources might give you the gist, but the devil is often in the details. When you face those issues just try to think them through and come up with a common sense solution. That solution is often the right one.

 

[nageov3t]

Listen to this man OP, for he is wise. The house you linked is a bomb, the appropriate buyer is an owner of a construction firm that already has the tools, and can make use of his crew's downtime. You're looking at $100k in materials alone.

it's definitely a pipe dream. my boyfriend already 86'd the idea on account of the presumed ghosts in that creepy house. lol

realistically, I don't think I could see myself buying a house in need of extensive electrical or structural repair, though if I stay in my apartment for a couple more years I might start looking to learn how to do stuff like replacing the cabinets (and god knows what work will need to be done in the other apartment if my great aunt ever goes into a nursing home or something)

 

[mcvickj]

I would consider myself fairly mechanically inclined. My fiancée and I just bought a house so we have been busy with projects as time allows. I love working on the projects. We just painted our entire master bedroom. I also replaced the light fixture in the room with a ceiling fan / light fixture.

The directions that came with the fan were pretty clear but I also watched several YouTube videos before tackling the project. The only other thing that made me a little nervous was the electrical aspect of it but making sure the breaker is turned off and an electrical tester assured me I wasn't going to get poked.

This weekends project will be replacing the wax ring on the upstairs toilet. Again some pretty good YouTube videos showing the entire process. I also have to replace an electrical ballast downstairs in the basement.

I also have a lot of friends and family who are handy and have tools so I can always ask them for input before tackling projects.

 

[Puppies04]

OP you need to be able to do 2 things if you want to start learning to be handy...

1. Can you picture what you want something to look like when you are finished. If not don't start it. Starting a job "blind" like that is just going to end up a mess.

2. Can you use a tape measure

If you can do both of those things all it is going to take is a little time and patience. Don't rush anything ever, if you get stuck ask someone for advice and most of all pay attention the entire time you are working and if you don't have the correct tool don't attempt the job. If you start daydreaing about crap or trying to do 2 things at once your workmanship level is going to take a massive dive.

 

[alkemyst]

puppies, if you are going to keep quoting me in your sig...can you finally put up your location and some real contact info?

It makes me sad how you think you are such a badass, yet not.

I don't hide behind a screen. Most here know exactly who I am and all the other details.

 

[FallenHero]

Try your best, caulk the rest.

 

[tcsenter]

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

For some reason, the idea that ALL Mexicans on the jobsite who built the subdivision in which I've lived for the past 10 years, many of whom could not speak English, and subsequent LICENSED contractors we've hired who employed such laborers, were licensed and bonded from the supervisor down to the lowly gopher, just seems far-fetched to me. I'm feeling lazy, maybe you could provide the relevant state laws or regs?

 

[Vdubchaos]

DO NOT take on a "fixer upper" without any experience or skills.

As for your question.
By doing stuff yourself. Anything around you that breaks, you fix. Over time you will simply be able to figure things out.

You will also need willingness to learn and do some research.

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

Do it on your own and try to do it right. And remember that doing it wrong and then right the second time is cheaper than paying someone else and the second time you'll probably get it perfect. And you'll get it perfect the rest of your life.

I've tossed out a $100 2 year old kitchen faucet. It didn't even bother me. It's funny once you realize that you spent $10-$15K on supplies to remodel a kitchen. The $100 loss is meaningless unless you are a flipper trying to profit.

Things I don't do:
Large drywall jobs. You will never do it like a professional. They are worth every penny.
Roofs: I could do a roof but would prefer not to.

Other things.
Don't buy one drill, buy two. One for drill bits and one for screws. It saves a ton of time and headache on larger projects.
Get a 12" chop saw and stand.
Get a good razor blade handle (the metal ones that are $5-$10, none of the cheap plastic crap). And buy a lot of razor blades and toss them when they are even slightly worn. They don't cost that much but people tend to want to save money. It's not worth the headache.
A tool bag is also important. Makes life super easy if you need a few screw drivers and a hammer for a project. Grab them from your tool area and toss them in the bag and go.
Buy the 5 pound boxes of screws, not the one pound boxes. You'll eventually need them anyway and they cost way less per unit if you buy 5 pound boxes instead of 1 pound.

 

[Scarpozzi]

Do it on your own and try to do it right. And remember that doing it wrong and then right the second time is cheaper than paying someone else and the second time you'll probably get it perfect. And you'll get it perfect the rest of your life.

I've tossed out a $100 2 year old kitchen faucet. It didn't even bother me. It's funny once you realize that you spent $10-$15K on supplies to remodel a kitchen. The $100 loss is meaningless unless you are a flipper trying to profit.

Things I don't do:
Large drywall jobs. You will never do it like a professional. They are worth every penny.
Roofs: I could do a roof but would prefer not to.

Other things.
Don't buy one drill, buy two. One for drill bits and one for screws. It saves a ton of time and headache on larger projects.
Get a 12" chop saw and stand.
Get a good razor blade handle (the metal ones that are $5-$10, none of the cheap plastic crap). And buy a lot of razor blades and toss them when they are even slightly worn. They don't cost that much but people tend to want to save money. It's not worth the headache.
A tool bag is also important. Makes life super easy if you need a few screw drivers and a hammer for a project. Grab them from your tool area and toss them in the bag and go.
Buy the 5 pound boxes of screws, not the one pound boxes. You'll eventually need them anyway and they cost way less per unit if you buy 5 pound boxes instead of 1 pound.

Don't buy two drills....buy a drill/impact driver combo. Never settle for anything less than 18v if you go rechargable.

If you ever have a job to do, consider how much money and free time you have. If you have more free time than money, start by getting an estimate and quiz the estimator on how they would approach the work.

Call building supply stores and estimate how much material it'd take you to do the job and get a price from them with any bulk discounts they can throw in....then go to Youtube and see how feasible the work is....then start.

I've started many projects with buying tools most people would rent on ebay. $150 for a flooring nailer and I've laid hardwood floors in my house, a cabin, and a friends house....drop-shipped the wood from a supplier out of state and saved salestax.

$150 for a chinese electric jackhammer and I removed 20 cubic yards of concrete for free prior to digging new footers for a massive garage project.

I'm currently doing wiring and framing on a project that's taking me way too long, but it's all a fun learning project.

 

[vi edit]

Don't buy two drills....buy a drill/impact driver combo. Never settle for anything less than 18v if you go rechargable.

Yeah, exactly what I was going to say. Drill + Impact driver. Impact driver is one of the most valuable tools in the bag. Those things make sinking screws a cakewalk. Noisy...but effective.

I'm reasonably handy. I got nuthin on Bob Villa, but I'm more handy than an average white color IT nerd. Most of it I attribute to my Dad. He was a mason and I'd labor for him over the summers/weekends. Learned lots of little things. Plus he was just sort of a general handyman when it came to "improvising" things. Not many projects he wasn't scared of. And he was always good at teaching and having you me do things instead of just saying "here hold this" and doing everything himself.

I've done a kitchen remodel, tons of light electrical work, a house build, a shed construction, and now I'm on to a different house that's about 25 years old and needing some things updated. I'm working on flooring, appliances, electrical, plumbing, garage doors, ect. Will eventually move on to a basement gutting and remodel at some point. Will wait for my son to get older before I tackle that so he can get some hands on experience in such things.

It'll also probably expand his vocabulary doing a home project with me too.

 

[Scarpozzi]

Will wait for my son to get older before I tackle that so he can get some hands on experience in such things.

That's cool of you. Watching my dad tackle projects is what gave me confidence to jump in....and that has given a few of my friends confidence that didn't have handy dads growing up.

I think it's important to show them that with the right tools and the right plan, you can do just about anything. I do agree that many of the finishes, like tiling, drywall, and painting is as much of an art as it is a science.

I've seen a lot of general contractors do poor work or outsource to guys that did poor work. It's made me want to tackle more and more myself and learn as I go instead of paying for inferior work..

 

[holden j caufield]

youtube, I'm amazed at how much in depth content is out there.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

youtube, I'm amazed at how much in depth content is out there.

Very true.

 

[BUTCH1]

Alot of depends on your personal aptitude as well...Even though I had no experience with laminate floors, I had no problem ripping out my old carpet, cutting the boards to size (even had to work around some funky angular columns I have) and putting up new baseboards...For having zero experience, I thought it came out very nice..

I have also replaced my garbage disposal, replaced my wooden fence posts with metal poles, built garage shelving, put ceiling fans, replaced light fixtures, and bunch of other stuff around the house with zero experience...

Pretty much just patience, trial and error and alot of Youtube videos...

Yea, this, I bought a water heater at HD for $210, I asked about their installation service, $250..WTF, the pipes are right there, the 220V is right there, fuck it, I had it loaded in my car and bought a soldering kit for $25 and headed home. I also bought some small pieces of pipe and some connecting joints and practiced a few times, then installed it myself including sweating in new flow valves, 10+ years and no problems since. These days with YT one can watch a particular repair/installation and determine if your skill-set is up to the task or if you think your able to learn them, back in the old days that resource was not there so one had to guess and hope!..