You know man, I was more afraid of fucking shit up, especially after the flooding incident. I was very hesitant to do anything if I didn't know the exact outcome. I had to get over that fear I guess.
This kind of stuff is difficult for me, I never really worked with tools as a kid. I hadn't really done anything of any kind handyman related, so its all brand new territory for me. But I'm proud. I feel a bit accomplished, even if others may think this is ridiculously easy. Its a stepping stone for me.
Big ups to you sir! When I was in high school I had this old BMW 3-series that would break down every other weekend, so I got pretty good at dealing with BS and having to use my hands to fix things and sort through problems. It really taught me to learn a system before I tried to fix any one part of it.
Since buying my first home a year and a half ago, I've replaced the kitchen faucet, remodeled both bathrooms and replaced all the insulation in the attic.
The #1 learning experience is doing, but the most important thing that you can do is study the problem; think through what you are changing and how it affects the "system" of your home, then react appropriately.
For example, when I added another R-38 to my attic, I also added soffit breathers that connect to the soffit vents and rise up into the attic. That was I was sure that by adding the insulation, I wasn't cutting off the air circulation in my attic.
Another great learning experience was the bathrooms. I literally took my bathrooms down to studs and sub-floor and re-did everything. I had to know when to ask for help, so I hired a plumber (brother-in-law) to come in and solder the copper pipes together. I wasn't going to mess with that! Not only that, but before I started taking pipes apart, I made sure I knew where my main shutoff valve was and ensured that it was working. You never want to end up in the situation that you were in only to find out that the main valve is stuck on...
Anyways, the moral of my post is that you (or at least I) learn best by doing, but there are a few golden rules that will always help make any home project go smoother: 1) Always plan ahead and spend the time learning about the systems that you're working on. 2) Know where your expertise ends and you need to call in an expert. It could end up saving you thousands of dollars and more importantly, hours and hours of your time.
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