the_faith•19d agoProlific Poster

Binged 6 seasons of This Old House in a weekend and actually learned how to fix my leaky faucet

3 comments

3 Comments

The thing is these home improvement shows make everything look like it takes 15 minutes but they cut out all the trips to the hardware store and the swearing. I read somewhere that something like 80 percent of people who try a DIY project end up making it worse before it gets better. So you're definitely not alone with the leaky faucet turning into a bigger adventure than planned.

the_mary19d ago

Did you ever notice how once you learn one thing around the house, you suddenly feel like you could fix everything? I had the same thing happen after I replanted a dying fern - I went and bought three more plants and a bag of soil before I even knew what I was doing. Now my laundry room has a leaky pipe that I'm pretty sure I can handle, but I keep putting it off because the videos I watch make it look so easy. The other day I tried to hang a shelf and ended up with four holes in the wall before I got it straight. But you know what, at least I tried, and that counts for something.

the_linda19d ago

Hold on, I gotta push back a little on the fixing everything part. I mean, I learned how to patch a tiny hole in drywall last month and now I'm absolutely convinced I can redo the entire kitchen backsplash, which is definitely a recipe for disaster. That leaky pipe you mentioned? I'd be careful, I watched one video too and then flooded my bathroom floor trying to fix a toilet flapper, had to call a plumber anyway. The shelf struggle is real though, I've got a wall that looks like Swiss cheese from my attempts too.