DYIs to come!

One thing I've noticed about my generation (and even a little bit in my parents generation) is the lack of ability to do things ourselves.  A perfect sample of this is actually a couple I know that live in Southern California.  They jokingly talk about their handyman "Jesus" - no joke - who will fix/do anything from landscaping projects to changing light bulbs. I pick fun at people who I love dearly, and I do so because I know that this is more common of a thing (in varying degrees) than you would think.  One would think, that with an entire cable channel devoted to DYI projects people would be more willing to tackle things themselves, but in reality I think it just gives them ideas to tell "Jesus" to do.

There are a few problems I see with this, but most importantly is the cost of it.  Rarely can you find a handyman who works for free, unless you know them.  And between burnt out light bulbs and lawn maintenance visits the costs of these handyman can easily reach into the thousands annually.  This is great for the handyman, but living in an economy like ours it's hard to rationalize spending thousands of dollars on things that you more likely than not are more than capable of doing yourself.

My dad, Stan, taught me more than I could ever say.

I asked my dad why he thought people were resorting to hiring handymen more and more rather than doing things themselves and this is what he said: "I figure people are just afraid of trying."

BAM! Mind blown!!

I realized how true this was in my own life and it hit me.  If I hadn't of grown up working on my friends farm and my dad making me help on home-projects that ranged from laying a deck to putting in our own sprinkler system I would have been in the same boat. To be completely honest, sometimes I still find myself in the same boat.  I look at something that I think would be incredibly cool to try and find myself thinking that there is no way I could do that.  Yet in all reality I have nothing to lose in it.  All I have to do take a leap and risk it.

The Vaughan Family Ranch:
where I discovered the wonders
of duct tape and bailing wire.

My dad taught me the basics of carpentry; right angles, the benefits of toe-nails, levels, screw-guns, and the political incorrect adage of "Chinese carpenter: cut three times, still to small!" Working on the farm taught me the miracles of bailing wire and duct tape as well as forcing me to tackle projects that sometimes seemed to big simply because there wasn't anyone else other than me to do them. 

By no means am I claiming to be a qualified carpenter, plumber, electrician, or stone mason.  I might be able to get away with making a career out of landscaping however... What I am saying is my dad has done a great job at teaching me how to do chores that most people would have to call a handyman for.  Therefore I've decided to document a few DYI projects that I've got lined up for the apartment to show you how easy they are.  These are going to be projects that anyone can do with the most basic tools (and if you don't have them you can rent them for cheap at Home Depot, Lowes, or Ace - though I would recommend trying a local hardware store to promote local business and build relationships with people who are more capable than I at answering any questions you have).  They're also going to be projects that a lot of college kids and 20somethings would find useful and helpful.

Hopefully they'll be as beneficial to you as they were to me! Hopefully my first one; Adding Shelves to a Storage Room, will be up towards the end of the month with more to follow soon!  Definitely once spring hits there will be plenty of projects I'll be busying myself with and sharing with you!

Until then,

Cheers!