What's Your 'Home Maintenance' Style?

[Zorro]

Finding your place on the Fixer/Non-Fixer spectrum

Since ancient times, humans have believed that the world is divided into two types of people: those who perform timely routine maintenance and repair on their homes, and those who don’t.

Fixers take great pride in their understanding of the complications and quirks of their home and how to keep it all working. They possess many tools and manuals. A stud finder. Soldering gun. Extra copper piping in the cellar. A toilet snake. They sometimes won’t stop talking about gutters.

Non-Fixers are overwhelmed, uninterested or too busy to learn the basics of maintenance and routine household repair. They’re terrified that if they try, they’ll start breaking stuff that worked perfectly well. Or they very reasonably believe that if they learn to do one maintenance thing and demonstrate any proficiency in it, they will be on the hook for learning and doing all the other maintenancey things their home requires. Many pay others to do the work. Some Non-Fixers just ignore their house maintenance and repair needs thinking they will go away. Actually, many Non-Fixers do this. Others could be Fixers, but their life is filled with other things they would prefer to do, such as drink martinis on the couch and watch ‘Full House’ reruns.

Conventional wisdom holds that we are assigned a Fixer or Non-Fixer designation at birth and that it is an immutable trait that cannot be altered during our lifetimes, like eye color or a hatred of cilantro. Alternatively, some fervently believe that our maintenance style is a choice, and that we can simply decide which type of person we wish to be. The extremists among this group also believe that being a Fixer is the only proper, moral choice, and that Non-Fixers are broken, bad humans.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/whats-your-home-maintenance-style-11637244339?st=rkjskhkq58n0vuh&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

I'd consider myself a late-life fixer. Before retirement it was just more cost-effective to hire someone else to do the work around the house.

[spooky3]

1. There is a third category--people who like things to be maintained

and do what they can do well, but hire out the rest.

There obviously also are people who would like to keep things up but can’t physically or financially.

[True Blue American]

4. I have always believed

In fixing minor problems before they become major. I have always been a remodeler, too!

Get help from the family that is mechanically inclined or hire it done.

[Aristus]

10. That's the category I'm in.

I fix what I can, and hire out for the rest.

[NutmegYankee]

17. I'm certainly that.

I fix many things but some jobs require tools I don’t have or trigger my disk injuries such that it’s worth hiring someone to do it instead.

[2naSalit]

24. That's me...

As I get older, there are fewer things I can fix.

[bamagal62]

28. Exactly. I maintain

and fix what I can. And, I do it before it becomes a problem. But, my skill level in the fix-it area is pretty low. So, hiring others happens often!

[leftieNanner]

2. Non-fixer here

My Dad was a serious fixer, but I never expressed any interest in learning that stuff back in the day. I'm sorry I didn't. My husband is an "engineer", but I'm the one who wields the screwdriver in our house. (I put engineer in quotes because that was his degree in college and he worked as a Safety and Health professional all his working life.)

Our fixer remedy is what we call 1-800-Call-Paul.

[LakeArenal]

3. I grew up in a home where if it broke we bought a new one.

I married into a family of fixers.

It took me a long time to realize a lot of things can be fixed.

My husband was a maintenance mechanic, my bil is a bowling alley mechanic. My fil is a refrigeration engineer. His twin sister was an emergency room nurse. One sister is an environmental scientist. Another bil fixes ATMs. A sister is a parts inventory person for a car dealer. Everybody fixes things.

[2naSalit]

25. I was the opposite.

We had to fix everything that broke, when I got married, everything that broke got replaced, made me a little nuts. Now I fix things, get them fixed or get rid of them and rarely replace them unless absolutely needed.

[NewHendoLib]

5. personally a non-fixer, but we have things fixed by experts in a timely fashion

too many gardens to grow, books to write, hikes to take to become troubled with fixing!

[MineralMan]

6. In my younger years, I was not only a "fixer" but an "improver."

I parlayed that into a career writing for magazines that helped others do repairs and home improvements. And that led to designing woodworking projects for those same magazines.

So, my little cottage in California became a showcase for those skills and many of the projects I did to improve it appeared in those magazines, with step-by-step instructions and in-process photographs. When we sold that little house to move to Minnesota, all of that work made it something special that you wouldn't expect in an old beach cottage. So, it sold quickly, and at a premium. There's something about handmade Italian mosaic tiles in a tiny cottage bathroom that surprises people and delights them.

In my later years, though, I stopped doing that kind of work on my homes. Now, I hire people to do the work. I have neither the time nor the energy to do it myself any longer.

[Bettie]

7. My husband is a fixer...but

he's realizing that he's reaching an age when he needs to consider hiring some things out.

However, he's also teaching our sons to do a lot of things along the way.

Heck, both of the older ones know basic blacksmithing, woodworking, how to install a toilet, how to fix leaking pipes, how to install new windows, and what auto stuff they should do themselves and what they should hire someone to do.

I've taught them to cook and mend clothing. Those are the things I'm good at.

They are both pretty competent at most things.

Youngest child is coming along.

[underpants]

8. I pretty much walk around the house with a hammer and nails

looking for anything that might help fix.

[Wingus Dingus]

9. DIY. My husband is handy with most things, and I have to help too.

He has screwed up some stuff that led to more extensive repairs, but most of the time he gets it right. I have dreams/fantasies of someday hiring someone else to install tile, wood floors, build a garage, replace windows and skylights, etc. but it's not going to happen until we're too old to get up on ladders.

[padfun]

11. I'm a fixer

In the last two weeks, I tore down our bathroom wall to get to a moldy smell, then put in a new vanity. I put in new mold resistant drywall and then a new wall base to add some flavor to the room. I also changed the toilet flange and put in a new wax ring. And to top it off, I changed all three water stops in that bathroom and got me a new tool to take the brass rings off. Now I am starting on my wife's bathroom.

I also want to replace my electrical panel. I know I can do it but since we need a permit to do it, I might hire an electrician on that one.
I worked construction in my 20's and early 30's so I am used to a lot of these things. Tearing down walls doesn't intimidate me.

I am retired now, but when I was working in my later years, I would hire out more since work kept me busy.

[ananda]

12. Pretty much non fixer, unless it's easy.

But I get full free maintenance where I live.

[blogslug]

13. I know when to call in a professional

Mom was the fixer. She built a laundry aside our kitchen, doing everything including studs, drywall and wiring. However, she was no plumber and she knew it and she hired a pro for that.

I fix what I can and leave what I can't to people who can.

[spooky3]

14. They can do it better AND faster. I heard an economist

argue that is often better to hire out everything. He said, “if it’s a good use of your time to mow your lawn, why aren’t you mowing your neighbors’ lawns for pay?” (I do mow my own, because I like to.)

[hunter]

29. I love plumbing now. Plastic pipe changed everything.

PEX for water, ABS for drains.

My wife and I once owned an old house that had galvanized pipe and iron drains. That was horrible stuff. The galvanized water pipe was constricted with rust, and the iron drain pipes were literally plumbed with lead at the joints. (The roman word for lead is plumbum, which is where the word "plumber" comes from.)

Copper pipe is awful stuff as well and doesn't deserve its sacred reputation. It is better than galvanized pipe, which isn't saying much.

When I was young moving big sheets of drywall around and slapping them up was sort of fun. Now it just hurts.

My younger brother is a contractor and he's got the arthritis as well. He can still do the heavy lifting himself, but he usually pays younger guys (and its mostly guys...) to do it.

My mom and dad are artists and not afraid to build things themselves. Some of their work can be more fanciful than practical.

[Walleye]

15. I've lived in the same rented apartment about 28 years. They fix everything

Works great when you live alone and don’t have to maintain a family. I thought of owning a house and then somebody would say something like “roof” or “boiler”. My brothers are both excellent fixers and own their own homes, though. I do try to maintain my car, but not a fanatic about it. I am at an age now or most of the maintenance and repair goes into my body

[Throck]

16. Knowing how to fix things is half the problem.

I fix what I can but if I have to hire out I know what I'm getting in a contractor. Some contractors are hoser hacks.

[NQAS]

18. Crime scene modern

And, do we really have to fix the roof?

And, is the front door closing ok? Nah, it’ll wait till next year.

And, sure would be nice to have done money to fix all this shit.

[getagrip_already]

19. A little of each, more of a fixer though

At home, I can fix almost anything, but know my limits wrt time and skill. I hate heights for example, so I don't like getting on ladders and the roof is off limits.

My wife calls it being handy with our money.

On my boat, I'm nearly a 100% fixer. It's not so much the rates the marina charges, but the time it takes them to fix something. Some jobs they just never get to. The boat is much more of a fix t time sink than the house.

[Raftergirl]

20. H was a fixer

when we were young and had no money - except electrical which I would never let him do. But we started remodeling our house about 15 years ago - top to bottom, inside and out. We did it in phases. The last big job was last year when we had the laundry room gutted and remodeled. Just this week we had our picket fence, which was rotting, and which H had fixed several times the last few years, replaced with an aluminum fence. Minor expense compared to everything else we’ve done.

We also now have a lawn guy and a company to fertilize lawn and feed tree and shrubs. We used to do all that stuff ourselves.

The contractor who did my whole house comes whenever I need them to fix things they did in remodel. For instance, one of the pantry doors became hard to slide back and forth and he sent worker to fix it. Guy had to shave just a touch off the bottom. They don’t charge us for stuff like this.

[Tracer]

21. Oh for sure, I am a fixer.

Of course there are things that I've learned not to touch or try to fix --- electricity for one, unless it's simple like re-wiring a lamp. I'll do some plumbing, but I really hate that job. Let someone else crawl under the sink!

I've learned how to do things right by years of watching "This Old House" and "Ask This Old House". I like to know the correct way before I start.

My last biggish project was ripping off the 25 year old ugly pressure-treated deck boards and replacing them with cedar.

Lucky for me that I have trusted plumbers, electricians and HVAC people, because my days if do-it-yourself is coming to an end. Age is catching up.

[Sympthsical]

22. We're a mutant fixer/non-fixer amalgamation. Partner starts projects I invariably finish.

My partner is fastidious about the house. It's the first house for both of us. I'll do projects like paint a bedroom, replace screens, etc. He gets obsessed with tiny things I don't even notice. "Did you see those tiny holes in the wall eight feet in the air in that room no one ever goes in?"

Here's the problem.

Growing up, my father taught me all kinds of skills with home maintenance, so I'm pretty handy with most aspects of home ownership. I can fix pipes, replace a floor, deal with gutters, etc. In my apartments, I never called the property manager. I just fixed everything myself unless it was an actual disaster. My partner's father did everything for the family and taught no one. So he has no idea about the very, very basics of home upkeep and repair.

But he will attempt projects I never care about. "The floor trim in the loft is damaged in this one corner you can barely see. I'm going to sand and paint and . . ." Whereupon I will tell him how, show him, let him make the attempt, then sigh deeply two days later and repair the whole situation myself.

Sometimes I wonder if it's on purpose. Like he'll start something I never would, knowing I will swoop in before the end and do it myself.

He's like pre-anal "This bit of nothing needs to be fixed!" and I'm post-anal. "Oh god, I need to fix what you've done now."

But it works.

He mentioned bathroom tile for the downstairs bathrooms the other day. I said, "No. Hire someone. I am way too busy." Please god, let me win this one and pay someone to do this.

[Wicked Blue]

23. i was a fixer

but am hampered by chronic fatigue and lower back problems. It's extremely frustrating.

[Johnny2X2X]

26. In the age of Youtube

I'm fairly handy, but there's always little tricks and quirks. Even changing the bath tub faucet can vary some based on the brand of faucet you have installed. Now a days, I Youtube every new project and there are usually multiple videos based on the exact brand and model of something you are installing or working on. Same with car repairs now a days. And the videos will usually include all of the little tricks too, sometimes things not included in the directions for something. Like maybe you want to grease a set screw in some faucets, but not others.

And newbies can have a lot of success too. Have a buddy who's not handy at all who just bought a house and refinished all of the hard wood floors himself. He watched several Youtube videos and over the course of a few weeks completely sanded down, sealed, and finished his floors and they look beautiful and professionally done.

There's videos for everything, after your first few projects you can develop some confidence and aptitude and you'll be surprised what you can get done while saving a ton of money.

[Quakerfriend]

30. Yes, Hubby and I do most of it ourselves

… with the help of YouTube!

Many contractors seem to want to rip you off.

We once got an estimate of 15K (!) to remove a fallen pin oak. We found someone else who cut the tree in rounds ($600) & then we spent 2K on a new log splitter and split the whole tree up ourselves- that provided us with 12 years worth of firewood. After we were done with the splitter we sold it on Craigslist for 1.8K.

Last month we got an estimate on painting our doors and windows- 13K (!!)- I can reach nearly every area without a ladder- So, far I have completed 4 of the doors + will continue until it gets too cold out.

It’s great being retired! We feel we can do any job with the help of YouTube.

[BannonsLiver]

27. My mantra is call a professional

I actually get giddy when I pay someone to do something I know would have created loads of anger and frustration for me. I can paint and do yard work. Outside of that I’m reaching for my phone and a credit card.

[MichaelSoE]

31. And not just house maintenance (which I do if it is within my skill set)

As an old hippie I have recently revived something I used to do over 50 years ago.

I am patching some of my old blue jeans with very colorful patches. It seems that torn jeans are all the fashion now. Besides some of my newer jeans that are getting a bit thin in the knees, I have a pair that I have owned for about 15 years and patched them.

I have received quite a few "Wow, that's cool" remarks from youths who I can only assume, have never seen patched clothing before. They will spent outrageous amounts of money on jeans that are ripped and frayed not realizing that years ago if your clothes were in that condition you were considered poor.

Will patched jeans be the next rage?? Who knows? But if it is , I just want you all to know that I started the whole trend.

[Amishman]

32. Fixer, I'll do almost anything - electrical, plumbing, carpentry, etc

Mainly because I feel like I am throwing money away if I pay someone to do it for me.

[panader0]

33. I built my own house, a 4 bedroom, 2 story, 2 bath job.

I did almost everything by myself, with a friend helping on the stucco and roofing.
I know construction, concrete, masonry, carpentry, plumbing, electrical, drywall, tile, etc.
I'm older now and it's a bit harder to do maintenance. The upstairs wooden window
frames need to be painted--I may hire that out as I don't like tall ladders anymore.
But as a person on Social Security, I need to do most things myself.