Saturday, March 24, 2012

My Do It Your Selfer Mentor.

     My daughter is a confirmed do it your selfer. I was surprised to find out that she was a do it your selfer as I hadn't included her with much of what I did in the home. I did show her how to take the wheel off her car in case she ever had a flat tire. I don't think I ever had her cut the grass.


    So how did she become such an avid do it your selfer? Before she bought her first condo she had been watching home improvement shows on HGTV. As soon as she got into the condo, the first thing she did was to paint the thing from top to bottom. Now she had been fairly artistic, so she could pick super colors. She lived in another city, so Dad couldn't just drop over to help or give advice.


    She moved again and bought a townhouse which was only 3 kms from me. According to her, the "Pepto Bismol" pink carpet had to go, along with the matching pink walls and counter tops. The carpet and other items were the popular rose color from the late eighties. Before she moved into the townhouse she pulled out the main floor carpet and painted the place from top to bottom. Again she had super taste when it came to color. She painted the plywood sub floor and kitchen vinyl floor because she didn't have enough money to cover it with anything. All of this she did on her own.


    The next summer she bought laminate flooring and Dad helped her install it. She had the mitre saw and Dad held the boards. This project worked out quite well. She then got the idea to cover up the pink marble on the fireplace, so framed it over with MDF and painted it. She replaced toilets. Then I accidentally showed her how to take out a light fixture and wire it back in. That sent her on a trip to Ikea where she bought new light fixtures and installed them herself. After that she had some rotten parts on the deck, so she bought the lumber and enlisted Dad to tear the deck apart and haul it to the dump. Then the new deck was put together.


    My daughter likes renovations and redecorating. She used to have a small business on the side where she consulted, giving people plans to redecorate a room, or a whole house. Sometimes she did part of the work. She liked it when people came to her house and complimented her on how nice it looked.


    When she bought her first detached house (this time with her husband) she again started up with the renovations, but contracted some of the major things out. Her mother warned the new husband that "Oh, it never ends!" when it comes to his bride's desire for fix-it and improvement projects, big or small.
Still creative with Lego!


    Now when I look back, the only sign of her being a DIY type was her continuously playing with Lego. I always thought Lego was more for boys, but my daughter certainly spent much of her play time with it. And ya, she still has Lego - her husband got her a set for Christmas!

22 comments:

  1. great daughter...every woman should have some DIY info. tucked away in case of need!

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    1. Also every man should have some housekeeping skills tucked away! Bet you didn't think I'd say that?

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  2. Okay,so you did encourage her DIY with the Lego blocks. My 18 month old granddaughter and I build with large baby type Lego almost everyday. She doesn't really have a chance of not being a DIY.
    Your daughter's spirit is fantastic.

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  3. She has tons of DIY tucked away for two or three people.

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  4. She's a wonderful person to have as a partner! Would she be willing to trade for my guy? He's definitely NOT a DIY type. Her husband is very lucky, that's all I can say :-)

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    1. Well, her lucky husband ...yes and no. sometimes these projects don't go as expected and she gets frustrated. So when the swearing gets rally loud he steps in and says,"Now wait a minute. Let's figure this out."

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  5. We still give lego to our 21 year old son, for Christmas. He loves it. Maybe he'll be a DIYer too!

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    1. Since I'm behind the times, Lego has become cool for young adults.

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  6. That sounds wonderful. I'm planning to paint my house next year once it is handed over. Great post Red!

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    1. You will learn a ton by painting your house yourself. It's very doable but many things are learned.

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  7. She sounds like my kind of girl! My dad taught me how to rewire lights and replace switches, and I, with his guidance, learned to replace water pumps on washing machines, belts and switches on dryers, install cabinets and so many other things. A lot of those we did together so they were especially precious to me. Now that he is gone, I don't have those opportunities any more - glad you and your daughter are sharing those projects now. Really enjoyed this today, Red!

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    1. That's exactly what I did...share projects. my daughter has moved to Chicago so since I live in Alberta I don't see her very often.

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  8. I have to admire her skills. I aspire to do-it-yourself but never manage to actually do it. There isn't a screw that won't get suck, a cut that won't be crooked, or a nail that won't be twisted under my usage.

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    1. I know the feeling Alan about twisted nails and crooked cuts and I might add incorrect measurements.

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  9. You must be proud. I've had to learn the do it yourself thing around here.....the husband loves it!

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    1. I follow all the stuff you do and I'm in awe of your accomplishments. It's a good part of farm and ranch success.

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  10. What a neat post....you must have taught her well. I admire people who put their mind to it and do it.

    Linda
    http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com

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  11. I didn't really do that much teaching. she was interested and picked things up. If I'd have known she was so interested I would have done more teaching.

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  12. Red, this is beautiful. I so miss my Daddy. He helped me put up drapery track in my first home.
    You are a great dad. I miss him a lot.

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  13. I had to look at this post again as the credit belongs to her. As I said in another reply if I had known that she was so interested I could have been more organized in showing her stuff. She learned a tremendous amount of stuff on her own.

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  14. As long as she likes doing it that is wonderful! Sounds like you are a good mentor for her! :)

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  15. Now her life has become a little busier so she can't do all the things she can.

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