What got you into DIY.

[Mottie]

For me, it was when we bought our first house in 1984. Basically a rotten shell. Needed everything doing to it - windows, doors, floors, ceilings, wiring, plastering, heating, kitchen, bathroom, roof etc etc. I did all of it myself (with the help of mates) except the windows and heating. 3 bed with a downstairs extension bathroom. Front bedroom was our living room for one whole year!

 

[crystal ball]

Same here, first house bought in 77 I think, remember buying a flat pack kitchen from Status and bringing it back on a friends trailer, spent two years doing it up, lived in it for 18 months and sold up to go to Australia

I remember being quite proud when the estate agents blurb mentioned my fitted kitchen

 

[Bodd]

As young man I watched racist bigoted thugs spout hatred.

I just wanted to.know how to do it myself and if I was white enough.

So I joined DIYnot. Im now fully qualified. And have children of my own.

 

[charliegolf]

My Sis, single Mum with a baby living with my Dad who was not able any more. She asked me to wallpaper the boxroom for the baby. Never done anything before, said I'd have a go. Anaglypta! Remember that? Paper was on there when my Dad died donkeys later. (Under 1/2 inch of paint!). Think I was about 17-18.

 

[diy_fun_uk]

My mum brought us up on her own and in her day was decent at wallpapering, painting and doing odd jobs herself. I think some of that rubbed off, plus I think to an extent (as with many things in life!) you're either naturally adept and more inclined to diy or not. I'm the former.

When we moved house (I was around 19-20) I had my first go at stuff like wallpapering, did the whole house, and minor diy stuff like boxing in underneath staircase to create cupboard.

We moved again when I was around 25 and the house needed gutted. Bar major electrics and plumbing, I just got torn in and did stuff like fitting new kitchen, bathroom, staircase, doors etc. That's probably my biggest diy achievement to date and might not be bettered

So, although she maybe doesn't know it, indirectly the answer is probably my mum!

 

[diy_fun_uk]

My Sis, single Mum with a baby living with my Dad who was not able any more. She asked me to wallpaper the boxroom for the baby. Never done anything before, said I'd have a go. Anaglypta! Remember that? Paper was on there when my Dad died donkeys later. (Under 1/2 inch of paint!). Think I was about 17-18.

lol, yeah blast from the past! I can hear my mum, uncles aunties etc saying that word!! That and woodchip!!! All good at hiding dodgy walls

 

[noseall]

39 years in the building trade.

 

[Mottie]

Same here, first house bought in 77 I think, remember buying a flat pack kitchen from Status

Yeah, our first kitchen was from Texas Homecare. I remember it came to £770. They were giving £25 off if you spent over £250. I wanted £75 off as I’d spent over £750 but the smarmy salesman pointed out it was only one £25 off per £250 spend. I made him split the lot up into three packages of £250 or over so that I got the discount X 3. He didn’t like it but he did it.

 

[Bodgedbuild]

Bought my house in the winter of 1990 and I only had a coal fire. I fitted a secondhand Parkray with a backboiler. I installed a heating system starting with just rads upstairs and hot water and then downstairs rads later. Obviously this got me into tearing up floorboards so that was my first official DIY.

 

[IT Minion]

A gap in the kitchen that was just too small for a cooker we wanted. Worktop cut down (handsaw) units cut down, dodgy plasterwork made larger and no less dodgy then tiled. I'm still pretty proud of that years later.

Well, not the plastering, I'm really, really bad at that.

 

[Trazor]

The wife.

 

[conny]

As above, bought my first house in 1979, a 2 up-2down with outside toilet. Needed a lot of work doing and, as we would be eligible for a renovation grant in a couple of years, I used the house to build up my non existent skills. First job was to do some wallpapering then discovered the electrics were sho*te so did my first ever full re-wire. From there I tackled other things like plumbing, plastering, joinery, glazing etc I think my dad was a good inspiration because he did most of his own house repairs when we were children.

 

[ETAF]

First flat purchased in 1979, putting shelves uo in garage and cupboard, laying carpet , building a wardrobe. then moved to a house that needed a refurb in 1982. New kitchen , patio, fencing, built wardrobes in all 3 bedrooms, rewired the house. Replaced loft tank, etc.
Jobs seem to have got bigger each time I moved.

 

[EddieM]

Money, or lack thereof.

 

[Bodd]

Sorry being silly.

Im good at what I do ... Plumbing and Heating.
All be it I have to be able to have a knowledge of the other trades and and ability to do a bit, I try to stick to what Im good at.

Ive done up two flats and a house with plans for another house. Generally I get the right trades to do what they are good at.

Saying this if I do take on a new project (Another house). to cut outgoings Ill:

• Fit units for Kitchen, and get a carpenter to fit the work tops.
• Chase walls for rewire and maybe run cables and fit boxes. (Ill also chase walls for pipework.) For electrician to complete anodising off.
• Fit new marine ply floor for shower/ bathrooms
• Strip wall paper. maybe a bit of prep for the decorator.

Other than that Ill stick to what Im good at and get the trades in.