Fine Line......

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I must admit that I jump on and off of this site sporadically. But often, when asking for advice, I try and give others advice.

From a professional point of view do you think it's better to ignore any question asked by an op when he or she is planning to undertake a project that could potentially have dire consequences. Or advise the op to leave well alone and get the professionals in, thus possibly undermining their ability and offending them?
 
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You've been reading the LMB thread in Electrics, haven't you?! :rolleyes:
 
I think it's a case of trying to suss out how capable the op is. If they seem to be capable then a little advice will go a long way. Sometimes they don't know their *rse from their elbow and should be dissuaded if it could result in dire consequences. Having said that, there is nothing mystical about stuff posted on here.
 
You can usually tell from the language whether or not a poster gets it or not. Most diyers are completely bereft of danger sense, so some do need a reminder once in a while.
However, it would be overly patronising if we assumed everyone was blonde.
 
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Why not just add a warning at the start of your post stating the risks e.g. you might kill yourself if you don't isolate the electrics, or you might destroy your carpets if you are cavalier about draining a radiator?

As a DIYer, I greatly appreciate the helpful advice I have received on various forums including this one. I have in the past been warned away from removing radiators, being told to get in a plumber, but it was easy enough. Then again, I am methodical, reasonably intelligent and willing to learn. Some people are genetically destined to have a restricted lifespan, and DIY is one way for them to fulfil their destiny. :) Clearly some trades want to scare people away from doing work, as it takes away custom, but many are genuinely concerned that others do not end up in a mess. And I suppose some want the DIY person to make a mess for obvious reasons ... :ROFLMAO:
 
I always like to help people as much as possible but would only advise on jobs that I would be prepared to do myself. As I have said above, most of the stuff on here is not mystical or brain surgery. My dad always taught me to have a go myself (the information is out there) then get someone in if I can't do it. These days, I find that even I am put off by the ever changing rules, regs and bits of paper that says someone is qualified to wire a socket, tighten a nut or take a dump.

I think over all this forum has about the right balance of people wishing to help and give good advice and those wishing to scare people off with jargon and the worst possible outcome.

I bought a tin of paint the other day which said on the tin: If you get paint on your skin wash off immediately. I generally walk around with paint on my hands for a week before it wears off.
 
I am not trying to scare anyone out of doing DIY, please by all means hang your door, fix your own skirting, pitch your own simple roof, change your taps etc. but when someone is saying "I don't want to do a loft conversion but I want to beef up the joists"!. I will ask a few leading questions which will tell me if they have got a clue or not in this case.
I will then advise them to get a professional. Only to be told they are to expensive, and then proceed to argue the point that I will not discuss the matter further as the op seems to have insufficient experience to undertake such work.

Alternatively I could be stupid and explain how to cut through binders ensuring your ceilings don't fall down.

There is a limit to diy!
 
Yes, some things are not doable by the decent DIY person. The managing director of a company I used to work for was so annoyed at the price quoted for a house rewire that he gained part P certification, and did it himself. :ROFLMAO: He did start out as an electrician though. Not sure I could do a kitchen refit, but a lot of past colleagues did, and apparently it was good. I saw a colleagues bathroom refit, and I'm damned if it wasn't much better than my pro job. I could see signs of an amateur (width of partial tiles at top and bottom of walls very different) but most people wouldn't see that and the workmanship was otherwise incredibly good.
 
Yes, some things are not doable by the decent DIY person. The managing director of a company I used to work for was so annoyed at the price quoted for a house rewire that he gained part P certification, and did it himself. :ROFLMAO: He did start out as an electrician though. Not sure I could do a kitchen refit, but a lot of past colleagues did, and apparently it was good. I saw a colleagues bathroom refit, and I'm damned if it wasn't much better than my pro job. I could see signs of an amateur (width of partial tiles at top and bottom of walls very different) but most people wouldn't see that and the workmanship was otherwise incredibly good.


Thing is, with time and patience (and money!), the DIY'er can do an excellent job, because they "care"; the pro does an excellent job (mostly), because they'd be out of a job otherwise.

Plumbing is supposed to be easy (ish), but I'm b#gger#d if I can do anything without an annoying weep as a result. So I pay for a tradesperson to sort it.
 
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