Posted on 08/07/2006 6:58:08 AM PDT by Hydroshock
CHICAGO - The staff at his neighborhood hardware store can spot John Carter from a distance.
He's the slightly befuddled guy who often comes in declaring, "I have no idea what I'm doing. Can you at least get me through tonight?"
The 26-year-old Chicagoan, who's been slowly rehabbing the condo he bought last year, is part of a generation of young homeowners who admit they often have no clue how to handle home projects.
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For them, shop class was optional. It also was more common for their parents to hire contractors, leaving fewer opportunities for them to learn basic repair skills.
With low interest rates allowing more young adults to buy property in recent years, many inexperienced homeowners are desperate for advice when the furnace goes out, the roof leaks or when a home project that seemed like a no-brainer goes terribly wrong.
(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...
Good one! For what it's worth, we can build or fix anything. We have to. Plus we have enough spare parts to build a house or a tractor. We're hours from a hardware.
That equalizer is pretty cool. I've never seen that innovation.
Do you really think high school should be teaching students how to hang drywall and install a toilet?
They are very useful skills, but I think it's too much to ask of an education system that also has to make sure students can read and have skills for their day jobs!
Sheetrock, on the other hand, can be managed by anyone with a modicum of patience and attention to detail.
My husband and I put down parquet floor, installed wiring, and sheetrocked the walls and ceiling of the baby's room when I was nine months pregnant. I can still mud, sponge, and sand a seam so that you can't tell it's there (the sponge at the exact level of dampness is the secret trick.)
It doesn't insulate sound the way plaster does, but since 2 of the 3 walls were furring strips on concrete block, it didn't matter (we put sound damping insulation in the 3rd wall on the bathroom side.)
We're very gung-ho DIYSers -- have to be, it's too expensive to hire contractors to do every little thing, and I do a better job on fiddly detail work. (We did hire a man to paint the house, he was very reasonable and quick. He had a crew with pressure sprayers -- we don't.)
"This article proves, to me anyway, that the American family is incapable of passing on crucial components to a common sense life. From basic lawncare and maintenance to replacing leaky faucets and hanging drywall, I learned it all on my own with a little help from DIY books and the internet. I honestly believe some people just don't want to get their hands dirty."
I'm 56 and was raised to do everything myself. I was taught a lot by my Dad who was constantly involved in some project at home and he was taught by his Dad. I learned a lot by working in construction for years and trial and error (sometimes BIG errors).
After I finished college and started working in IT I just didn't have as much time as I used to and when I did I was to tired to do anything. I think that's a lot of the problem these days. People are working their butts off to get by and just don't have the time or inclination to learn things and finish projects.
I don't know squat about plumbing, but I can rebuild brakes and carburators. I had to replace a fuel pump on Christmas day once. Fortunately, I lived in Phoenix at the time and it was warm and sunny. My dad raced dragsters, so I guess it's what you're raised around. My kids probably won't know how to rebuild a faucet, but will be able to rebuild a computer.
I think one the problem is lack of tools and space to store them - well at least when you live in a Condo (i.e. Apartment - for those of you that don't in a major Metro area).
Most projects take specialty tools and then, at that, they run you hundreds of dollars, $$$$.
_ _ _ _ _
"-Hey, Honey... "
---"Yeah"
-"Can I store this 30 Foot plumbing drain snake in your closet? I'll put it near your shoes, but not too close."
I'm a baby-boomer. My father is a gifted handyman. He learned to work in a machine shop without formal training and did all his own repairs and projects himself. He built a cinderblock garage and had never laid block; it still stands over 35 years later. I watched him and he taught me things. When we bought our first house it was 84 years old, and I wouldn't have bought it except that I knew how to handle tools. I had never done a lot of things, but I had sufficient experience using tools that I learned new tasks like electrical, plumbing, carpentry, window repair, etc. As far as contractors go, there are just as many that are no talent assclowns as there are good ones. I repaired what many contractors fixed on that old house. You have to have guts, and mentality to try. Most that don't are just wussies who won't or are afraid to get their hands dirty. Some feels it's classy to have everything done, and they spend a fortune getting things done. Time is about the only reason for me to hire someone to do work at my house. BTW, I never took shop class in high school, I was on the college track.
A good education rarely teached students many practical skills (besides reading and math); it teaches them how to learn. Not that many high schools (or even colleges) actually give students a good education.
I always have some "hot project" I'm working overtime on. I'm also taking night courses for a postgraduate degree.
I wish I had the free time to do repairs as I typically enjoy it.
My late Father couldn't hammer a nail. My husband is like Magyver...he can make a house out of a ball of string and plastic spool. The latter is better.
You really don't need a shop class to learn how to fix stuff. Everyone learns by doing, but you don't need the formality of a class to learn.
On the otherhand, I believe it was Einstein who marvelled at a friend who constructed a telescope for him. Some people just have talents in certain areas.
Today we have the internet which is a golden resource of DIY information. There was no equivalent when I was growing up. We couldn't afford a library of DIY books and the local library was two miles away (and I had no car.) Not that the library of that era carried that many DIY books, which I think have grown in number and popularity only in the last couple decades.
My stepdad is the one that taught me to drive and he was much the same way. No license until I had driven an entire Michigan winter, learned to change the oil, spark plugs and tires.
baby boomers fixed their own car when it crashed. Gen Xers fixed their PC when it crashed. Gen Yers fix their latte machine when it wont foam.
My dog could build fine furniture with all those tools. Show me how to build that Victorian endtable with an circular saw, router and some hand tools.
LOL!! I had starbucks once, never again, and I love Maxwell House. I have replaced my own roof, septic system and replaced the fuse box with a 200 amp panel, and had it all inspected, it meets code.
I like your coffee inverse relationship theory, and I am sure it works for hair-care products as well.
Society has conditioned them to be that way. Non-skilled illegals are building new houses. High schools no longer teach the trades - they push everyone to attend college. The majority of folks don't recognize the value of quality craftsmanship or repair. Just my .02
At age 12? Crown moulding is a pain! Good on him!
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