1. DIY requires the whole-ass. There is no half-ass on a good DIY job. There is no slap on spackle, quick sand and paint. Oh, No. It's fill the damn hole, wait for the spackle (aka. Damn Hole Filler Stuff) to dry, THEN sand it. THEN wipe the dust away. THEN paint. I have to admit, it does look much better when you take the time to read the directions (or for me, listen to FTD). Again, no half-assing DIY.
2. It's a labor of Love. If you love what you are doing, then it's not nearly as bad when it requires hard labor. When I stopped looking at the project as a task on the list, but as an opportunity to make my house more beautiful, I slowed down and enjoyed the job. With one million and one more DIY projects left to do on our 1920's fixer upper, I am glad I learned this lesson early on.
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Even though I had to go over the yard like ten times, it was so awesome to see all my hard work pay off! |
4. Do the Research before going to the Hardware Store to save time and money.- Know what you need, and price check it before stepping foot in the store. There are so many apps available now that can price check multiple stores for you. You can save a ton using them, also look for coupons and rebates online. I learned this because FTD said go get white exterior paint. So, off I went... to what I now fondly (or not) refer to as the wall of confusion. I was certain the words were not even English until I asked for help.
5. Sometimes it's best to seek out a professional opinion before you DIY. I inherited a huge yard of overgrown somethings. I also inherited a very large tree that looks to have a very large disease. But before completely writing it off and cutting it down, I have asked a professional to come out and help me figure out how to save it, if possible.
I have been pleasantly surprised by the number of professionals who will come out to consult on a project and only charge a small fee and sometimes even do it for free!
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Poor tree. It's sick in only that one spot! I am determined to save it. |
Don't leave a new DIY Dumbasser alone with a new job until you are sure she has a clear understanding of what she is doing. I was left to paint a 'sofit,' but painted the trim around the sofit instead. Whoops! Whatever, it all looked extra pretty by the time I was finished.
After this weekend, I am so excited to start working on more projects. I am DIY-hooked! Do you have any lessons you have learned that you can share?
If you are just joining the 1920's fixer-upper saga... please read, We Bought A 1920's Fixer-Upper! Why, Yes... We Are Completely Nuts!
4 comments:
Agreed that taking your time doesn't make it feel as daunting of a task and that the hard work just makes it that much rewarding when you are done! What's the prognosis on the tree?
I'm meeting the tree Expert Tomorrow Morning... I'll let you know.
Good luck with the DIY project. I wish that I could do more of these projects but with my back issues I will have to leave it to the professionals. We want to put hardwood flooring down in our living room/kitchen.
My tip... measure twice (or three or four times) before you make any cuts... You can always cut something shorter but rarely make it longer. Oh and no matter what project you are working on it will at least require three trips to Home Depot before you get everything you need to complete it! Last tip... Get people to help you out and pay them in beer and/or pizza. We got our yard edged and rock put in on one weekend with the help of a dozen friends. It was awesome!
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