Are there any other "handy women" on here?

So, I posted earlier today on the relationship board how my parents are horrified at the fact that I do all the work on our house, but I really love it. So I was wondering if any other ladies out there are into fixing up their houses?

Re: Are there any other "handy women" on here?

I read your post on the other board before I responded here. Although I do not have a house, I am constantly helping my husband around our apartment or even at my parents house. I cannot wait to own a home so that I can try some of the great tricks you posted about!

Good luck with the parental situation.

Re: Are there any other "handy women" on here?

I am. Besides the fact that DH works a lot of hours during the week and weekends I do most of the fixing up within reason of course but if i knew how to do more I would do it. I have painted the house by myself. I do all of the gardening outside.
I read your other post. If you don't mind doing it I see nothing wrong with it

Re: Are there any other "handy women" on here?

I am the handy"woman" of our house. DH is a great helper!

If you like doing it, then I say go for it.

Re: Are there any other "handy women" on here?

I won't start a project on my own, but I will tackle things. I just don't trust myself with having the right equipment. I'll leave it to the tool man!

Re: Are there any other "handy women" on here?

I rip up carpeting, paint, use the nailgun etc. I'm usually alongside DH doing his projects helping him. My mom can cut and hang her own crown moulding so I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree

Re: Are there any other "handy women" on here?

I do a lot of work around our house. I hang all the curtains, move furniture around, fix certain things etc. I like doing these things and if i wait around for my husband to do it, it would never get done.

Re: Are there any other "handy women" on here?

I can't compare to what Al has done around the house, but I've taken on projects: refinishing our hardwood floors, painting, powerwashing/staining the deck, and most recently putting slate tiles down in our laundry room (Al helped with that one )

Re: Are there any other "handy women" on here?

If your parents were upset that you did some "heavy" work around the house, they would have fainted if they saw what I did!

My Dh left for a business trip to LA for 3 weeks (turned into a month) and the day he left I started on our kitchen freshen up.

I took down all the cabinet doors and sanded them, repainted them and the insides, and replaced the hardware. Our hood over the stove didnt work so I took it down, replaced the big hood with a cabinet and a smaller hood (my grandfather helped me rewire it all).

When my DH came home he helped me replace the countertops and we had a new floor put it!


he said to me that he is afraid to go on another buisness trip for fear of what I will do!!

Re: Are there any other "handy women" on here?

I'm in the borderline "uber-handyman" category, so most of the time, DW won't even attempt to do anything.... she's afraid that I'll get annoyed and "fix" whatever she did...

She does help me with a lot of the projects, though. Sometimes, I just need another person. She never hesitates, even if it is beyond her ability or strength sometimes.

Re: Are there any other "handy women" on here?

I am! I'll never forget an argument between DH, FIL, and BIL over who would change a lightbulb while I climbed up on a stepstool and did it...I will try things if I get directions but won't tackle anything I think a pro could do...with that said, I want to learn how to strip and refinish something in the house...I need the guts and a way to get it outside..

I read your other post and GOOD FOR YOU! I am one of those people who when something is in my head, I have to do it, so I learn to do a lot and I'm proud of you...the things you've posted look terrific..keep it up!

Re: Are there any other "handy women" on here?

I am more handy than DH just because I come from a single family home where my mom did a lot of projects herself so I learned-nothing crazy but painting, wall papering, shelves, etc.

DH came from a family wherein his father did everything (the basics plus complex electrical stuff, siding repairs, car stuff, you name he can do it). However, he didn't have the patience to show DH or his brother so they didn't learn much.

Now, I show DH what I know and I make DH dad do the stuff I don't know because it is his fault that DH never learned as a kid (he is teaching DH a lot these days ).

I like doing projects thought.

Re: Are there any other "handy women" on here?

I am the "handy Man" around here. Just as my Mom was in our house growing up.

My DH doesn't even mow the lawn, we have landscapers. I do all fixing, painting, etc....

I wish he was more handy.

Re: Are there any other "handy women" on here?

For us, it is me by default. I enjoy tackling projects, putting things together, painting, just about any type of work. My DH does as well, but because of his work schedule, I am the one who usually has the time to do these things.

He would do more, he just has less time. I do a ton though and I know sometimes he feels bad about it. He will have more free time this winter though, and hopefully he will catch up!

Re: Are there any other "handy women" on here?

dh claims he doesn't know how to do anything so in order to get anything done it is up to me. When we are in our house he will learn he said because his brother in law will show him. I am more hands-on, like to learn and know how to do things correctly.

SO I say I am more handy.

Re: Are there any other "handy women" on here?

Re: Are there any other "handy women" on here?

I am a handy women. I'm always right there next to DH when we are doing projects on our house. You guys know what a mess our house was. If it wasn't for my helping out all the time, a lot of it still wouldn't be done. I'm not afraid to learn something new.....I now know how to spackle, install flooring, and install ceiling planks because of our Family Room. And since we aren't finished yet, I will learn how to install crown and base moldings. We have saved ourselves a lot of money doing things ourselves and I'm very proud of ourselves. And then whatever we don't know how to do, we hire someone.

Re: Are there any other "handy women" on here?

DH and I share all the work on the house.....

anything men can do we can do better

Re: Are there any other "handy women" on here?

When we first moved into the house, I did a TON of work on it myself. Tore up carpets, painted every room, did some minor repairs, etc. DH's work schedule is absolutely nuts - he's gone most of the week, so a lot of the responsibility falls on me. Now that I am on bed rest for the remainder of my pregnancy, it's KILLING me that I can't do what I want to do around here and have to rely on other people to do it for me. I would MUCH rather do the spackling in the baby's room myself than have my dad come over and do it.

Unfortunately, some people think that this is a sign that my DH isn't a "real man" because "that's what real men do" and have made no bones about making fun of DH for it.

To me, what needs to get done needs to get done, no matter who does it - be it myself or if DH or family members do it or if we hire someone to do it.

Message edited 7/20/2009 7:23:23 PM.

Re: Are there any other "handy women" on here?

Re: Are there any other "handy women" on here?

We don't own our own home, but I've totally done stuff around the house when we rented.

My mom was a stay-at-home mom, and she did things most other moms would never think of doing. Like mowing the lawn, tending to the pool, and even painting the outside of the house!

My dad was and still is very handy, and tackled a lot of big jobs. My parents are big do-it-yourselfers.

But taking down cabinets, sanding them and re-staining and finishing them was something my mom could totally do.

In fact, it was my MOTHER who bought me my first set of tools and said to guard them with my life. If anyone borrows them (i.e. my DH), to make sure they give them back immediately after use!

I plan on being the same exact way. I'll do as much as I can around my house.

My DH wants me to stay far away from the table saw. But with anything else, if you show me how to do it, I'll do my best. But just remember, I'm a financial analyst, not a handyman, so you might not get the best desired result. But the fact that I'm a female has nothing to do with that!

Re: Are there any other "handy women" on here?

I'm totally the handy one in the house. Since moving in a year ago I've:

!. painted the basement
2. sanded, primed, repainted kitchen cabinets
3. changed cabinet hardware
4. laid new kitchen floor (vinyl)
5. ripped all the ivy off the side porch, which eventually got made into a study - we hired someone for this
6. laid the new berber carpet down in the study
7. ripped up the carpet on the first floor
8. ripped out the million carpet staples.
9. removed gross frosted glass shower door in upstairs bathroom
10. hung shower rod and curtain
9. I do just about all the weeding

DH. . . . .

well, he mows the lawn (I do the edging) and he tried to remove the toilet paper roller from the wall of a bathroom because it ANNOYED him. . . and he removed a chunk of tile from the wall. I havent fixed it yet.

He just about destroyed our plumbing because he kept flushing q tips and baby wipes down the toilet. We had to have 2 plumbers come out.

He's a great guy - but he's hopeless around the house. He swears it's because he grew up in an apt and the super did everything. . . but I think he just needs to learn.

Message edited 7/20/2009 1:11:18 PM.

Re: Are there any other "handy women" on here?

Posted by OneOfEach

I rip up carpeting, paint, use the nailgun etc. I'm usually alongside DH doing his projects helping him. My mom can cut and hang her own crown moulding so I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree

Re: Are there any other "handy women" on here?

Not me, my MOM!

She can do just about any home repair or project. She wall papers like a pro, paints, lays flooring, fixes things... she is my hero.

I am on the other hand, need DH to kill a bug or hammer a nail into the wall, I am pathetic.

Re: Are there any other "handy women" on here?

Well being that I have the kids to watch, Dh does 97% of the work around the house. If we had a sitter then I would help. I rather NOT do anything after they go to bed b/c that's my unwind time. So it's been all on my DH- which stinks for him.