Know your limits and be careful. Fixing broken front steps — ok. Fixing the chopper assembly in a dishwasher — ok. Flat tires . . . ok. Messing with electric, gas, supporting walls, car brakes, roofing tiles from a height of 3 stories . . . not so much. I have a great handywoman who teaches as she works and who has shown me how to repair a light switch, put in a ceiling fan, and fix a leaky pipe, but I know my limits and how far I can push beyond them without serious consequences.

The issue with home repairs, as with everything else, is that the competent know that they have blind spots and things to learn, while the ignorant think they’re excellent – precisely because they lack the competence or insight necessary to evaluate their own performance.

That being said, being almost pathologically curious, I still have a strong preference for DYI if only for the sheer learning of it. The trick is to always question advice received and to cross-refence credible)sources before starting up something that could have serious consequences on your home’s safety or integrity.

I prefer to follow the excellent Mike Holmes’ advice and leave such stuff to the professionals who know what they’re doing.

There’s a big differenece between messing up fixing a leaky toilet valve, and messing up a seal on a natural gas pipe.

I am a DIY’er for just that reason. My father was a computer programmer but he tackled everything from Autos to Wiring. I was too young to notice it but now I just assume I should be able to fix it because, hell, I’m at least as smart as they guy I would have to pay.

But I can think of many scenerios in which a broken toilet can be made worse by the home plumber, the least of which is not only because we only have one toilet.

“Messing up” DIY electricity and plumbing are especially likely to create costly new problems; the problems seem to come in where specialized tools are needed to do the work correctly, and the DIY’er tries to “make do” with something that’s not quite right for the task.

I also agree with Kai’s comments.

I also think you need to pick your battles. If you’re fairly knowledgeable about cars but know little about plumbing then it makes more sense to change your own oil and hire a plumber to fix your sink.

Safety is also important. Don’t underestimate the potential danger of dealing with electricity, or the possibility of burning down your house with a torch or falling off a ladder.

It makes more sense not to do it yourself:
1. if you have plenty of money but not much time. This is exactly the concept for which we have commerce.
2. If it’s a complicated one-off where even if you do learn how to do it, it will take a lot of work, and the chances of ever doing it again (let alone remembering how then) are very low.
3. If it’s just something that you really don’t like. Whether you just hate the task, or it’s something that reallyl doesn’t play to your strengths, or whatever, if you’re going to save money but go crazy, it makes sense to pay if you have the money.

What, you mean they can’t be simultaneously high-giving each other over some coupon deal during a potluck dinner and shaking their heads over the notion that Trent does some DIY repairs?

We already know Trent takes some liberties with his anedoctes…

Things I wish they would cover in driver’s ed should be: changing a flat, jumping one’s car off, checking and replacing burnt lights, checking the oil, how to maintain the battery and changing wipers.

Riki’s right on about tools. For example, 12 point wrenches are cheap. However, they’re more likely to strip a rusty nut. Six point wrenches will grip the corners and are more likely to turn it.

For me, expanding the skill set makes sense. In addition, bringing a formerly dead car back to life gives a sense of satisfaction.

Given how Trent has described his family and friends, I don’t find this credible.