Omlet Smart Autodoor - New in box

[wannabe smallholder]

I grew up watching my dad create a great number of things in and around the house and until he died if there was anything me and OH needed he was always there to give us a hand or make it for us. When dad died my OH began to develop his handy-man skills and I have to say, though it can take him a while, he does do a good job. But since deciding to have chickens I have begun to discover the hidden handy-woman in me. Last week I designed, measured, bought the materials, sawed, hammered, drilled and screwed together a wooden compost bin, complete with hinges, handles and a hook to keep it open. Now to some this might seem pretty basic stuff but for me it felt like a real achievement, one I'm sure Dad would have been proud of (though seeing the way I used the saw would probably have brought out a few expletives!! ). Today I got out the saw and drill again to make some perches for the run. I feel I have caught a bug and I love it!! Is it just me or has anyone else discovered hidden talents?

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Well done, your dad would have been proud of you . I'm rubbish at DIY but do try to put things together (like perches etc in my WIR). I've no clue about using DIY tools though so it's usually a bit cack-handed .

 

A year and a half ago I planned, designed and planted up a new front garden (a builder did the building stuff!), starting from scratch with the whole thing being cleared to bare earth. I've never been much of a gardener but have really enjoyed the whole process and love looking after it and learning about caring for all the plants .

[Bramble]

Well done you! Your dad would be very proud of you, and so am I!!!!!!!

There's LOADS of stuff I'd like to have a go at, but somehow, I just haven't got the bottle to try it - too worried about looking stupid and trashing materials in the process. Your compost bin so ACE!

[Duncan08]

I love trying new things, but am very wary of power tools, not sure why but I always tend to use a screwdriver.

 

Last year I had a price for some paving in the garden, it was soooo expensive, I found somewhere on-line selling the stone and built myself a stone circle, a patio and a path made with setts.

 

It nearly saw me off (I am not the fittest of people!) digging out seemed to take eternity, and I used the setts to fill in edges rather than have to cut the stone (Power tool phobia). But I have to say I am really really proud of the result.

 

There are a couple of wobbly stones, and I have had to regrout a bit of the path this year, (sand and cement mix on a batch must have been wrong) and I get a bit of a puddle on the circle, so its not perfect, but it saved me about £1500, and I have had work done by professionals that I could pick holes in.

[Looney]

Well done!

 

I love having a go at stuff - my OH always trys to get the hammer/saw/screwdriver off me so he can have a go! I'm not very good, logical mind but lacking in experience

[LisaP]

Well done you and so you should feel proud the few times I've felt brave enough to have a go I've inevitably made a complete hash of it

 

Lisa P

[chickencam]

I like to have a go at things, I don't like the thought of being a hopeless female, not keen on power tools though.

[wannabe smallholder]

Well done Aint "Ooops, word censored!"ody here and Duncan08 your garden and patio sound great! And I know what you mean Bramble about looking stupid. I think I've spent most of my life worrying about looking stupid and what others think but maybe age is changing that. Now I think stuff it, just do it (well, more than I used too!)

Keep discovering those hidden talents everyone - whatever they may be!!!! Xxx

[sadietoo]

Like yours, Wannabe Smallholder, my late and much missed Dad was my DIY hero, and whilst my OH makes a very good job of the things he does, he takes a while to get round to doing stuff (for example, we have been in this house for 7 years now, and he only replaced the cardboard end on our bath with a proper wooden panel a few weeks ago) . As you can imagine this makes me fantasise about being a better handywoman, but I know my limitations... which are pretty much "righty tighty lefty loosey" , on the plus side this means I can put together and take apart flat pack furniture, does that count?

[superkitty]

My dad was an engineer and could make ANYthing...so like lots of you, he was my DIY hero. Since he died I've definitely become much more handy, my DH is worse than useless so although my skills aren't quite up to some of you guys' I've put together an entire garages worth of galvanised shelving, various furniture and even fitted a cat flap (which involved using the jigsaw) in our kitchen door. Im not scared of the power tools, I just make sure I do everything slowly and think about what I'm doing while I'm using them I always think my dad is probably watching me with amused affection, thinking 'well, at least she's having a go'

 

We have started to look at houses with the aim of moving in a year or so, so I'm looking forward to being able to use my handy skills in a new house!

 

Well done everyone, it's amazing what a sense of achievement you get from things like this isn't it?

[chickencam]

I can do flat pack furniture and put an entire kitchen together once when we were renovating a small bungalow, the worst bit of doing the kitchen was cutting out the hole for the sink in the worktop. We bought a jigsaw just for doing it and we measured and remeasured it, but it came out ok.

 

I intend to give our house some TLC over the summer, we have lived here for over 18 years and we have done very little in the past 5 years, so everything is looking a bit tired.

[majorbloodnock]

This thread has got me thinking. We already have a section on this forum for discussions on arts and crafts and another on cooking, both of which are pretty popular despite being nothing directly to do with chickens. However, despite the handiness of many forum members (and the many attempts of many others), we don't have a "practical help" section, and I wonder if it might be worth considering.

 

As you can probably see, I've avoided labelling the potential new section with the "DIY" tag, because I can see it useful for other things as well; "how do I achieve xyz on my computer", for instance, is definitely not DIY, but still a legitimate plea for practical help.

 

Thoughts? Is this a good idea or would it just fragment the forum? Do others of you think there's a need?

[superkitty]

Good idea

[soapdragon]

Well done on the DIY front! We are hopeless at it and so practice GAMI (get a man in) as it is ALWAYS cheaper in the long run!

 

However, I admired a glass lampwork bead handbag charm in a shop recently then decided that it was an extravagance and I wouldn,t buy it. Then I changed my mind, went back to get it and, of course, it had been sold.

I found some similar beads on E bay together with clasps and thread and have now made my own ! I am going to order some organza bags and make them up for birthday presents (also for ES's teacher's end of term present as I am fed up with making them handcream!)

 

Not much, I know, but for a totally impractical person, it gave me a great sense of satisfaction!!!