"Tony Hwang" wrote in message
news:eAQPh.13668$6m4.10366@pd7urf1no...
Eigenvector wrote:
Having lived in my house for a year now I've gone through a tremdous
amount of work and learning to bring it up to what I consider livable and
comfortable. A year must seem like a blip on the radar for most of you
all, but for me it has been a world changing experience. I've replaced
my plumbing, re-wired circuits, painted (something you don't do in an
apartment), replaced windows, cleaned gutters, done drywalling (fairly
well), installed lighting, installed insulation, etc etc etc etc... All
of which were things I'd never done before.

Given what I've learned and how I feel about the subject now, I think if
I had to do it all over again I'd still go for an existing house rather
than buying a McMansion or buying a house that sits on a 1/8 acre plot
(standard size lot in my area). I find that I derive a great deal of
satisfaction repairing and working on an older home, rather than buying a
new house and calling out a repairman when something goes wrong.

There are some things that I simply won't touch, the panel, the water
service, a patio door. But for most everything else I really enjoy
fixing them or replacing them with something more to my liking. I hated
it while doing the work FOR THE FIRST TIME, but subsequent jobs were a
joy - mostly because of the experience of doing it the first time and
being able to apply my knowledge learned.
Hi,
Never lived in a second hand house. I always have my own custom
designed/built house on a lot I chose. Still after 5 times doing it,
did not get perfect one yet. Now getting too old to try one more, LOL!
One thing no trade people can bully me who has as good or better
knowledge/experience in house building/maintenance. I have a pool of good
resources as well. My family is full of engineers of various discipline;
Civil, Mechanical, Electric, Chemical, etc.

Well speaking as a mechanical engineer almost PE certified, engineers can be
the worst people to talk to about fixing things. Engineering training
emphasizes practical knowledge to back the theory, but somehow I think the
reality gets lost in the translation. Too often we don't see the
consequences of our work in action and as a result we lose practical
knowledge so that even a GED plumber or electrican can run circles around
us.

I can tell you all about fluid mechanics and why galvanized pipes suck - but
I still need a plumber to tell me what will happen when I disconnect the
pipes. Mainly because until I've done it once, I'm not willing to risk my
house testing to see how accurate the theory is.