Why I hate DIY
 

"Huge" wrote in message
...
The toilet in our en-suite has (had) a crack in it. No problem, I've
got today off, I'll swap it out. The replacement arrived weeks
ago.

Ever had one of those jobs where *everything* goes wrong? Seized nuts,
faulty service valves, leaks, stripped screw heads, more leaks, wrong
tools and on and on and on. The leak at the service valve only stops
when the connector to the cistern leaks, and vice versa. I can't
tighten the service valve 'cos it's jammed hard against the skirting
board - what pillock installed this? (Oops!). Everything cross-threads,
nothing fits.

Five hours later, and I've just finished (including a trip down the
local shed to get a flexible tap connector.)

I bloody hate plumbing.

Sigh.


"Do a job and make a job" as my missus always says...

Then the other problem that the dutiful DIYer encouters is when doing a
simple job they notice something else that's wrong - perhaps incidental,
perhaps underlying. Unlike the professional who can simply walk away,
completing only the job in hand, they then feel bound to put this problem
right ("whilst I'm at it, I might as well..."), leading to the
all-too-familiar spiral of scope creep and delay. Ever sanded a wooden
floor, only to end up replacing the whole floor, half the joists, clearing
the floor space out, rebuilding many of the sleeper walls, rewiring half the
room, replacing all the skirting, replastering half the walls.....? :-)

--

Richard Sampson

mail me at
richard at olifant d-ot co do-t uk