Poll | 05/17/2009 11:00 pm

When it comes to home repairs, do you do it yourself or hire somebody?

Read more about: Do It Yourself, Home Repair, Real Estate

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Hey, I am married to a wonderful and artistic craftsman. I love to watch him fix things - that is if he ever gets to that honey do list. He has such beautiful hands and arms (to me) and it is like art just exudes from them. We do repairs together. I have always fixed the sprinklers because it is my garden and I know how I want them to work. I hire a sprinkler guy to do the real big things that involve a lot of digging.

Otherwise, we fix things together. If it is small I do it. It is just whatever is practical at the time.

By Frannie Em on 05/18/2009 11:50 pm

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Frannie Em — The "Honey Do List" in our house hangs on the refrigerator door. My husband, of course, is the sweetest of honey doers. He can do just about any job. However, I do object to his crawling around on roofs and crawling up very high ladders to trim the hedges. The "list" remains until the job is done and crossed through. Then he tackles the next one. I am the first to admit that I limit myself to painting and gardening - he has told me repeatedly, "Do not touch anything electrical unless it’s light switches". Maybe that’s because I blew out the entire electrical system on a project.

If he’s out of town, I call the "Handy Andy" service. A group of retired guys. They are great!

By Lady Gator on 05/19/2009 1:11 pm

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I like the Handy Andy idea. My honey do lists sits for a long time sometimes and I get tired of nudging him. The more I nudge the less he does.

By Frannie Em on 05/19/2009 2:12 pm

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Ah, but Frannie you have to wait until they ‘think’ it’s THEIR idea. I always say, "That’s a great idea honey, wish I’d thought of it!

My brother was here for a visit and he always remarks on the "honey do" list. He said, "I notice that there are still several things on your list that haven’t been done yet". My husband told him to look further down on the refrigerator for the "nag and nudge list".

Are we all the same? LOL

By Lady Gator on 05/19/2009 2:33 pm

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We are all the same. LOL What gets my husband is when I all someone in for a bid to do something that is on the honeydo list. I think to him that is like me going out with someone else. He then starts the job very quickly.

By Frannie Em on 05/19/2009 2:38 pm

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Frannie — I usually call someone and get a bid and then add a few hundred dollars to the quote — somehow, it gets him gettin’. LOL

By Lady Gator on 05/19/2009 3:05 pm

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Yeah, it’s that added couple hundred of bucks that gets the job done. LOL.

By Frannie Em on 05/19/2009 3:25 pm

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Now that’s wicked funny………Love it! :)))

By HA BIBI on 05/19/2009 9:38 pm

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It depends on what is needed. I paint, I repair fences, my deck, do some plumbing, cosmetic things, etc. When it comes to getting on the roof, or major electrical repairs, however, I call a pro!

By Melanie Waldrop on 05/19/2009 10:50 am

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As I live in a rather small vintage apartment with a distant landlord, I have done small repairs myself - (Repairmen from the owner are hard to get to come!) We renovated the place a few years after I got married & hubby moved in - painting, new flooring, etc. - with the help of a handy friends & posse.

By Pamela Munro on 05/19/2009 1:12 pm

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We once restored a home that was over 100 years old. It was a show piece when we finished - just about the time we were transfered to another location. I learned a lot from that experience namely that some things should be hired.

Today I have a list of reliable people that will do any job that needs to be done. I am not hesitant to pay to have things fixed right the first time. We learned over the years that paying for small jobs prevents major problems later.

By Chris Glass` on 05/19/2009 1:28 pm

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We are fortunate to have the good services of a "rent-a-husband," a local guy-of-all-trades, who happens to be a college grad, who actually likes to work on bathroom grout, wash windows and storms, and change them with the seasons.

However, when it comes to mucking out an old family place of generation after generation of "stuff," and getting down to the nitty, gritty, and yucky dirty, my cousin is there for me. You can hire people, and you can hire people, but having a buddy help out is the most efficient way to get the job done.

By Didi Lorillard on 05/20/2009 5:47 pm