I don't want to brag about this, but I can be quite a handyman, if I want to, and get the time. Not in the winter, then we're out skiing all the time. Summer is my handyman season. Then I swing my hammer and saw.
We live in an old wooden house, about 100 years old, close to town centre. There is always plenty of things to do. Last summer I built a new staircase in front of the main entrance. Now I'm doing the last finish, making the slate tile cover in front of the door.
The main challenge with slate tiles is to cut them to fit. I had to ask my old lady to borrow her angle grinder. I bought it for her birthday some years ago. It's one of the most useful birthday presents I ever gave her.
The staircase is completed, finally. Now I'm planning my next handyman project, not sure what to take first. I'll probably start on the loft, re-doing the floor, and completing the isolation of the roof that I started four years ago.
It takes some time ... but a real handyman is sexy, right >:D
(That's my old lady's angle grinder in the picture. The main challenge is to cut the slate with power and precision, making a nice clean cut, without chopping off my fingers and feet. I stay away from the diamond blades. They are too dangerous, and I don't have proper safety equipment and experience to use them)
the goal of not chopping off fingers and feet is a good one, we should all probably strive for that. i've partaken in a lot of remodeling stuff in my house, there's something really rewarding about it, i love when you can get in that 'flow' where you lose track of time because you're so engaged in your task. actually, any activity where you get that flow is awesome. now you've got me itching to do some sort of work with my hands, well, besides typing, typing doesn't count.
ReplyDeleteHusband, now, is not a handyman. Luckily I'm the daughter of a Master Builder, so the saw and tools Husband gets as presents are still used...by me! So, yeah, I vote that a Handyman (Or woman) is sexy! :)
ReplyDeleteSister has slate tiles on her roof and they need a lot of maintenance. And living in a house that's 100 years old...that must be such a wonderful experience! All those memories. I wonder what stories your house can tell?
Judy, South Africa
I'm cringing waiting for your next post. A couple of years ago hubby borrowed my circular saw and sawed the top of his finger off. He then had the cheek to bleed quantities of blood all over the floor and in the car on the way to hospital. Very messy. He didn't even clean up after himself; said the stitches meant I need to to mop up. Hrmph.
ReplyDeleteYikes. I'm horrible with tools and would have probably grinded of my hand by now.
ReplyDeleteI think it's cool that you buy neat tools that you want as gifts for others and then just ask to borrow them. I'm going to do that! ;)
Great post.
Men that can do house projects?? Totally sexy! Nothing says love more than an angle grinder. We have one too. Around our house, there are endless projects. Some even get finished.
ReplyDeleteP.S. You've been Tagged! See my blog today for the deets. Playing is optional, of course. :-)
id: I usually enjoy doing the remodeling stuff, because it makes me think about other things than the science stuff I do at work-
ReplyDeleteJudy: We have slate tiles on the roof too. We replaced the tiles some years ago, but that's a job for professionals, quite difficult. Great to see that you're a handywoman, and yes, they're sexy >;)
sue: All fingers and toes survived the angle grinder. No injuries; I'm quite happy about that.
Clarissa: I bought the angle grinder for her birthday, and she got the revenge when I got a steam iron for my birthday. I have used the iron quite alot, learnt to iron my own shirts in the Navy >:)
Liz: Angle grinder as a symbol of love; that's interesting, isn't it? Will check out your blog to see what the tagging is about >:)
My husband can switch the heating to cooling in summer and back, again. That counts for something, right?
ReplyDeleteI'm sure your old lady deeply appreciates that gift ...
I'm giggling at you giving your partner that handy gift. HWMNBMOTI gets really mad at me when I do that... And your handyman title reminds me of a Canadian television show called the Red Green Show. Red says "if you can't be handsome, you might as well be handy"--always cracks me up... Since I haven't seen you, I will assume you don't need the saying, but it makes me giggle anyway. Hope you have a productive summer! We had an 80 year old home once and were not nearly up to the upkeep...
ReplyDeleteSuze: That counts, not bad. Sometimes we agree to just buy useful stuff that we really need, so she appreciated the gift >:D
ReplyDeleteHart: I guess that's my tactics; handy rather than handsome. Living in an old house is quite demanding, but also very nice. From the kitchen window we see our medieval cathedral, and the arch bishops palace by the river. I enjoy living in the old part of town, with a historical atmosphere.
I'm impressed! I get excited when I change out the toilet's guts. That's about as handy as I get.
ReplyDeleteYes! Handymen are quite sexy. My husband is very handy. If he's not traveling or on the phone for work, he's outside doing his handy-thing. He's always got multiple projects in progress. This weekend he and my son will be running electrical wires for his big out-back project.
ReplyDeleteMy hubs and I have a joke at our house. When he gets handy, we call him "the lumberjack" (referring to the time he chopped up a tree with a chainsaw at his dad's house). It's funny because being handy around the house is second nature to both of us.
ReplyDeleteAlex: That's not too bad >:D
ReplyDeleteHelen: You're as lucky as my old lady >;)
Lydia: Chain saws are scary. That's the kind of tools I try to avoid, very dangerous if you don't have proper protection and skills.
I'm luckier. My husband doesn't call me his old lady. Although, I'm sure your wife sees that as an endearing compliment.
ReplyDeleteThat's what it's meant to be, Helen >:)
ReplyDeleteMy husband knows how to pick up a phone. But he's learning. My dad was a carpenter on the sly--his passion. I worked summers with him, and still enjoy a good DIY project. Especially renovation. It's nice to be able to look at your hard work, and to live among it.
ReplyDeleteA certain handyman I know is definitely sexy ;)
ReplyDelete