What is it with working on your own house?

Posted by M&S on March 13, 2007, 9:32 pm

A question to any of the other tradesman/contractors out there. Do you
have problems working on your own home? Motivation? Coordination?
Frustration?

I get so sick of the old analogies that an auto mechanic always drives a
clunker, electricians house is never trimmed out, plumbers house never
finished, carpenters house the same, on an on. However as much as I am
sick of them they always seem to be true.

I am sure it is no different for us than others where your tools are
perpetually on a job or jobs, never have the time, last thing you want
to do when you get home is what you did all day, on and on. I thought it
may be an interesting thread to hear others thoughts on it all. Perhaps
some input from some who may have been able to break off jobs for a
period (weeks/months) to get their own house done. Or perhaps you just
had the mindset to work all day in the trade then come home and put in 3
hrs each night and two 8 hr days on the weekends to get your own home done.

This makes about 20 years we have been doing this and about 20 years we
have lived in 3 homes in states of perpetual incompletion heheeh.
Somehow we manage to schedule and complete countless jobs for ecstatic
customers throughout the year yet our own is never there.

Mark

Posted by mjb920 on March 13, 2007, 10:10 pm

> A question to any of the other tradesman/contractors out there. Do you
> have problems working on your own home? Motivation? Coordination?
> Frustration?
> I get so sick of the old analogies that an auto mechanic always drives a
> clunker, electricians house is never trimmed out, plumbers house never
> finished, carpenters house the same, on an on. However as much as I am
> sick of them they always seem to be true.
> I am sure it is no different for us than others where your tools are
> perpetually on a job or jobs, never have the time, last thing you want
> to do when you get home is what you did all day, on and on. I thought it
> may be an interesting thread to hear others thoughts on it all. Perhaps
> some input from some who may have been able to break off jobs for a
> period (weeks/months) to get their own house done. Or perhaps you just
> had the mindset to work all day in the trade then come home and put in 3
> hrs each night and two 8 hr days on the weekends to get your own home done.
> This makes about 20 years we have been doing this and about 20 years we
> have lived in 3 homes in states of perpetual incompletion heheeh.
> Somehow we manage to schedule and complete countless jobs for ecstatic
> customers throughout the year yet our own is never there.
> Mark

If it's any consolation to you, I work with computers all day, and my
computers at home are sorely out-of-date with security updates, AND
all my home improvement projects are unfinished.

All of the tradesmen I've had in our home - cabinets, tile, counters,
describe their homes just like yours.

Jim

Posted by DanG on March 13, 2007, 10:18 pm

Slowly holds up hand, head down.

God, please don't tell my wife what I do in other people's places.
Also Lord, please don't let her sell my tools when I die for what
I told her they cost.
______________________________
Keep the whole world singing . . . .
DanG (remove the sevens)
dgriff237@7cox.net

>A question to any of the other tradesman/contractors out there.
>Do you have problems working on your own home? Motivation?
>Coordination? Frustration?
> I get so sick of the old analogies that an auto mechanic always
> drives a clunker, electricians house is never trimmed out,
> plumbers house never finished, carpenters house the same, on an
> on. However as much as I am sick of them they always seem to be
> true.
> I am sure it is no different for us than others where your tools
> are perpetually on a job or jobs, never have the time, last
> thing you want to do when you get home is what you did all day,
> on and on. I thought it may be an interesting thread to hear
> others thoughts on it all. Perhaps some input from some who may
> have been able to break off jobs for a period (weeks/months) to
> get their own house done. Or perhaps you just had the mindset to
> work all day in the trade then come home and put in 3 hrs each
> night and two 8 hr days on the weekends to get your own home
> done.
> This makes about 20 years we have been doing this and about 20
> years we have lived in 3 homes in states of perpetual
> incompletion heheeh. Somehow we manage to schedule and complete
> countless jobs for ecstatic customers throughout the year yet
> our own is never there.
> Mark
>

Posted by M&S on March 14, 2007, 7:02 pm

DanG wrote:

> Slowly holds up hand, head down.
>
> God, please don't tell my wife what I do in other people's places.
> Also Lord, please don't let her sell my tools when I die for what
> I told her they cost.
> ______________________________
> Keep the whole world singing . . . .
> DanG (remove the sevens)
> dgriff237@7cox.net
>
>
>
>

>>A question to any of the other tradesman/contractors out there.
>>Do you have problems working on your own home? Motivation?
>>Coordination? Frustration?
>>I get so sick of the old analogies that an auto mechanic always
>>drives a clunker, electricians house is never trimmed out,
>>plumbers house never finished, carpenters house the same, on an
>>on. However as much as I am sick of them they always seem to be
>>true.
>>I am sure it is no different for us than others where your tools
>>are perpetually on a job or jobs, never have the time, last
>>thing you want to do when you get home is what you did all day,
>>on and on. I thought it may be an interesting thread to hear
>>others thoughts on it all. Perhaps some input from some who may
>>have been able to break off jobs for a period (weeks/months) to
>>get their own house done. Or perhaps you just had the mindset to
>>work all day in the trade then come home and put in 3 hrs each
>>night and two 8 hr days on the weekends to get your own home
>>done.
>>This makes about 20 years we have been doing this and about 20
>>years we have lived in 3 homes in states of perpetual
>>incompletion heheeh. Somehow we manage to schedule and complete
>>countless jobs for ecstatic customers throughout the year yet
>>our own is never there.
>>Mark

>
>
>

See, whats awful is my wife and I BOTH work full time in the trade. She
is as bad a tool hound as I am and yet we both joke about this stuff
(joke is a relative term) daily.

Its funny to read the replies but yours was the funniest by far with the
"head down" line. That and the 12k kitchen with one missing switch plate
and 2' of base board.

Mark

Posted by marson on March 14, 2007, 8:17 pm

> DanG wrote:

> > Slowly holds up hand, head down.
> > God, please don't tell my wife what I do in other people's places.
> > Also Lord, please don't let her sell my tools when I die for what
> > I told her they cost.
> > ______________________________
> > Keep the whole world singing . . . .
> > DanG (remove the sevens)
> > dgriff...@7cox.net

> >>A question to any of the other tradesman/contractors out there.
> >>Do you have problems working on your own home? Motivation?
> >>Coordination? Frustration?
> >>I get so sick of the old analogies that an auto mechanic always
> >>drives a clunker, electricians house is never trimmed out,
> >>plumbers house never finished, carpenters house the same, on an
> >>on. However as much as I am sick of them they always seem to be
> >>true.
> >>I am sure it is no different for us than others where your tools
> >>are perpetually on a job or jobs, never have the time, last
> >>thing you want to do when you get home is what you did all day,
> >>on and on. I thought it may be an interesting thread to hear
> >>others thoughts on it all. Perhaps some input from some who may
> >>have been able to break off jobs for a period (weeks/months) to
> >>get their own house done. Or perhaps you just had the mindset to
> >>work all day in the trade then come home and put in 3 hrs each
> >>night and two 8 hr days on the weekends to get your own home
> >>done.
> >>This makes about 20 years we have been doing this and about 20
> >>years we have lived in 3 homes in states of perpetual
> >>incompletion heheeh. Somehow we manage to schedule and complete
> >>countless jobs for ecstatic customers throughout the year yet
> >>our own is never there.
> >>Mark

> See, whats awful is my wife and I BOTH work full time in the trade. She
> is as bad a tool hound as I am and yet we both joke about this stuff
> (joke is a relative term) daily.
> Its funny to read the replies but yours was the funniest by far with the
> "head down" line. That and the 12k kitchen with one missing switch plate
> and 2' of base board.
> Mark

Then there's the factor that you can get to used to ANYTHING if you
give it six months. Who needs trim on those windows...in six months
you won't even notice it's missing!

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