Some people are “handy”, right? You ask them if they can fix or build something, and they probably can, or at least figure it out. Actually, the key to being handy is not necessarily knowing how to do a particular thing, but knowing enough to be confident that whatever might happen, you can get the job done one way or another. Folks who are “handy” tend to collect tools over the course of their lives, generally only buying them as it becomes evident that they need a specific item for a particular project. A large number of us inherited tools from our dads (the VPs of Handy Husband Operations) though not nearly enough to be able to do what we really want, so often we have an intense interest in buying tools anyway.
We tend to be Craftsman Tools fans, since they tend to be decent tools, are reasonably priced and you can’t beat the warranty. I also have a lot of Stanley, Ryobi, and Irwin stuff since that's what they sell at Home Depot. I also have one DeWalt item, a compund miter saw that I love dearly. Everybody needs a Dremel tool and lots of bits (not necessarily attachments). Keep in mind: I am not a professional! I admire awesome power tools from heavy duty manufacturers but can't afford them and don't need them.
Turns out the internet is a remarkably handy tool itself -- seems like anyone who has ever successfully completed a project has written about it and made it available online. Lucky for us, the “handy”.
I only write this from the point of view of a handy husband because that is where I have discovered my particular niche. My wife was not overly impressed with my ability to fix or build things until she realized that some of her friend’s husbands cannot fix or build anything and they have to pay for a professional to do just about everything. Of course, there are benefits to paying for work to be done; mainly that it spares you the time and effort. In my case, I weigh every challenge against what I am confident doing, how much time I have, and how much I am going to hate paying someone to do it for me. Being handy is also a function of being a cheapskate, to a certain extent; I can’t stand watching a professional come into my house, spend 10 minutes with 2 tools, and walk away with 159 of my dollars. However, it is important to know your limits. Everybody knows a blowhard who claims to be handy and leaves the family with no working electricity or makes it impossible to use the front door. I myself have almost left the family stranded the day before a vacation trip because I stripped the drain valve of the radiator on the Family Truckster and then it wouldn’t hold fluid. On a Sunday, no auto mechanics open. Thank goodness for Prestone Super Radiator Sealer and Bar’s Leaks Heavy Duty Stop Leak. My radiator probably holds half the fluid that it used to, but it sure as hell doesn’t leak!
Being a handy husband is a lot like having a straight job. Of course, a handy husband has a slightly different responsibility than the average handy... um, person. We answer to the Boss, who provides us with our project list and must review all other projects for approval. Projects are prioritized based on benefit to the family. And, as everybody knows, if the Boss ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy. So, a project benefits the family if it keeps the Boss happy. The Boss will also consider the input of the HH in order to keep the peace; as anyone who has ever supervised other people with unique talents knows, the help will go on strike if not shown the proper respect. So, the Boss and the HH become partners in most endeavors, negotiating time and cost as well as impact to the harmony of the household during the course of the project. The HH must lay out the basic plan for the Boss, but not to the extent that the Boss becomes impatient with the lengthy explanations. This can be a negotiation tool for the experienced HH: throw a bunch af jargon and detailed explanations at her and she will rubber-stamp your proposal just to get you to shut up and go away.
My goal: discuss my experience as a Handy Husband, evaluate tools and products that a Handy Husband might use, and explain where I got the info I needed to complete my projects. I did a lot of work on the house over the last 2 years, so I have enough topics to keep me busy on this blog for a while. I’ll post as often as I get a chance; let me know what you think if you get a chance:
handyhusbandblog@gmail.com
We tend to be Craftsman Tools fans, since they tend to be decent tools, are reasonably priced and you can’t beat the warranty. I also have a lot of Stanley, Ryobi, and Irwin stuff since that's what they sell at Home Depot. I also have one DeWalt item, a compund miter saw that I love dearly. Everybody needs a Dremel tool and lots of bits (not necessarily attachments). Keep in mind: I am not a professional! I admire awesome power tools from heavy duty manufacturers but can't afford them and don't need them.
Turns out the internet is a remarkably handy tool itself -- seems like anyone who has ever successfully completed a project has written about it and made it available online. Lucky for us, the “handy”.
I only write this from the point of view of a handy husband because that is where I have discovered my particular niche. My wife was not overly impressed with my ability to fix or build things until she realized that some of her friend’s husbands cannot fix or build anything and they have to pay for a professional to do just about everything. Of course, there are benefits to paying for work to be done; mainly that it spares you the time and effort. In my case, I weigh every challenge against what I am confident doing, how much time I have, and how much I am going to hate paying someone to do it for me. Being handy is also a function of being a cheapskate, to a certain extent; I can’t stand watching a professional come into my house, spend 10 minutes with 2 tools, and walk away with 159 of my dollars. However, it is important to know your limits. Everybody knows a blowhard who claims to be handy and leaves the family with no working electricity or makes it impossible to use the front door. I myself have almost left the family stranded the day before a vacation trip because I stripped the drain valve of the radiator on the Family Truckster and then it wouldn’t hold fluid. On a Sunday, no auto mechanics open. Thank goodness for Prestone Super Radiator Sealer and Bar’s Leaks Heavy Duty Stop Leak. My radiator probably holds half the fluid that it used to, but it sure as hell doesn’t leak!
Being a handy husband is a lot like having a straight job. Of course, a handy husband has a slightly different responsibility than the average handy... um, person. We answer to the Boss, who provides us with our project list and must review all other projects for approval. Projects are prioritized based on benefit to the family. And, as everybody knows, if the Boss ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy. So, a project benefits the family if it keeps the Boss happy. The Boss will also consider the input of the HH in order to keep the peace; as anyone who has ever supervised other people with unique talents knows, the help will go on strike if not shown the proper respect. So, the Boss and the HH become partners in most endeavors, negotiating time and cost as well as impact to the harmony of the household during the course of the project. The HH must lay out the basic plan for the Boss, but not to the extent that the Boss becomes impatient with the lengthy explanations. This can be a negotiation tool for the experienced HH: throw a bunch af jargon and detailed explanations at her and she will rubber-stamp your proposal just to get you to shut up and go away.
My goal: discuss my experience as a Handy Husband, evaluate tools and products that a Handy Husband might use, and explain where I got the info I needed to complete my projects. I did a lot of work on the house over the last 2 years, so I have enough topics to keep me busy on this blog for a while. I’ll post as often as I get a chance; let me know what you think if you get a chance:
handyhusbandblog@gmail.com
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