Suck it Handyman

Do you have any little projects around your house that need to be done?  Well we sure do.  We had our master bath pocket door that came off the rails and the faucet handle to that bath that came off.  Now the faucet handle has been broken for years.  We aren't bathers so it hasn't really bothered us... we don't stink, we just prefer the shower over bath. 

Since I am a woman of action this year I decided to get these things fixed. First let me explain why me fixing it wasn't an option or at least I didn't think so.   I grew up in a home where we NEVER called a handyman, rarely took cars to a mechanic or to get the oil changed.  My dad did it himself- for better or worse.  The worst...  picture an orange VW bus that is stalled in the middle of a busy street,  you see a kid -probably 8or 9- jump out, open the trunk (the engine was in the rear), stick their hand where the hot engine was just going and push a button, a button my dad had rigged up to start the car because the key in the ignition didn't work. 

Maybe I was scarred from experiences like that where I just figured I wasn't going to risk it, so I decided I was going to have an expert do these house projects for me. 

I called a few Handyman companies in the area... YIKES they are pricey.  The first one quoted me $300 and the second quoted me $200, but I'd have to pay his mileage to get to our city.  This ticked me off, so much so that I got a "I'll show you attitude". 

I examined the faucet, figured out what the real problem was and took it apart (taking pictures along the way so if I needed to I could refer back to it-love digital!).  I took all the parts with me to Home Depot- in case I needed help finding the right size screw that was broken... yes it was just a screw that was broken this whole time.  Found what I needed, got home pieced it back together and Tada it works!

Working faucet!

Our sliding pocket door wasn't as easy.  I looked on YouTube for a video on how to fix it.  All the videos I found were more about installing one.  I happened to mention to my friend that I was working on this and with my luck her husband had just fixed their pocket door.  So with some twine, scissors, serious toe strength, and maybe a little luck he was able to fix it for us. 

I was so happy and proud of myself.  It's made me want to fix other things around the house- watch out kitchen cupboard door you are next!

I guess my point is you can do more than you think you can.  Don't be afraid to try, but also don't be afraid to call an expert- remember the orange VW. 

Have fun being handy!