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I did not grow up around handy people, nor have I dated many, so the idea that a guy who doesn't fix stuff isn't manly is ridiculous. Most guys I know don't fix stuff. That's what AAA and Home Advisor are for.
As a homeowner (who is not handy herself,) I suppose it would be a nice bonus, but it's not something I get judgey about.
I was watching Househunters (judge away!), and the yuppie husband was planning to spend $550K on a historic home that was "move-in ready," rather than buy one much cheaper that needed some small repairs and a bit of decorating. His wife tells the camera that he can't even hang a towel rack, and he seems sort of proud of it. (She also teased him about wearing a pink button down shirt.)
Something made me want to post here and ask the ladies what they think of a guy who is less handy--say less handy than the average single female homeowner is expected to be).
I find itkind of a turn off infact.I was done with urbane, androgynous artist types by the time I was 25.
Sounds like you shouldn't be dating soft progressive liberal-minded men. Find yourself a rugged, old school, republican type.
Being Mr. Fix-it is not at the top of my list of what makes a man a good husband/partner. It would be nice though not to have to pay someone to make minor repairs; and I could learn to do them myself.
There are some women who are so feminist ingrained they have emotionally de-maled their mate and then they complain he isn't 'man enough' for them. Before any feathers get ruffled, am not referring to anyone who has posted on this thread.
I did not grow up around handy people, nor have I dated many, so the idea that a guy who doesn't fix stuff isn't manly is ridiculous. Most guys I know don't fix stuff. That's what AAA and Home Advisor are for.
As a homeowner (who is not handy herself,) I suppose it would be a nice bonus, but it's not something I get judgey about.
My favorite contractor just moved to your area, so if you ever need help I got the guy for you.
Sounds like you shouldn't be dating soft progressive liberal-minded men. Find yourself a rugged, old school, republican type.
Yeah. The kind who build an exterior deck with drywall screws. Or who splice ROMEX with electrical tape and then sheet rock over it. Or pay huge fines for doing projects without a permit and find they can't sell their home because of all the out of code home hacker "upgrades" that were done without permits.
I'm describing my house. I bought it at a huge discount (basically, the value of the land it sat on) because even a casual inspection turned all of this up.
The problem being handy is that, you can't trust some one else to do the job right.
Dad was the fix it man in the neighborhood and every one brought things to him to be fixed .a lot of the time though people were just dumping their junk on him , but I grew up having no shame going through trash cans on trash day finding treasures.
I think we were lower middle class if that's is and acceptable definition .
I worked with my dad in construction .and by the time I was 6-7 I was finishing concrete on my own .
I can build a house from idea to finish every aspect of the project .
I got tired of that and moved on; coworkers kept using me for their crane .
I became dads fix it man in his second hand store and eventually that turned into an air compressor shop that both brought the family together and gave us all a decent living. My brothers previous machine shop training came into play and taught me volumes, as well as learning to weld and other valuable skills, creating tools for the trade that did not exist.
I had a lot of different jobs through out my life working on machinery and boats and so many other things ,that learning a new skill was addictive. Rebuilding an engine is child's play .
My son picked up on this nature and began doing many things with out much coaching from me at all . He's a great carpenter and does his own work on his truck , My daughter on the other hand chose not to do any thing in the field and doesn't care to learn .
Though my brother grew up in the same family environment and worked as a mechanic and did a lot of things, he is not as creative as I am; no brag just fact .
He is handy around the house mind you and an incredible business man I admire him , ( I think that came from mom's side of the family) while I inherited dad's side being more of the creative type than administrative .
WE have a whole generation of young people that have had no interest in building things , fact is I was talking to an auctioneer a while back and people are no longer interested in things they must invest some repair, particularly antiques unless goods are show ready, no one is interested.
This is how messed up things are, a 47 Studebaker completely restored was being listed for $6,000. and not sold. However the same vehicle made into a hot rod actually sold for $16,000.
No one is much interested in antiques, much less building any more , young people don't know or care .
What I see is that when the economy finally does collapse many of these will flounder and third world people will have the advantage over them.
My advise ,
give your grand kids things they must build. Lincoln logs, Model cars, and planes, and things that need assembly, and thought and creativity . And praise them when they achieve finish.
Encourage them to achieve in areas their piers know nothing about.
This current trend toward survivlism is a great platform for kids to learn something important even if you must learn it with them .
It's not just a matter of self sufficiency, but a matter of knowing what is involved in a repair, even if your not doing it your self.
It's not uncommon for mechanics to take advantage of the ignorant .
Ladies , it wouldn't hurt you to know something about your vehicle or home repairs , the info is our there.
Men , if your operating machinery and don't know or have no interest in knowing what makes it tick, your worthless.
Kids , you'd be wise to learn what makes things tick.
There is no reason in the world even if one is a specialist in some area. if they are not cognoscente of the operation of the machinery they use ,how in the world do they expect to function if their specialist tools fail?
Sorry for the rant , it's a pet peeve.
I'm even the fixit guy at work. From painting the building to installing a new sink and vanity in the bathroom. That is in addition to my day to day responsibilities.
My post was really about guys who grow up without even knowing how to check the oil or fill up tires. I have had to teach my daughter's last 3 boyfriends how to do it. These guys all had dads at home.
It's a reflection of the world more than a reflection of "guys" in general.
Going a little more rural and a little less urban you will usually see a dramatic shift in people who are use to doing things for themselves in this way a little more. I wouldn't expect anyone who has rented a home all their life to know how to do home repairs, they have never had ownership of anything to be able to (and subsequently) know how "to" fix it.
Without a huge post involved to explain why most people don't know how to change a tire or the proper way to (insert thing here) I'll just say:
TLDR: people don't know how to do these things becuase they never have to do them unless absolutely forced in to them.
Last edited by rego00123; 02-20-2016 at 11:34 AM..
Choosing not to DIY doesn't mean you're a moron or are incapable of acquiring adult skills. Most people could DIY if they wanted to, but why bother if it's not something you enjoy? Just pay someone else and focus on the things that you do enjoy & for me, DIY would not be one of these!
Maybe you missed the part where I said it's fine if you don't want to do it. It's another thing if you don't know how to do it or are intimidated by the very mention of it.
Time is money. No. It's more than money. I completely understand someone willing to pay to do things that they don't want to do. My wife knows how to do things just fine. And she's enough of a perfectionist that the job would be done well. However, she hates doing it. So she doesn't.
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