Comments on: When DIY has No ROI: Diary of a DIYaholic

By: paul's wife

paul's wife — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 15:03:34 +0000

doors/drawer fronts someday… still, they hold our towels and the rest of the bathroom looks great. I think DIY made a little more sense when the kids were younger and we didn’t have as many fun recreational pursuits. A little hard to get our projects done when it’s right in the middle of ski, motorbiking, camping, canoeing, geo-cacheing, softball “season” around here.

By: Paul Van Lierop

Paul Van Lierop — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 20:51:12 +0000

I too put in my own yard, my cousin happens to own a sod farm that supplied the grass for Safeco Field here in Seattle where the Mariner’s play so I saved a ton of money but yeah that was a fair amount of work. I called in a lot of favors and paid some High School Kids for their slave labor. Doesn’t exactly look like Safeco Field today. Thanks for stopping by Alison.

By: Alison

Alison — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 19:43:05 +0000

Hilarious! I am a DIY addict, too. We sodded our own yard this spring. We saved about $2,000 but it was BACK BREAKING WORK! I’m not sure I would advise that to any sane person!
Alison´s last blog ..Print a lot of Coupons? Get Paper for $1

By: Paul Van Lierop

Paul Van Lierop — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 15:59:27 +0000

I agree with you Philip and more often than not the projects I have done are usually those that I look forward to trying, there is definitely a point of diminishing returns though and since I have repeatedly hit that it’s often more of a strain on the family life than the pocket book . When my own wife has hired a contractor to take care of something I know I’ve hit that point.

By: Philip Brewer

Philip Brewer — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 15:52:40 +0000

I think the whole calculation based on treating your time as if you could be earning your salary while working on a DIY project is misleading–and not just because it’s not always so easy to get somebody to pay you for any random hours that you might otherwise spend on a project of your own.

The root problem has to do with treating life entirely in economic terms–as if your only options were to either work for pay or else pay someone to do something for you (and when you do find an alternative, feeling obliged to simulate one of those options).

I’ve written about the topic here: The many reasons–besides frugality–to do for yourself.
Philip Brewer´s last blog ..The new normal economy

By: MoneyEnergy

MoneyEnergy — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 06:15:00 +0000

Good for you for trying to DIY and save the money. I’m a big fan of DIY, I do my own investments. I can because I do enough research for myself and my own needs. I probably wouldn’t hand anything over to any broker unless I really had a million or more to protect, and then I’d probably be wanting to talk to lawyers, not brokers…

Looks like you’ve got lots of skills though, you could barter with if need be and you’ll never be out of work!
MoneyEnergy´s last blog ..Are You Doing Your Life’s Work, or Are You An Employee of The Market?

By: MLR

MLR — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 03:45:49 +0000

Good topic, it was actually the topic of personal finance hour with JD and Jim.

I couldn’t agree more with painting. Just make sure you do prep work. If you screw up, you will eventually need a professional and it will cost A LOT more.
MLR´s last blog ..Carnival of Top PF Posts #9

By: The Casual Observer

The Casual Observer — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 01:25:03 +0000

and besides, the doors really don’t serve a function. Heck, the capacity is more with no doors than with doors. Take your time, Paul.
The Casual Observer´s last blog ..Interview with Lazy Man

By: Paul Van Lierop

Paul Van Lierop — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 20:57:40 +0000

Too funny my little Australian friend. No the doors aren’t on there yet. I’ve been…busy and it’s nice outside.

By: Justin Mckeown

Justin Mckeown — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 20:18:37 +0000

You STILL don’t have doors? Don’t make me come over there…