Our old, rickety gas grill died in the last few weeks. So, facing a summer without cooking out, we did the research, made a decision, and ordered a new grill shipped from Home Depot. The UPS guy delivered the huge, heavy box about 6:30 on Thursday, and by 9 that night, Rick had the whole thing assembled, without even too much swearing. And, then, as he rolled it from the living room towards the back door, he said, "You do realize this grill is NG (natural gas), not LP (liquid propane?)
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| The new grill, ready to be rolled outside! |
Either way, the thing was put together--no way it was going back!
We have natural gas, and the meter is only a few feet from the grill, so what was the problem?
"We'll have to get a plumber," he says. "To put in the gas. It's a professional job."
You have to understand, this was a big deal--we don't get plumbers at our house. To my hubby, plumbing is an irresistible challenge. Dishwashers, washing machines, broken pipes and toilets, he's installed or fixed them all.
And by the next morning, he'd decided he'd plumb in the grill himself. After lots of YouTube videos (how did we ever manage without YouTube?) and trips to the hardware store, by dinner time Friday, voila.
Gas for the grill, plumbed and ready.
Here's the before-and-after.
Isn't that smashing? Am I impressed? You better believe it!! Surprised? Not really, because I've seldom seen him fail at a mechanical project.
But I am curious about what makes people "handy." I don't think it's gender. The running joke in my house when I was growing up was that my dad couldn't change a light bulb, and he was a very smart guy. He just didn't have the handy gene. Nor do I! (Understatement of the century...) But my brother was building his own TVs and stereos by the time he was sixteen.
I'm not sure I have any female friends who tackle major plumbing and wiring jobs, but I know plenty of women who love their tools and take on things I would never dream of.
Is this learning? Environment? Basic individual wiring?
What do you think, REDS and readers? And how handy are you?
P.S. Grilling is such a guy thing, right? I do all the grilling in our house:-)
P.S.S. Bibliophile and Susan, you're the winners of Francine Mathew's Merry Folger books!! Send me your addresses at deb at deborahcrombie dot com and Francine will get them off to you!
While I am not completely inept, I am not at all handy when it comes to making repairs around the house . . . that is John’s domain since he can fix most anything without the least bit of fuss [and he does the grilling, too].
ReplyDeleteThat's a pretty fine plumbing job! I also live with a very handy man, who rebuilds antique houses, which is saying something. But I also have the handy gene, and have rewired lamps, done all the work on my old VW bug, and designed and built a cedar chest. In my former marriage, we really needed a concrete pad at the base of the back stairs so you didn't step in wet grass or mud on the way to the driveway. My ex was too cheap, I mean thrifty (face it, he was a cranky tightwad), to hire anyone, and he was completely unhandy. So when he went out of town for a week, I took myself to the hardware store, learned how to do it myself, and voila - concrete pad. And that was before YouTube videos!
ReplyDeleteGood for you, Edith! A woman after my own heart.
DeleteYou rock, Edith!!!! And you can cook. And quilt. Oh, and write books! That's what I call a woman of many talents!
DeleteEdith,
Deleteyou rock!
Aw, thanks, gang!
DeleteVery impressive, Edith!
DeleteMy mom got the handy gene from my grandpa. I have one, sort of. I don't do plumbing or most electrical, but give me a shovel and I can dig the best trench, base for patio, whatever, in the county! Or pictures and I'll put together anything that comes disassembled--furniture, grills, toys....
ReplyDeleteI definitely did not get the handy gene. I can make simple repairs and put together something by reading and following written instructions or watching a Youtube video. But I would need to call someone for plumbing or electrical help or a major repair job.
ReplyDeleteI think in Massachusetts you'd get arrested for plumbing your own gas line... My father used to have to call handyman to hang a picture so there no 'handy genes' to get.
ReplyDeleteMy husband is handy. You know how the chains in your jewelry drawer can get all tangled and knotted up? He's infinitely patient at detangling. He can take something nonworking/mechanical (NOT electronics) apart and put it back together so it works. He can mow lawns. Unplug a sink. Hang a shade. I can do NONE of these things... and if I try I go too fast and it's cockeyed.
What he didn't get is the 'put it away' gene. The air conditioner in my office which he did remove (YES!) last fall was still on the floor of my office day before yesterday when he went to reinstall it. I guess he's a handy minimalist.
Sshh, Hallie, I don't think it's legal here, either...
DeleteI have to say, Rick does put everything away when he's finished a job. But just in case anyone thinks he's a saint, he does not cook, or do dishes, so I figure we are even, even with all his handiness.
A handy minimalist LOL! This is an interesting question. My brother is very handy, as was my dad. But as the only boy, my father took him under his wing so he learned a lot in dad's workshop. So is that nature or nurture or some of both?
ReplyDeleteI can look at directions and figure things out, but I would not ever put a grill together or heaven help us, try to plumb it! John is good at woodchuck barriers in the garden, mostly because he gets so mad when they break through!
Lucy,
DeleteI wonder about two year old toddlers of either sex. They get into everything. I wonder if they eventually learn how to be handy and fix plumbing, etc?
My father was very handy, as is my son. And now my teenage granddaughter is on her way to being just as handy. I live alone so I've had to become somewhat of a handy person, but the results are often less than I had hoped for.
ReplyDeleteMy grandfather was an excellent carpenter and handyman, and he taught my dad how to do all of that stuff. My dad, however, decided he'd rather supervise than actually spend the sweat and collect the dirt. So I guess I learned from both. I have rebuilt toilets and changed out faucets. I even got under the sink once to remove/replace an elbow joint (seriously not hard, ladies!) but I also know when to call a plumber. I have changed out a lighting fixture, but would race to Google "electricians near me" if it got more complicated than that. I can also patch drywall and spackle the snot out of old picture-hanger holes. The fact that I live alone has meant that I had to brush up on how to do a lot of stuff I was raised to think of as "man mysteries." Usually I discover a lot of smoke and mirrors around those mysteries: guys want women to believe repairs are hard, and be impressed by their manly skills. If you actually go to Home Depot, you'll like as not find that men have come up with all kinds of easy shortcuts they never tell us about. But I know my limits--or at least the limits of what I want to learn on any given day. That's when I call in the professionals. Or Deb's husband.
ReplyDeleteI will testify that Gigi can also paint, as she's been helping paint my living room wall paper. And she sews and quilts. I wonder how many women who quilt have the handy gene? The sewing machine takes some mechanical skill, and the quilting requires an eye for design and pattern and the ability to measure.
DeleteNone of which I have, by the way. I would never even have attempted my one quilt block with out Gigi's coaching. I had a lot of fun buying the fabric, though. I definitely have the buying gene!!!!
DeleteYou are a complete ace at buying fabric, and also at enabling others to buy fabric. Or cars. Or houses.
DeleteThe handle/catch on the back screen door is broken. Has been for eons. And Penny Lane knows how to open it. So I've attached a short bungee cord from the handle to the dead bolt thingy on the frame. I did fix things when I was young and energetic. Now I McGuyver things.
ReplyDeleteWhat do I win today? A virgin set of Deb's first editions? Or better yet, could I have Rick for a weekend? I'd return him undamaged first thing Monday morning.
Ann who, along with Julie, has pneumonia, the walking variety. All from the friendly skies of United.
Ann, darling, if he were closer, I'd send him for the weekend--and then I'd write, LOL
DeleteYou come too. Spring is upstate New York rivals autumn. You can write in my garden, with the lilacs and wisteria lulling you, I'll cook and Rick can fix the damn faucet. xox
DeleteOh, Jonathan wants to fix everything! And it dries me crazy. If there is an electrical something, he wants to fix it. I say: do not touch electricity! Turn off all the breakers or fuses whatever they are.
ReplyDeleteI wanted to fix something with cardboard ones, and Jonathan decided he would get in wood! And I saw! And saw stuff! Ahhhhh.
So he is an eager fixer, married to a worrier.
He is the king of grilling, no question! He loves fire :-) but we do charcoal, not gas.
Hank, we can do charcoal, too--I just bought a new grill insert for our old Weber charcoal kettle. But because Rick doesn't grill, the gas is so much easier for me when I just need to get dinner on the table. Charcoal grills are recreation, in my book!
DeleteHank, my youngest daughter, 29 years old, just took a really cool, intensive class on electricity and wiring. They have a new house, and already she singlehandedly installed two ceiling fan/light combos. And for our Christmas gift she bought and installed a new bathroom exhaust fan and light for us. I'm in awe! Electricity also intimidates me.
DeleteOh, rats, typos. Drives me crazy. That is the correction, I mean. But it also does. I will correct it when I get back to my computer…
ReplyDeleteAnn and Julie, get well soon!
ReplyDeleteI'm definitely NOT handy, a trait I inherited from my dad. My dad was a superb salesman and could sell the White House to the president, but it was an ordeal for him to install/remove the storm windows each year. (I didn't get the sales gene. I am, however, a good soup maker!) My mom's two brothers and father could do/make anything. In fact, my uncles and my grandfather built the 2 family house my grandparents lived in for 20+ years.
Deb Romano
Deb, my dad was a superb salesman, too. Maybe the two genes don't go together.
DeleteAnd, yes, Ann and Julie, get well soon. Lots of rest and reading and chicken soup!
ReplyDeleteEven if I did screw up on the kind of grill, I think I'm going be thrilled with having it on natural gas. No more worrying about the propane tank running out in the middle of a party!!! Or having to drag the empties to the store to get refills!
ReplyDeleteIf it's not raining here this afternoon, we'll test the new gas line for leaks, then get the grill hooked up. And if the weather cooperates, maybe I'll even get to cook something on it tonight!
If the weather doesn't cooperate, I'm going to lie on the sofa with a book!
DeleteDebs, the only time Rick's handiwork might even get noticed is if you go to sell your house. Inspectors look for the stickers that proclaim the job's legitimacy.
ReplyDeleteI'm handy to a point, which includes heavy things, electricity, and big power tools--someone else has to do that stuff. But I've painted every square inch of this big house over the last 32 years, including the many six-panel doors. And sometimes I look at the garden and marvel at how nice it looks, through sheer force of will on my part. My husband cuts grass. Period. Long ago, he did projects here, including a wonderful stone wall and two brick patios, but he uses all that energy for playing tennis these days.
My handiness developed out of necessity. Steve used to travel six months of the year, and if I wanted something done I either had to wait until the honey-do list could even get discussed (and then ignored), or I could just figure out how to do it myself. Like Gigi, I can spackle the snot out of any wall. Refinishing furniture is an especially satisfying activity, rescuing lovely old wood out of decades of neglect.
Mmmmm! I love staining and painting furniture. Debs has totally sold me on chalk paint now, too.
DeleteInteresting question. I am not on your hubby's level, but I am handier than average. I will tackle moderate level plumbing and wiring tasks, in addition to painting, wallpapering, sprinkler fixing, etc. Last fall I completely gutted our downstairs bathroom (removed the toilet, vanity, tile floor, sink, etc.) and replaced all of the above ALL BY MYSELF, to include wiring in a new light fixture (surprisingly easy). (I did enlist my brother to help me carry in the new vanity and position it.) It was my first experience with a power hammer to demolish the old tile. Whew! Yay for being able to rent power tools! I don't know that I'll take on a project of that magnitude again, but it felt good to plan it and execute it. I told my hubby I'm all set for a career as a contractor because it took twice as long as I planned and cost twice as much. :-)
ReplyDeleteMy husband, an attorney in his work life, loves the challenge of figuring out how to fix...anything. And he's pretty good at it. Same curiosity makes him good at technology. I've often wondered why he didn't become an engineer.I am a lucky woman, as i have no ability in that area at all.None. I don't think it's a male/female thing though. My dad was the king of fixing. He was an aircraft mechanic in the Army Air Corps and then for American Airlines. Later he had a restaurant and grocery equipment business,installation and service included. My brother has ten thumbs! But his wife once decided she could install a dishwasher and with a manual at hand and my dad on the phone, she did. She is known in the family as the son my father never had!
ReplyDeleteFun topic! When we bought our first house, my husband took a wallpaper class at the paint store -- and so he did the painting and wallpapering (sometimes in the middle of the night, but that is another story). However, he is totally flummoxed by assembly. That was my purview -- big wheels, doll houses, IKEA stuff. He is missing the ability to see space -- watch him move furniture through a doorway!
ReplyDeleteWe now have a great handy guy on Cape Cod who does small and large projects, thoroughly and neatly. He rented the house this winter, and I am wondering if he fixed things we didn't even know were broken.
Deb,
ReplyDeleteWow! This is the first time I won here :-) . Thank you so much! I just sent you my address to your email address - deb at deborahcrombie dot com.
Thank you,
Diana
Got it, Diana! You are so welcome, and I'm sure you'll enjoy the books!
DeleteI think it is wiring but also how you're raised. I am very handy but my whole family is and we were raised to be. Hub is not handy but no one in his family is either - but he does do all the grilling! Needless to say, I'm raising the Hooligans to be handy. So far with me, they've painted rooms, ripped up carpeting and linoleum, installed wood flooring, put in a screened porch, installed a brick patio, acid washed a pool, installed new lighting fixtures, and they maintain the yard, do dishes, and clean bathrooms. Future roommates, wives, whatever, of the Hooligans, you're welcome :)
ReplyDeleteJenn, may I borrow the Hooligans this summer? Please???!!
DeleteDeb Romano
My dad was a real handy man who took on engine repair, carpentry, roofing, etc. He was a master plumber who built our entire house with help from the cement finishers (he couldn't do that!). My first husband was a handy man as well...he was a structural steel iron worker, a good mechanic and good at figuring out things. Second hub was a good mechanic, but not so handy around the house. Now that I'm single again I am the handy "man" around the house - I am no good at all at carpentry, but basic mechanical and plumbing issues I can handle and have only had to call the plumber a couple times in my whole life!
ReplyDeleteNecessity teaches us a lot, doesn't it, Pauline? When I was single (between bad husband and good current man), I just did everything, and loved it.
DeleteI'm not even good about calling the repair man when I need to do so. If you husband wants to stop by my place and fix what I need fixed in my bathroom, I'd be forever grateful! :)
ReplyDeleteMy hubby is extremely handy, and I'm a good assistant, so we make a good team. Just this week we fixed our incredibly complicated Japanese toilet (our landlord chose it, not us). After calling loads of plumbers who had never fixed this particular toilet before, and being told by one place that it would cost $500 just to "research" fixes, we took matters into our own hands. We diagnosed the problem, ordered the part, and made the repair. It's working again and no floods to report! And the hubby doesn't just do plumbing: When we lived in Massachusetts, we redid our kitchen and bathroom with no help from professionals. That reminds me that I was very handy with a tile saw!
ReplyDeleteMy oldest sister is very handy and always has been. She's an architect and property developer and has spent a large portion of her life on building sites. She's passed it on to her own kids; one of my nieces wanted the kid version of a Home Depot work bench and tool set when she was about three years old.
My husband could fix anything. I would see something
ReplyDeletefrom wood and show him the picture. He'd go off to his
workshop and pretty soon he'd be in saying "is this what
you want?". I really miss that. I have all of his
tools but I'm afraid of them. Should have taken lessons
when he was alive. I have a lot of the things he made
so I have lots of memories. take care.