Asking For Help

Projects don’t always go as planned.  And sometimes you tear a wall down, realize you’re in over your head, and wish you could just put it right back up, giggle, and say you were just kidding.  Unfortunately you can’t do that in most cases, but that doesn’t mean you’re on your own trying to solve some of these problems.  Here are some great resources when tackling a somewhat unfamiliar project:

1. Google.  Nope, I’m not kidding.  You can Google everything – from “why is there hair in my lath?” to “how to I uninstall a bath faucet?”  Google is a great resource, but don’t believe everything you read in a forum unless a user qualifies his/her response with “I’ve been a contractor for 25 years.”  Everyone has their own opinion on how to do things and some things you just can’t take that gamble on.  Basically don’t believe everything you read on the internet.
2. YouTube.  Yet again, I will swear by the obvious.  If you find a video of some 12 year old explaining something, you’ll probably want to find another video.  But if you’re trying to figure out how to change the blade on your miter saw and you tossed the instruction manual, there’s a video for that.  Want to see how a router works? There’s a video for that too.  If you’re anything like me, you just can’t always figure things out by reading instruction manuals anyway – I’m a visual learner.  Let’s face it, we all know how it feels to spend forever putting something together and realizing at the end we did it wrong.
3. Hardware store.  This could be the little hardware store downtown with the nice old man that knows just how to fix EVERYTHING – like when you run in with your roommate who had just spray painted her hand gold to see what it would look like and then realized it doesn’t wash off with soap and water.  Yeah that happened.  It can also be your local Home Depot or Lowes.  Just last night, I saw a flyer for a tiling class they’re doing next week.  This is a fantastic resource for some of those DIY home projects you’ve never done before, but are curious to tackle.  It’s an incredibly hands-on course that will walk you through the entire process.
4. Your fellow bloggers.  Sometimes you just need to call up an old friend…. er, tweet a complete stranger you wish you were friends with that lives somewhere out in Michigan.  Anyone else love DIYDiva?  Yeah, she’s pretty much my hero.  And considering she helped build a house from the ground up, lived in a garage during the entire process, and owns donkeys, I trust her opinion more than anyone I’ll find in a local hardware store.  Never be afraid to tweet your hero in the middle of the night after 3 glasses of wine.

Like my “haha” addition at the end? That was the wine telling me Kit and I were best friends. So there you have it. The secrets to Post Grad. I’ve either done it before or fumbled through it with the help of my friends. What great resources have you stumbled upon when you’re working on a tough project?