Your DIY at its most stupid
Author
Discussion

DickyC

Original Poster:

56,518 posts

220 months

Sunday 13th December 2009
quotequote all
As a young householder with an end of terrace two up, two down and a bit out the back, I opted to re-roof the bit out the back myself. It needed doing, the single pitch was keeling over and the lath and plaster ceiling was in a poor state. I was in my early twenties and had the drive and ambition but not the experience or common sense.

Stepping off the ladder into a bucket I fell over backwards into a pile of rubbish I should already have taken to the tip. To work off my irritation I opted to break up the laths by stamping on them. I watched mesmerised as only the second or third one broke and one half of it was heading towards me with a nail I should have taken out aimed at my forehead.

Yes, I was the young DIYer with half a lath nailed to my head.

soad

34,283 posts

198 months

Sunday 13th December 2009
quotequote all
Volunteered to do some house painting on a farm, drunk on a ladder - not a good combination. Managed to fall into bushes (roses and stuff). Won't be doing that again for sure.

Edited by soad on Sunday 13th December 15:01

anonymous-user

76 months

Sunday 13th December 2009
quotequote all
Was putting a computer bench together(urged on by mrs slopes, y'know, "isnt it finished yet" 2 seconds after i took it out of the box) and i was assembling it upside down to make putting the top wooden part on easier for myself. Then i decided to pick up the desk triumphantly and show off my handiwork, only to find i had used the wrong bolts and bolted it through the carpet and into the floor boards!loser

munroman

1,899 posts

206 months

Sunday 13th December 2009
quotequote all
I had been bothered by creaky and moving floors, the central heating installers had cut channels in the plywood floor, but hadn't supported it enough, so I was putting bracing pieces underneath to support the cut out pieces better.

The 'don't put the screws into the centre, that's where the pipes are' somehow got scrambled to the exact opposite, cue a 'boy with finger in the dyke' situation, and a repair to the downstairs ceiling! Grrrr....

dudleybloke

20,553 posts

208 months

Sunday 13th December 2009
quotequote all
my first attempt at hanging a door.
it wasn't helped by the fact that it was a heavy fire door and i was on my own.
cue door falling onto my telly and cracking the case.

jjones

4,478 posts

215 months

Sunday 13th December 2009
quotequote all
had an extension built and was tiling the floor in the new bathroom, when i re-hung the door i needed to shave some off the bottom to allow for the now higher floor. I carefully removed it took it outside, removed the handles so i could lay it flat. marked a line taking approx 4mm of material off, careful not to go too far as they are the hollow door types. then refitted the furtniture and triumphantly rehung the door. only to find a gap at the top and the bottom still rubbing....

(recitifed by moving the hinge location on the door)

lewes

361 posts

198 months

Monday 14th December 2009
quotequote all
The Mrs was cutting the hedge but was struggling with the last 2ft of it. I climb the steps and swooshed to the left and cut the power cable !!!!

davidjpowell

18,572 posts

206 months

Monday 14th December 2009
quotequote all
Fitting a kitchen and drilling a hole for the mounting. Plugged the drill in, just below where I was drilling, but not taking note till a big bang, and headed backwards at a rate of knots.

Deva Link

26,934 posts

267 months

Monday 14th December 2009
quotequote all
snowy slopes said:
Was putting a computer bench together(urged on by mrs slopes, y'know, "isnt it finished yet" 2 seconds after i took it out of the box) and i was assembling it upside down to make putting the top wooden part on easier for myself. Then i decided to pick up the desk triumphantly and show off my handiwork, only to find i had used the wrong bolts and bolted it through the carpet and into the floor boards!loser
rofl

King Herald

23,501 posts

238 months

Monday 14th December 2009
quotequote all
snowy slopes said:
Was putting a computer bench together(urged on by mrs slopes, y'know, "isnt it finished yet" 2 seconds after i took it out of the box) and i was assembling it upside down to make putting the top wooden part on easier for myself. Then i decided to pick up the desk triumphantly and show off my handiwork, only to find i had used the wrong bolts and bolted it through the carpet and into the floor boards!loser
roflroflrofl

I remember scoffing at someone about cutting into a table top when power sawing a piece of wood laid on it. So busy was I scoffing, that I cut into the table top....

I remember laughing with my wife about idiots putting nails through central heating pipes, when securing loose floorboards. Luckily we have insurance for that sort of thing.....

I remember telling my wife that only an idiot could drive a nail through a plainly visible wire in the attic, and blow the main fuse....

hehe

I don't scoff so much any more.