re: Admit Your Dumbest Homeowner Repair Mistakes

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Well with that patch job, make sure you don’t use 5/8” to patch it if it’s only 1/2”. That’s my dumbest mistake. And the dumbest part was how long it took me to realize that I was never going to get it floated and sanded flat.

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For some reason, there is one wall in my house that has 5/8 drywall. I had to make cut a hole in it for something, and that number stuck with me because it was surprising how thick my wall was. A few months later, I ordered new doors for my house through a friend who works at a door supplier. He asked me what thickness drywall I had, so they could get the right size jambs. I told him 5/8, without measuring the existing jambs. Installation day comes, and all of them are too wide. So we spent the first half of the day cutting off 1/4" off of each of the 16 doors we were replacing. They look fine now that they are sanded, painted, and caulked. But if I get close, I can see some of the waves from trying to use a circular saw to get straight cuts.

Fell off a six foot ladder working on something in the back yard. Landed right on my back and ladder fell on my foot and my ankle hasn’t been the same since. I wrestled like hell trying to install a dishwasher and felt like an idiot. I’ve cracked several electrical boxes while trying to install new light fixtures so I had to go into attic and knock in new ones rolling around in insulation. I could go on for days but I’m still living to tell the stories.

I could write a book with a trade for each chapter. Not a repair but a good story - I was mounting a shelf in our laundry room, drilling some pilot holes. The opposite side of the wall is the garage, circuit breaker box on that wall.

Drilling, having to push harder, drilling, BOOM. Entire house goes dark, just really loud 80s thrash metal in my headphones in a pitch black tiny room. Took a few minutes to realize what I just did & then full on panic attack. Scary as shite. Thought I was dead, then thought I would have to pay tens of thousands of dollars in repairs. Super lucky though, didn’t hit any wires and drilled through dead center, bit poked through the two columns of breakers on the other side. Bit broke off during my freak out. It’s still there.

Called my dad, he was there in about 10 minutes. Humorous look of disapproval on his face. A look I know very well. All he had to do was flip the main breaker back on because it tripped, I guess as a safety mechanism. No injury, No damage Could’ve been way worse. I haven’t worked up the courage to have an electrician come out because of impending shame. Forgot it happened until I saw this thread. I’m gonna have to make that phone call tomorrow.

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Scary as shite. Thought I was dead

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This made me lol

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Garbage disposal went out. Replaced it with a new one. Didn't do dishes for a couple of days due eating out and also replacing piping with PEX in same general time frame. Starting doing dishes and dish washer would not drain water after completing a cycle. Fiddled with it a couple of days. Finally went to buy a new dish washer, connected it, same problem with not draining. Realized i forgot to remove the plug on the garbage disposal when connecting the dish washer drain line.

Many more to list but as they say, they are life lessons you won't forget.

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Garbage disposal quit working, went bought a new one hooked it up had it running and everything. Felt so proud of myself, first home repair I ever did, the wife thought I was awesome. Even made the comment that her dad could never fix stuff around the house when she was growing up and it always pissed her mom off, part of the reason they got divorced. Anyway, while taking the old one out to the garbage and I noticed a small red button looking thing on the bottom, googled it, sure enough a reset button. Went ahead and plugged the disposal in pushed the reset, disposal came right on.

Went ahead and proceeded with disposing of the disposal, never mentioned it to the wife. just pretended like I never made the discovery.

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Even made the comment that her dad could never fix stuff around the house when she was growing up and it always pissed her mom off

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Poor and unskilled is no way to go through life.

You can be rich and unskilled. Skilled and poor. But never both at the same time.

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Didnt realize I needed to shut the water off at the main and let every drop drain out before replacing a garden tub cartridge.

Removed cartridge, shite got real wet.

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This is my story as well. Water all over, then I slipped on it trying to haul arse out to the main. Landed flat on my back. Luckily wasn't hurt, but I'm no longer allowed to do any plumbing projects.

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electric gas top range

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Should have been glass not gas

Similar mistake here, went to pull a wall anchor out and I thought it was a push in anchor. Put the screw in a few threads and pulled with some channel locks. I ended up with a massive hole due to it actually being a screw in sheetrock anchor....I felt like an idiot, my wife made sure I knew I was one.

Oh, another. I was changing all of the faucets in the house and I got to the last one. I turned off the water like normal and started disassembly of the faucet handle. Suddenly the valve blew off in my face and shot water to the ceiling. I started trying to jamb the assembly back together yelling "what is happening?!" Before I realized I forgot to turn both the hot AND the cold water off. I blame the kids for distracting me, but you know, that could happen to anybody....

Installed a new garbage disposal and forgot the knockout plug. The next day i figured out why my dishwasher wouldnt drain...