Thread: A man can't win!!

I'd say you've earned a good sulk!!!

And people ask me why I,m not married

Artme never argue with a woman she knows best.



Join the club

Honey can you make this ?............yes ........I'll just nip down to H&F's and spend the $3k for all the machines it ill save us in the long run.

I think it's very nice of you to generally help out and clean up while saving a few bucks on the side. I'm sure the workers appreciate not having to do the grunt jobs themselves...as long as their invoice reflects it too.

In my experience though, just because it's "the tiler's job" doesn't mean they'll actually do it. I've rarely encountered a professional tradey that hasn't left us with a heaping pile of crud at the end of a job and it *always* pees me off.

Artme, seriously, you have only just discovered this??

You can now officially join the rest of us.

Just remind her that you treat her the way you treat your tradies and that there are other ways.... just kidding!!!

I find a couple of coldies at an establishment designed for the purpose therapeutic. By yourself of course,

Trade-in time!!!

Well Artme, if it is any consolation to you, for decades I have looked at the DIY maintenance of my old house as a source of relief from my pen pushing job. I have done everything from replacing plaster ceilings to cutting and installing parquetry, of course fixing and building everything made of wood and the odd plumbing and electrical work (certified by a licenced professional of course, I would never break the law! ) The wife has been generous enough not to complain too much. Only a coupla years ago I decided that life was too short for mowing lawns and got somebody to do it.

As regards tradesmen, I have a strong belief that ethically an amateur should not do for others the work that a tradesman does for a living. I am not happy about tradesmen charging professional rates for menial work, though, as this story illustrates:

the last remaining old galvanised pipe remaining on the block, outside the house leading to a garden tap, springs a leak. The plumber spends one hour trying to locate the pipe digging the lawn. At this point I politely suggest that this is not a good use of his hard earned skills and that I will call him back after I got a garden labourer to do the digging. The plumber calls the office and offers to send a first year apprentice at $30 per hour. Still more expensive but saves time and trouble. I accept. The apprentice comes and does the digging. The plumber comes back before he has found the pipe and potters around for another half hour to finally cut and plug the pipe in ten minutes. Holes refilled. $400 bill for something I could have done myself after payng 60 bucks to a digger. Lesson learnt for next time.

Yes F&E! Don't get me started on plumbers! They must be amongst the costliest people on the face of the planet, and perhaps the worst examples of tradespeople! "nuff said!

Used to have similar problems early on in the marriage. Ended up backing off and telling her to do it herself.
Got a few queries about ''when I was going to get on with it'' . ''Sorry thats your job now''.
This went on for a bit till she realized it was not a piece of cake. But involved a great many things in sequence many of which she had never heard of.

Been married 30years and all is well.

Originally Posted by artme

Yes F&E! Don't get me started on plumbers! They must be amongst the costliest people on the face of the planet, and perhaps the worst examples of tradespeople! "nuff said!

As has been said elsewhere, A procrastination of Plumbers, A mess of electricians.

When the electricians start on a site that I am building, the first thing I establish is that they know and can use a broom and a rubbish bin. I also backcharge them for any mess I clean up. Bits of conduit are the big offenders, nothing like stepping on a short bit of round crap with your arms full and ending up on the ground.