Our men are DIY disasters!
Another reason to get out and about this Bank Holiday? To avoid some handyman mishaps, like these women have experienced… ‘If he wasn’t so big-hearted, he’d be under the patio by now!’
Caroline Bigg, 55, from West Sussex, is a company director and lives with her husband Alan
Coming downstairs with his tool bag, my husband Alan, 58, looked proud as punch. ‘ You’ve done it?’ I asked, incredulously.
‘ Yep,’ he said, grinning.
I’d wanted our television on the bedroom wall for ages. Heading to admire his handiwork, I opened the door and gasped.
The television was literally on the ceiling. I’d asked him to do it level with the doors so we could watch it from bed, but he’d lined up the bottom of the TV with them. ‘We can’t watch that,’ I said, aghast. ‘We’ll get cricks in our neck!’
But I couldn’t get too mad. He’d tried. Yet again I’d learned, my husband is a DIY disaster…
It was a running joke with my daughter Emily, 27, that if
I needed something replacing, I’d ask Dad to fix it, he’d break it and I’d get a new one…
A mechanic by trade, he was brilliant with cars, not with houses.
Once, he’d tried to fix our toilet but did something to the pipes that caused water to come through the kitchen and the whole ceiling collapsed – the day before Emily’s third birthday.
Another time, he tried to fix the gate, but managed to break the fence, botching it together with a few broken pieces of wood we had lying around. It looked awful – and made the gate a bit moot!
The worst was when he broke my beloved oven. It was just a plastic knob that needed replacing – a £15 job. But no…
‘It’s OK, love, I’ll do it,’ Alan said.
Only, he pushed the knob so hard, it smashed the temperature control and broke the whole thing. I had to buy a new oven for £700.
If he wasn’t such a kind, funny man with a big heart, he’d be under the patio by now!
But, after 28 years of marriage, I’ve learnt when something needs doing, I take Alan out and Emily’s boyfriend, Ben, goes to fix it. We just keep it a secret from Alan.
Recently in lockdown, I was looking at prices to board our loft. ‘Sounds expensive, I think I…’
Alan started, but I cut him off. ‘No way. You’ll go through the ceiling.’
Thankfully, he agreed and we’re calling in an expert!
Abi Hugo, 31, from Maldon, Essex, is an influencer and lives with her husband, Ian, and their son, Henry, and daughter, Emilia
Holding the drill, I placed it on the wall and applied some pressure. As it whirred to life, Ian came to see what the racket was.
‘I don’t know how you do it,’ he said, in admiration.
I was upcycling an old bedside table, and was just doing the finishing touches.
But while I love doing it myself, Ian was a hopeless handyman.
An academic, his skills were definitely not in the practical department. He once tried to change a light bulb, but didn’t know how to switch off the mains. He could’ve electrocuted himself. When it came to bleeding a radiator or relighting the gas light, his blank face said it all.
My grandad, Bob, used to be a builder and my mum learnt a lot from him. In turn, I’d picked up things, though I wasn’t a pro by any stretch.
But if I wanted a shelf up, I couldn’t ask Ian. He’d probably lose a finger. So, I started giving things a go myself, watching ‘ how to’ videos on YouTube.
There was a lot of trial and error, and a few disasters, including when I drilled into the wrong wall, but there’s always a way to fix things.
After having our son, Henry, with the train fares and nursery fees, it didn’t make sense to go back to my HR job in London.
So I began making rooms in our house look pretty and posting the pictures on my Instagram, @thewhitethistle. I upcycled things, breathing new life into old pieces. I started getting questions daily about what tools I used, so I started a blog to share things I found helpful, like ‘the best beginner DIY tools’. ‘By spending £100 on a tool, you could save £1000s,’ I wrote.
Now, I’ve got over 80,000 followers, and I do ads with brands, so I’m a full-time mum and DIY influencer.
I’d urge everyone to give it a try, as long as you leave the electrics and plumbing to the experts!