Follow Up Rant

Okay, so little bear got upset. I get it. She wants everything done and finished, now. Patience is not her thing.

For my part, I grew up building things. I'm a builder. That's what I do; it's my life, and it's all I've ever done. I've tried to learn every single building trade there is. Why? Because I wanted to be the best builder there ever was. I LOVE building things. I'm not a hack...I'm a craftsman. I want everything perfect, and I don't care how long it takes...I want it RIGHT!

Yes, I am a perfectionist. I want it right. I don't care if some area of the house is unusable, I'm going to do it right, and DAMN everyone else! It will be done right...or it won't get done! Period!

That's just how I am.

I am a builder! That's what I do.

I figure out how to make things work, and then I build that thing. That's what I do.

If I encounter a problem, I don't get mad, I just figure out a solution. I only get mad when I get rushed for no real reason. I WILL find the solution, but sometimes I just need time. Challenges take creativity sometimes...and solutions are not always easy.

So, the builder who built our house did a lot of stuff completely backwards. I guess he was cutting corners, but some of this stuff is just frusrating beyond imagination! Seriously, it's like working on a boat! There's no place to work, you can't fit in the spot...and you're asking yourself WTF did they do it like this for????? Sometimes it make you angry, when people cheap out, and you have to tear open huge spaces to fix it, but that's okay.

It's just frustrating when the little bear gets so upset. I mean, after all, it's just construction!

That is all.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk
my son in law is a builder and is exactly the same

Construction crews always cut corners. Recently had some remodeling done. Luckily I work from home and did periodic spot checks. One of my favorites was an exterior wall. They dry walled about half when I told them to rip it all out and start over. They seriously were not going to put insulation in the wall LOL! Once they knew I was a retired engineer they knew there would be no more cheat codes.

I was once married to a perfectionist. Operative word - was.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

For my part, I grew up building things. I'm a builder. That's what I do; it's my life, and it's all I've ever done.

It’s all you’ve ever done ? What about those stories of chopping down huge trees as a job or the “ technical aviation” job.. or even ranching ? You’re confusing as hell sometimes FCD and that’s why some have a hard time believing all your stories. Not sayin I don’t believe you,,just sayin you are confusing at times.

Sounds like you would have made a good elevator constructor.

Plumb and level , measures in 1/ 64 of an inch.

Me, I am more the electronic and wiring guy. Make my helper worry about the other stuff.

Okay, so get this...the builder ran the plumbing in the kitchen cabinets up through the bottom of the cabinets. Well..DAMMIT! Okay, I can deal with this, but he should have run the plumbing up into the wall behind the cabinets.

So, I'm trying to set a new sink cabinet. There's plumbing, electrical and drainage to figure.

Side note - So I actually knew this dill-hole who built the house. He was a home builder, and built this house for himself and his wife (so, like an idiot, I figured it would be golden). The house is an awesome house, but he must have got tired toward the end. Therein lie my problems!

Anyway, tonight I'm taking apart the cabinets, the sink cabinets, and it's like "HOLY CRAP!!! Why did you run the water like that??????". So not only does the water come up through the bottom of the cabinets (not the wall), but then this dude ran a "T" over to the dishwasher! And worse, he didn't put any shutoffs before the copper connections. So now I have to un-sweat the copper fittings to remove the cabinet, then re-install all of that after I put the new cabinet in.

If I could find this guy, I'd seriously kick his ass tonight!! I mean, seriously...WTF???

And if all that wasn't bad enough, he installed a granite backsplash, but it wasn't just small (like 6" or so), it was solid up to the bottom of the upper cabinets. Yay, right?? NO...he freaking glued the S#!!! So now, when I pry the stuff off the wall I take half the sheetrock off with it, meaning I have a major sheetrock job everywhere I remove this stuff! OMG...it's endless!!

So, my solution is, just rip the sheet rock off and re-do it. No problem...but enter the wife.

"It's not done, it's messy, I want it finished" And I'm like "well, hire a General Contractor, and Electrician and a Plumber to come do all this stuff" I actually did get some quotes to do our kitchen; the lowest one was $58,500 dollars. I'm getting it done for $17,000, but it takes time...and DAMMIT, sometimes it's just hard!

a reply to: Sheye

You know, one day I'll tell you all of that. All of those things, unbelievable as they may be, are real. It's been a big and long life (and I've loved every minute of it). I'm slowing down now, getting older. Still have the cows, and still work aviation to pay the bills, but building is what I know.

Sorry for the confusion.

It's been a long road. Sometimes you got to just roll with it.

ETA - Looking back, some of it even mystifies me.

ETA 2 - In any case, just ignore everything. Feel better knowing it's all BS, if that makes it easier. In reality, it's even far more complicated than what I post here. So, just nap. It'll be better. That's what I want to do right now, just nap. I'm tired.

I used to be that way, I had a business as a builder and was constantly working. Then in my spare time I built our house, a couple of garages and maintained our cars, choosing to learn how to work on things myself. I got all the tools, I can paint cars, rebuild engines, build houses, and farm if I want.

Then when I got to be about sixty , I lost my drive to work on things. A little to do with my epilepsy, but more to do with just having done so much in my life and looking at my needs. I chose to untangle the truth about the human body and proper nutrition. I chose to learn how to help my friends and learn how to protect our deterioration from getting old.

Now, I don't even want to start anymore projects, I spent so many years working myself to death that I am worn out.

So, remember this and tell your wife that in ten years she will not have to worry about you working on the house FCD, she will have to threaten you to hang a picture or to paint a room. The thing is when you get older, it takes longer and you cannot do as much on your own. I too was a perfectionist and if I cannot do it perfect anymore, I do not want to even do it.

So, finish things up and coast your way out, there is no reason to have a heart attack from continuing to change things that do not need to be changed.

Another thing about getting over sixty, if you change where you put a tool or supply, it is hard to register the change, I was made aware of that from friends of mine that were older. Do not change where you put things and don't let the kids reorganize your place, because it is frustrating when you can't find something because it is not where it has been for twenty years anymore.

originally posted by: Flyingclaydisk
Okay, so get this...the builder ran the plumbing in the kitchen cabinets up through the bottom of the cabinets. Well..DAMMIT! Okay, I can deal with this, but he should have run the plumbing up into the wall behind the cabinets.

So, I'm trying to set a new sink cabinet. There's plumbing, electrical and drainage to figure.

Side note - So I actually knew this dill-hole who built the house. He was a home builder, and built this house for himself and his wife (so, like an idiot, I figured it would be golden). The house is an awesome house, but he must have got tired toward the end. Therein lie my problems!

Anyway, tonight I'm taking apart the cabinets, the sink cabinets, and it's like "HOLY CRAP!!! Why did you run the water like that??????". So not only does the water come up through the bottom of the cabinets (not the wall), but then this dude ran a "T" over to the dishwasher! And worse, he didn't put any shutoffs before the copper connections. So now I have to un-sweat the copper fittings to remove the cabinet, then re-install all of that after I put the new cabinet in.

If I could find this guy, I'd seriously kick his ass tonight!! I mean, seriously...WTF???

And if all that wasn't bad enough, he installed a granite backsplash, but it wasn't just small (like 6" or so), it was solid up to the bottom of the upper cabinets. Yay, right?? NO...he freaking glued the S#!!! So now, when I pry the stuff off the wall I take half the sheetrock off with it, meaning I have a major sheetrock job everywhere I remove this stuff! OMG...it's endless!!

So, my solution is, just rip the sheet rock off and re-do it. No problem...but enter the wife.

"It's not done, it's messy, I want it finished" And I'm like "well, hire a General Contractor, and Electrician and a Plumber to come do all this stuff" I actually did get some quotes to do our kitchen; the lowest one was $58,500 dollars. I'm getting it done for $17,000, but it takes time...and DAMMIT, sometimes it's just hard!

Ah, a remodel. I feel your pain. Remodel a house years ago built in 1969. redid all the plumbing and electrical and basically told the wife to # off or it won't get done. One of the reasons she is the ex.

Take a break and regroup.

originally posted by: Flyingclaydisk
a reply to: Sheye

You know, one day I'll tell you all of that. All of those things, unbelievable as they may be, are real. It's been a big and long life (and I've loved every minute of it). I'm slowing down now, getting older. Still have the cows, and still work aviation to pay the bills, but building is what I know.

Sorry for the confusion.

It's been a long road. Sometimes you got to just roll with it.

ETA - Looking back, some of it even mystifies me.

That’s all fine and good.. you’ve lived a diverse life.. whoopee !

Just don’t say building things is all you’ve ever known ( your words ).. it’s misleading and untrue.

a reply to: Sheye

Actually, you don't get to tell me what to do, or when to do it.

Ever.

Anytime you'd like to show up, hang around for a day or so, and see if what I say is real or not...well, you're welcome to do so. BUT, until then, you're just punching keys on a keyboard, and I really don't give a flying F# what you think! Sorry.

originally posted by: Flyingclaydisk
a reply to: Sheye

Actually, you don't get to tell me what to do, or when to do it.

Ever.

Anytime you'd like to show up, hang around for a day or so, and see if what I say is real or not...well, you're welcome to do so. BUT, until then, you're just punching keys on a keyboard, and I really don't give a flying F# what you think! Sorry.

Damn, don't you think you are all high and mighty. Pretty rude there. Go build and stay off of ATS because nobody really cares.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk
😆.. triggered much ?..

let’s just move on to not caring what each other thinks of each other...😏😉

Why tear all that up?
What's wrong with it coming up from the bottom?
It's still good on code.
Just don't. s trap it and fix the other stuff.

Nvm, i see, new cabinets

a reply to: rickymouse

Great advise! I've always been a nut about tools. Like, always use the right tool for the job...pliers are not hammers.

Just tonight I need a pocket screw jig. When I bought it 10 years ago, I never used it. Tonight I needed to cut a pocket screw hole in a cabinet section I'd cut down. The wife freaked out...'How are we ever going to dot THAT???".

Well, just so happens I had the exact jig for it........remember?

Had to cut a cabinet down tonight. Cut one side, but the other side I couldn't cut with my saw. She was like..."what now?" I thought about it for a minute, and went down to the basement and grabbed an old SkilSaw with a left handed blade. Done! She was like..."Wow, you actually had a (another) saw for that!". Yah, I did.

I'm a big fan of "work smarter, not harder".

And I always keep all my tools together, by discipline. It drives my wife crazy, but I'm a nut about keeping my tools organized and neat. That way, I can always find the exact tool I'm looking for.

The wife is pretty good at finishing sheet rock (a job I loathe). So just last Thursday she tells me, "you have a bag for each one of your tools, electrical, carpentry, plumbing, but I don't have a bag for all my sheet rock stuff".

That made me smile. The next morning I had to go to Home Depot to pick some stuff up, and I got her a bag for her sheetrock stuff.

No more pliers for hammers!

a reply to: Groot

YAY!!!

a reply to: Sheye

OKay!! Let's do that!

a reply to: Mandroid7

I think I will leave it coming up from the bottom. It's just the "T" which makes me grumpy, because I have to remove that before I can pull the cabinet.

originally posted by: Flyingclaydisk

If I encounter a problem, I don't get mad, I just figure out a solution. I only get mad when I get rushed for no real reason. I WILL find the solution, but sometimes I just need time. Challenges take creativity sometimes...and solutions are not always easy.
That is all.

I am a collector of sayings .......... I think you'll like this one!!

**Problems are only solutions in disguise**