6.24 /// The Joy And Rage of DIY

Your washing machine dies, you buy a replacement, and you expect a simple swap. Then you find out the old one is basically trapped inside the kitchen. That’s where we start, because I’m dealing with the fallout of a kitchen fitting job that looked fine at first but left a nasty surprise years later, with units built so tight I had to cut parts of a cupboard just to free a built-in washer-dryer.

I talk through what I actually did to fix it, from carefully cutting panels for a few extra millimetres, to uncovering the next headache: the cupboard was built around the plug socket with no proper access. Along the way we get into practical DIY realities like dust, heat, tight working spaces, and why a workshop vacuum that auto-starts with your tool is a game changer when you’re cutting MDF or doing home maintenance.

It’s not just a rant, though. I dig into why DIY can be deeply rewarding even when it’s born from frustration: learning skills, feeling proud of a bodge that works, and remembering you don’t need a tradesperson’s finish to get a solid result. We also chat about tools, from cheap drills to DeWalt upgrades, and the mindset shift that helps when perfectionism stalls progress.

If you’ve ever fixed someone else’s “professional” work, you’ll feel seen. Subscribe, share it with a mate who loves a project, and leave a review so more DIY survivors can find the show.

Transcript

Welcome And Why DIY Today

Stephen 0:05

Hello, welcome to Infinite Prattle. On today's episode, we're gonna be talking about, or I'm gonna be talking about, because it's only me here and you're listening, um, DIY and how amazingly rewarding it can be. Rewarding, that was that was the word, uh, and sometimes how very frustrating it can be too. So uh yeah, let's let's get into that. Hello and welcome to Infinite Tradle! Uncle did uninfit prattle on everything, hosted by me, Steven. Hello, welcome back to Infinite Prattle. Thank you very much for joining us today. Um if you're a new time listener, then prepare yourselves, strap in. If you're a regular listener, thank you for coming back. Why are you punishing yourself? Uh I'm drinking coffee today because I need uh a good good in uh injection of uh caffeine today. Um yeah, DIY is the subject of today. Um yeah, but before I go on, I've actually for anyone watching, I'm wearing a uh Cookie Monster hat today. Uh I don't think I've described what hat I was wearing last time. Oh well, inconsistency is my is my jam. Uh and I'm wearing a a good old Teenage Mutant Ninja shirt. Uh tip Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle shirt, should I say. And the cave is looking as messy as ever, so if you are watching on YouTube, I apologise. My backdrop is a bit of a well, I hasten to use the words shit show, but yeah. Um well, thank you for for tuning in. Um DIY. I think I've approached the subject previously, um but I think it's rearing its ugly head again in my life currently. So I need to uh kind of get things off my chest and uh put stuff out there and you know just kind of take a deep breath and breathe and try to remember to do stuff like put my phone in do not disturb mode, uh, which is always good. Um because it's always a thing when I record my podcast, no one will text me, no one will message me, I'll get no notifications like that'll come through really urgently. Um and then I do my podcast. It's like anything, does it? Sozlaw, isn't it? As soon as you do something, someone needs you, if you leave your phone somewhere, someone wants to call you. So um I can guarantee if I start the podcast, someone will message me and my watch will go off, my phone will go off, and it's really distracting. Uh, it's for you guys as well, so I apologise. This is even distracting, so I apologise. Uh back to the topic in hand. I've just been doing some DIY um based on a previous bodge of a kitchen fitting kitchen fitting company and provider that I believe has reached the gone bust, and I am glad. I'm sorry for anyone that's currently waiting to get a kitchen from them, but I'm glad. Uh they were nothing but trouble when they when they put our kitchen in. And previous listeners of the show, uh long time listener of the show, will know that uh me and my wife, when we bought our house, we we pretty much like gutted it, did loads of work to it, spent lots of money on it. Um and the kitchen was meant to be the heart of the home, the thing we were really, really looking forward to getting in. Like it was gonna be our dream kitchen, and it did not go well. I'm not gonna name the company because I'm pretty sure um you would know this famous brand with a very short word that's named after a bird. Um, but they were shy, they were they're absolutely I would never have recommended them after that. And I know people have had really good experiences with them, but we just had a terrible time. And currently I'm doing some DIY to rectify a latent fault that we didn't know we had. So our washing machine broke down. We had a terrible bank holiday weekend, which I think I mentioned a couple of podcasts ago. Uh the beginning of May bank holiday this year was was was crazy. Our drains blocked, um, the washing machine broke, uh Sarah broke a foot. Um yeah, it was it was bad times. It was bad times. Um and some bad news in the family as well from a couple of couple of directions and on both sides of the family, so it was yeah, it was a bit of a bit of a time to be leaned on and and also trying to sort our own shit out. So it was it was pretty bad. And and in that the washing machine broke. So the washing machine was installed with the kitchen, it's a built-in washing machine and a dryer. Uh I was I was warned off getting a combined washer dryer, but it it was been fine. It's never the washing machine's never really worked properly, but I think that's the I think that's the company's fault rather than the actual the fact it's a washer dryer. I'm not sure, maybe it's just a cheap washer dryer. Didn't seem cheap when we bought it if I'm honest. Um it broke and I was like, you know, fair enough, things break, it's the like the house is nearly eight years old. You know, how how long do things last nowadays? I don't think like things don't last as long as they used to. I mean I know my mum and dad had a washing machine for nearly 20 years, I think at one point. I think I inherited it uh when I moved into my own place. Um yeah, so it's kind of one of them things, isn't it? It's broke we also went out to look at it. It was making a funny noise, a grinding noise. I said, Sarah, I think maybe the pairings have gone. That is fixable. Do we want to fix it? Do we want to just get a new one? Uh and when the guy came out, he was basically he basically listed about four things that was wrong with it and said, Yeah, I could fix it, but it's gonna cost you three hundred three hundred and fifty quid. So um we just decided no, that's fine. So we went down to the the place where the guys had come out from because the the local firm um trying to try and we always try where we can to support local traders, so we decided to do that, and um we bought a washing machine, so that was on the Thursday. Um they came out on the Friday, really good service, couldn't get our old washing machine out. It was base basically wedged. It was basically wedged, absolutely wedged into the the kitchen. Um not how it should be fitted. So basically, it seems like the kitchen fitter, damn you to hell, you were awful. Um I wouldn't wish anything ill of you, but I hope someone's fitted a terrible kitchen for you and you know how it feels now. Um But yeah, it it was just it was just uh the fact that I I was kinda like, how is it how is it wedged? And then I was thinking the idiots built the kitchen around it. That that's what's happened. It's the only explanation that the kitchen's been built so tight around it because we had loads of problems with measurements and kitchen covers not being straight, and I don't think the guy knew how to use a right angle or a square or a spirit level or anything to be honest. Um and I said to Sarah, I said, You know what's happened? I think the plumber thought maybe water damage and it and the cupboards had expanded or something. And I said, No, I said, You know what's happened? I said the guys built the bloody thing into the cupboards and literally wedged it in and built the kitchen around it and forced it into place. Because a built-in built in washing machine is exactly the same size as a standard washing machine, width and height, it's just the fact that it has a little cut out for the footboard to go in. Whereas a standard washing machine would would stand proud of the cupboard slightly uh and wouldn't have that cut out at the bottom. Um I got home from work, Sarah was distressed. They left, they couldn't do anything, they brought, they left the new washing machine there and said, call us when you get it fixed. So I spent last Sunday cutting one of the cupboards apart. Uh I think they did a pretty good job, but it was a long I have to really take my time and stuff like that because I do I I'm very meticulous and careful, but when I get bored or frustrated, probably like most people, I think I've done alright so far, I'll rush it or rush it, I'll rush it. And then you make a mistake and then you really budget up, and I thought I don't want to do that. I'm having to cut my kitchen apart already, I don't want to do that, but needs must. So I managed to pull the washing machine out slightly and I managed to cut. So where the um I'll try and describe it for the people listening and visually for the people watching. So where the two uprights are, they overlap the horizontal bits of the cupboard. So what my thought was is the side that's closest to the washing machine, if I get my plunge saw and and basically cut along the line of the along the edge of the upright cupboard, I could literally slide that out. And also that would give me about 10 mil of extra space to work with to get the washing machine out and the new one in. Let's face it, it was wedged in, but it only probably needed a couple of mil either side, even to be tight, but to get the new one on, need a bit more leeway than that. And it took me hours to do that because it was so tight getting in and out of the cupboard, it was hot, I was trying not to breathe crap in. I had my hoover set up with my tool, so I've got one of them hoovers um that you can plug your tools into. I don't even I didn't I don't know if you know these exist. I've got these suvers you can plug um a tool into, and when you turn your tool on, it ultimately turns the hoover on. Really, really cool. Uh, and if you've got a thing on your tool where you can actually plug the hoover into it as an outlet, like an extractor, it'll just plug on. Really, really cool. Um if you do a bit of woodwork or anything like that, or a bit of DIY around your house, brilliant, brilliant thing to get. You can pick it up brilliantly, you can pick them up, pick them up pr pretty cheaply. Um also, as a side note, this blew my mind by the way. We were we were at um a couple of conferences this week, me and my wife. Sound like high flyers in the business world. But I I had something through my work. Um I'm the I'm the uh current standing chair for the care network, I'm a deputy chair, but I've had to step up to the chair for the care network in my company, Network Rail. Uh and I went to a Carers UK conference, which was which is cool on Thursday. And Sarah had been invited to be on a panel for a medical conference, basically, uh hosted by LiveArk. And while we were there, there's nothing to do with that. While we were there, uh at this really, really fancy medical conference, all these all these very nodded people, all this stuff. The I saw one of the one of the uh staff clean it up with a Henry Hoover. Now, if you don't know what Henry Hoover is, Google it. It's basically like a little a little Hoover and it has a face on it called Henry. You can get Henrietta and a James and I think there's a Harry as well, so yeah. Line of Hoovers, uh I think they originate in in Britain. I think they are a British company. I don't know, maybe they seem British because who else would name their Hoovers? I think like the I feel like that's a very British thing. But anyway, there was a Henry Hoover that was wireless. A wireless Henry Hoover. And it wasn't like an upright Dyson thing, you know, the handheld ones. It wasn't, it was like a proper Henry Hoover. And absolutely blew my mind, and uh Sarah thought it was hilarious because we're in the midst of all this technological advancement, uh medical stuff, and I and I'm and I'm erm marvelling over a cordless Henry Hoover. Um because that's been one of the blockers for me buying on for years because I wanted it to be cordless. Anyway, erm managed to get the cupboard uh solid off my washing machine, get the washing machine out. But then I realised the next problem is that the guy built the cupboard around the plug socket as well and hadn't drilled a hole to get to the other plug socket in the back of the cupboard, which I'd never noticed, and uh just at that point when we were having the kitchen done, I think it was just like I I just can't even tell what's right and what's wrong anymore. So we pulled the washing machine out, got it got stuck on the plug, and I was like, what's going on? Shone my torch in and just saw the the wire literally go in. It it basically cut a notch out for the wire to go in, and I was like, brilliant! So where's the where's the spur? Opened the cupboard that I'd cleaned cleared out and was like there's no hole in the cupboard. I hadn't even noticed when I'd clear when I cleared it out. So um today's job, um just recording this, and this podcast will probably be late as a result of this, because I've got some other plans today, so probably not gonna be able to edit this before I have to do my other plans, so it'll be probably tonight before I get this out. So apologise for that in advance. Um I I've had to like cut cut the holes out today, and uh it's not not a massive job, but it's bigger, it's a job that I didn't really need to do today, and it's satisfying though, it is it is satisfying to do it, but it's it's is a result of something annoying. And I think that's kind of my point. That's whole old DIY is as a result of something getting old and tardy and and you having to renew it. And there's always a good side and a bad side to that. It's great when you get the job done and everything looks nice and new, but then years down the line, you know, you know at some point you're gonna have to renew it all again, and that that's the bad thing. And it costs so much money nowadays for for DIY stuff. Like, even if you go down the shops um and you go just to buy some wood or MDF, MDF used to be like reasonably cheap, and it's not anymore. Like it's uh I think it's become such a versatile material that people have realised they can make a lot of stuff out of quite easily at home as well. Um it's it's pushed the market value up, I think, of it. Um maybe from an economical value uh standpoint as well. Um eco-friendliness. I don't think it's probably the most eco-friendly material, I feel, because of all the glue maybe that holds together. I don't know. It's all gonna make yours. Anyway. Um I I think I'm okay at DIY, yeah, I get by. Um I'm sometimes not as neat as I would like to be because I think part of it is sometimes that I just don't have the skill, and it it irks me to admit that, but it's something that you know you can't be good at everything, and you don't practice something enough, you know, you're not gonna keep that skill up. Um so even just drilling them holes today, you know, it wasn't as neat as I wanted it to be. I didn't have the right um hole cutter to be honest, so I had to use the smaller one. But I could have gone out and bought a bigger one, but then I was like, I'm never gonna need it again, probably. It's a very unique user case. The cupboards are knackered anyway in the kitchen, there's certainly holes in them, so I thought I'll try and make it as neat with three holes. So I've made like a little flower shape, but I was like, yeah, it's nice. Um and you can get to the plug socket easy now, so that's the main point. Um but yeah, I think I think I'm not too bad at it. But you don't if you don't keep it up, like builders and and tradespeople that have one probably been trained in that as well as doing it every day, they're obviously gonna be make it look effortless when they're building something up in a kitchen in, unless you work for that certain company. Um But you've kind of got to give yourself a little bit of a slack if you know if you if you're not as neat or not as quick, uh time is not the thing for me that I'll get something done and it will take me a long time and it won't probably be as good as someone else could done. But I've I've done it myself, and that's probably where the pride comes in, and that's where the the joy of it does come in because even though it can be a chore, it's taking your time up, and you probably want to be doing a million other things with your time, when you do finish something, it's an accomplishment, and you may have learned a new skill. Like when I was doing this house up, like I I had never like knocked a wall down, I've never taken plaster off a wall, I'd never built kitchen units, which I did in this room, these are kitchen units behind me. I built my own work surface out of scrap bits of MDF. Is it a bodge job? Yes. Is it functional? Yes. Does it look okay? Yes. I don't care. I was quite proud of myself, you know. Um we did I did a lot of the labour in the house, Sarah helped where she could. It's a bit difficult for her with a with her with her illness, but you know, and a lot of my mates chipped in, um, which I'm very thankful for because I was trying to do everything on my own, and at some point I just had to send out a flare of of help. But when you when you do a lot of the stuff on your own and you and you're you know lifting and and and doing all the manual labour, firstly I lost loads of weight and it got my buff, which I was glad about because I was trying to lose weight for for getting married. Um but I felt like I was getting my buff, you know, doing all that manual labour. But I I was up in the loft at one point, and we'd ripped the ceilings down, and I could see from the loft all the way into the kitchen. And I was like straddling the rafters, and I felt I don't know, I felt I suppose is it is it wrong to say I felt manly? I don't know. It felt like I was I was like doing stuff and I was being Um useful. Uh and it did feel good, it made me feel like pumped up to be stood on the roof rafters looking through to the kitchen. I remember Sarah called me while I was doing that and she was like, Where are you? And I was like, literally stood on the rafters looking through to the kitchen. She was like, Oh my god, would you get off the phone? Why are you why are you on the phone to me? I was like, You phone me. Um so she hung up straight away and she was like, Oh my god, be careful. Like, and I said, I am, yeah. And and looking back, like you know, it could have could have gone wrong, I could have fell to my death, technically, but it it was it was kind of exhilarating, I think is probably the word it's I'm looking for. But knocking walls down and ripping the ripping stuff out, love. I feel like it could have been in demolition, to be honest. I feel like demolition could have been my my pro skill. Because um my brothers even said it. I went over his house once and he had a setting to take apart so we could take the tip, and he was trying to take it apart, and I was like, don't we have a go? And I literally like dismantled it, and I think he was even shocked about like how quick I managed to dismantle it, and he was like, Jesus! I was like, Well, you know, don't faff around, you know, get it get it done. And he was he was killing himself laughing, he couldn't believe how how quickly I managed to just rip it all apart. But yeah, it was um it was an experience like doing all the DIY in the house. And when I moved into my own house, like there was no one there to do anything for me. I had to go out, buy out, buy some tools, I bought some cheap tools, um, and that does make a difference as well. Makes a massive difference if you've got the actual tool for the job. For years I had cheap power drills, uh hammer drills, and I invested in still still a cheap one, but when I started doing this house, uh the company called Lidl, uh it's like a it's a bit like Aldi. I'm not sure how far reaching they are around the world, um, but they do like special buys, and they had like this big uh impact um um I can't think what you call them, it's a big like impact drill, so you can chisel plaster off the walls with it and really, really, really good bit of kit, but obviously a cheap version because obviously if you go into like Makita and De Vault stuff, it's it's getting to a a pricey level. And I bought one of them and I've still got it, it still functions, it's still really good. And I noticed that even that being expense more expensive than the stuff I had was was such an uplift. And I always wanted some De Vault or De Vault um drill drivers and stuff like that. And a couple of years ago I I I bought myself some as a treat. Uh, and the difference is night and day when you're using one of them to like a normal cheap run-of-the-mill black and decker or own brand makes, it does make a difference. Even for even for an amateur like me, um probably more so for an amateur like me, in the fact that um it makes drilling a hole effortless and quick and easy. Whereas when you get a cheap one and it hasn't got the power rating, you think you're doing it wrong, because you think should this really be shouldn't this go through this wall easier? Yeah, it's it's it's a strange thing, really. It's a strange thing. But I suppose it's like anything, certain tools are made for the job, and sometimes paying a little bit extra is is worth it for the quality you get and the the manufacturing and just the power ratings that you get out of them as well. So, yeah, I just I I like doing DIY, but it it does frustrate me. I I like to have like a clear workshop, I like to set the stage, um And it's this is why I try and do a lot of the DIY in in the house when Sarah's not here, so if she goes in the hospital, I try and do stuff, she'll be laughing at this if she listens to this because she knows I get hardly anything done because I'll get distracted so easily. Because what will happen is I'll be thinking, right, I'm gonna do this, this, and this, but then I'll be like, right, to do that, I want to get everything clear, do this, do this. So I'll end up clearing the area, do that, do this other job, get distracted, do something else. Um, and before you know it, I've probably done one job where I've left a list of ten. Um, because I've ended up tidying bits of the house or sorting stuff or just doing other things that aren't related. Well, are related to the to the end goal of doing that DIY job, but are so far removed from it that it seems pointless. But it makes sense in my own brain. Did that any did any of that make sense? I have no idea. Um but because I like to like set my stall out and I also like the ability to leave a job if I don't think I'm gonna finish it. So, for example, when I put these kitchen covers in here, because this is my room, I was able to like start the job, finish when I wanted, come back to it, just have my tools laying there. But if I do a job around the rest of the house, I can't really do that because obviously we've got to live in it. Uh, but if I'm here on my own, it doesn't bother me. So that that's kind of where I'm coming from. But I do get a kick out of DIY, it's just that I have to be in the mind space for it, I like the specific tools for it, I like to do it correctly, and I think sometimes I probably what I need to say to myself is you just need to go in, you just need to do it, because you know you're gonna get it finished, and I probably hold myself, like I do in everything, to such a high standard that I know I'm never gonna reach it, so I probably should just ignore that high standard in some sense and say, you know what, go and try and do it, you'll do it, you'll you'll always try and do it to the best of your ability, but you're not a tradesperson, um and you have to understand that. But yeah, I I I've always I've always liked to do the IOI. My dad's always been very hands-on at trying to do stuff himself, and again, he would probably say that he's not the best and a little bit of a bodger. Um, but I I always admired my dad because he always just had a go. Like he'd get a drill and he'd get some wood and some some nails or whatever. That's random list of things, but he'd he'd make the thing he was trying to make, like, and would it always work out? Okay. Yes, but it might not have been his dream thing he wanted to imagine in his brain, but it it always functioned, it always achieved the achieved the aim, achieved the goal, and you've kind of gotta kind of gotta admire that really, I think. Um so yeah, that was that was a bit of a whistle stop touring DIY. D DIY. I'll I'll I'll probably come back to it at some point, be more specific, but um in summary I I love doing DIY, but I can't always get my brain into it the way I want to. Um and I've got to remember, and you've got to remember as well, you know, you're not an expert. So just have a go. You know, what's the worst that's gonna happen? If you're careful, not a lot. It's when you go and try knocking walls down, you don't check what's in them. Um but yeah, what do you think of DIY? Do you are you an avid DIY or do you actively do DIY? Would you volunteer to do DIY for your friends or your family? Um let me know. Put a comment in the in the in the description, in the in the chat, uh, wherever. I don't know, I don't even know what I'm saying anymore. Uh thank you for for listening or watching. Um subscribe wherever you subscribe, you can listen. If you are watching, you can still listen to the audio version only on all uh common podcasting platforms. I can't speak today. My my my brain and my mouth. The DIY has got me, the DIY's blown my mind. Um yeah, but do what you need to do, give it a like. Thanks very much for listening. Tune in for the next one, the next episode I think will be the last one in this season uh before we enter season seven, and uh I will give you some more updates on that. But until next time, you know, look after each other, and remember to keep on prattling. Follow me on social networks at infinite prattle and don't forget to subscribe. Thanks very much.