Moving out from your parents’ home or buying your very own house are both very existing stages of a person’s life. You almost feel as if you can do anything and conquer any challenge that crosses your path. And then something in your home breaks and you understand that the power and invincibility that you thought you possessed disappeared into turn air. Having to fix, install or replace something in your house can be a difficult or even an impossible task if you don’t have basic handyman skills. That is namely why learning a thing or two about how to use a hammer or how to install a bookshelf is something you should consider doing.
The perks of being handy
Knowing how to fix basic stuff around the house is very important for every self-respected homeowner, landlord and house flipper. Being handy with tools will allow you to cut down your home maintenance costs and make you feel more independent. Plus, being familiar with some of the ropes of DIY home improvement can be of incredible value in case of an emergency, like a leaking pipe or a squeaky door.
Men vs. Women – who is better with tools
The ladies who are reading this may be sceptical about their handyman abilities or the chances of developing such. That is not hard to understand given the countless stereotypes that are being attributed to men and women.
Behaviour stereotypes of men and women
| Men | Women |
| Better motor skills | Better organisational skills |
| Better spatial skills | Better verbal memory and language skills |
| More handy with tools | Excellent multitaskers |
| Great logical and practical thinkers | Ability to find a creative solution for pretty much anything |
There is a general belief that men are better in doing home repairs than women. And indeed, there is some truth in that because the male and the female brains work in a different way. Still, all brains are wired in a similar manner, meaning that the only reason women are avoiding house improvement tasks is often due to their lack of confidence or interest in this field. If they find a way around that, ladies can make excellent handyman too.
Brain differences between men and women:
- Brain sections responsible for language are better developed in women’s brains;
- Men’s inferior-parietal lobule is bigger than that of women and as a result, most men are better at solving mathematical tasks;
- Men have a more developed left brain hemisphere while most women have equally developed left and right brain hemispheres and that makes them more creative;
- Male brains have thinner parietal region than female brains allowing men to have a sharper spatial ability than women;
When your skills fail you
Even if you have plenty of experience with the hammer, this does not mean that you will never need to use professional assistance. There are many home repair, maintenance and improvement jobs that you may not be able to handle all by yourself. You may master all of the must-have handyman skills but that still won’t make you more qualified than a full-time handyman. There are many tricks of the trade that take special training and many years of experience in order to be mastered. But even if you go through the trouble and become a certified handyman, you will lack one important thing – a set of professional tools and machines. Usually, handyman equipment is quite expensive and it must be used along with reliable protection gear to prevent accidents. Therefore, underestimating the important job that licensed handymen do is a big mistake. Learning a few basic home repair skills is great in case of an emergency but it will not provide you with a solution when you have to demolish a wall or install your bathroom flooring. Regardless of the scope and level of your home maintenance skills, book a trained handyman in South London who has excellent customer reviews, all the necessary tools and qualifications, as well as a full insurance coverage. As for you, you too will get your chance to shine and to showcase your handyman abilities when the right time comes.
Handyman skills that will come in handy to anyone
Professional handymen have many skills related to painting, carpeting, electrical and plumbing repairs and etc. However, the average Jack and Jill do not need to be proficient when it comes to basic home repairs. They only need an arsenal of a few simple and easy to learn skills that will help them to maintain their property in top shape.
Knowing how to paint walls is one such ability. Start by learning the difference between gloss and matte finish and equip yourself with a few simple painting accessories like brushes, painter’s tape, roller extenders and, of course, paint. Remember to clear the room before you start painting it and to cover things like doors, sockets and windows. Also, don’t use the roller before the brush unless you want to have small unpainted patches on your wall after you have finished with the painting.
Hanging a mirror or a painting on the wall may sound like an easy job. However, you probably had no idea that a picture should always hang at a height of about 145 cm. Note that this should be the distance from the floor to the centre of the painting or the mirror you are hanging.
Yet another great handyman skill you can add to your collection is wood staining. This technique can do wonders for your old floor and your solid wood furniture as it will refresh the colour of the wood and give it an extra shine. If you learn how to stain wood you may add a few more years to the life of your furniture pieces and flooring.
Installing shelves on your walls can help you to make the most of the space in your home. But once again, don’t be quick to grab a hammer and a box of nails. You must first choose the right mounting method depending on the type of wall you are dealing with. For instance, you must use anchors when installing a shelf on a dry wall and mounting screws if the shelf is about to go on a tiled wall.
Other must-know handyman skills:
- Replacing a shower head
- Changing air filters
- Caulking
- Turning off the electricity and the gas in your home
- Switching off the water in the whole property
- Cleaning gutters
- Modifying water heater temperature settings
- Fixing a hole in the wall