firecat

So who knows a good school for general carpentry, electrical, plumbing and building skills?

Because I'm convinced that going to school and learning all these things would take less time and aggravation than waiting for effing service firms that lie about when they are going to show up for appointments, assuming that I can get appointments in the first place.

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From:

firecat

And how many companies did you have to call to get 8 appointments? 80?

I did end up finding a good bathroom contractor, but we didn't get any additional full estimates, only half-assed estimates from a couple of other places. So who knows how much I overspent. They did an excellent job, though, so I don't really mind in that case.

I don't have the physical stamina to do most of this work myself any more, sadly. But for basic electrical work - did you learn how to install GFCI outlets?

From:

snippy

I probably called about 20, but it was an expensive job (total tear-off with some repair of the underlying structure as well) so more companies were interested in the job.

No, I just learned basic electrical stuff--I can rewire basic outlets and switches, including 3-way switches (where a room's light can be turned on or off at either of two wall switches). I think I could figure out GFCI if I had a diagram from a good book to look at while I was doing it. But I think in this town you need a permit for that anyway, and when I redid the bathroom I hired an electrician (he also installed an entirely new vent/fan -- that is, we didn't have one before so he ran the exhaust through the roof etc.).

From:

karenkay.livejournal.com

Do you have the Home Depot CD-ROM? I can't remember what it's called, something like 1-2-3. There's a book and a CD-ROM, but I don't think they come together. Anyway, I use the CD-ROM to explain how stuff works. I haven't done a GFCI outlet, but I've read about doing them. There's also some useful stuff online.

The only thing I've done is install a ceiling fan, which was hairy enough. (I also have a fear of heights.) But the electrical part was a snap. Wire nuts rule.