DIY Dichotomy
– By Brian Pelcak, designer
Be Empowered, But Seek the ‘True Way’
John Wilmas works in our St. Louis office. At his desk, one of the many things he proudly displays is a quotation attributed to Dogen. It reads:
“Those who seek the easy way do not seek the true way.”
DIY-ers: Take heed. Or, perhaps more specifically, DIY Network viewers. Let me explain:
Some folks get mad at sports teams and politicians and yell at their TV; I tend to get riled by the rampant misrepresentation of all sorts of stuff conveyed by a litany of DIY programming.
A few are great; most are 25-minute vignettes that illustrate cosmetic solutions for home/property owners. The programming I tend to be critical of usually are delivered as over-produced, visual wads of misinformation and poor examples of how to go about the task of ‘home improvement.’
Examples include (but are certainly not limited to):
- Gluing carpet down to hardwood flooring (area rugs work just fine, by the way)
- Distressing and/or painting fine hardwood furniture (no reason on Earth justifies this)
- Completing an entire kitchen renovation in eight hours (not even the pros can achieve this)
- Covering ‘problem areas’ with a veneer of cheap material, or worse, paint (boo!)
I understand that if cable programming cannot sustain viewership, it ceases to exist; however, many of these programs are for entertainment first, and information last. This is regrettable, particularly because in its infancy, this do-it-yourself network offered a wealth of meaningful instruction to information-hungry home owners everywhere – a true grass roots, “DIY” endeavor. What is even more regrettable, however, is how brazenly current show producers disperse un-realistic expectations of concepts such as time, material, costs, building codes, and craft in the execution of selected projects.
Herein lies the fundamental dichotomy of the Do-It-Yourself process:
Doing it yourself does not guarantee it is done right (or well, or safely).
Moments of serendipity (or ‘happy accidents’) aside, in order to complete something you’ve never before attempted, understand that the learning curve can be steep, and it will always take longer than expected. But if you commit the time and effort to doing it right, and learning as you go, the results will far-exceed your expectations.
And, at all costs, avoid the tendency toward instant gratification; take on all projects in the interest of permanence. Have you ever met someone who wanted to buy a house full of shoddy work that only looks ‘OK’ on the surface?!
Simply stated, you get out of it what you put in – DIY is like a metaphor for life, man.
Take on the challenge, embrace the process, expect setbacks – but seek the ‘true way.’
And, if all else fails, respect the craft – and hire an expert.
Alright, if you’ve made it this far, you’re probably asking, “OK, Mr. Opinionated, what DIY shows do you watch?” Thank you; I thought you’d never ask.
Since lists are trending right now (ahem, Fast Company), here are my
Top Seven DIY Shows:
- Anything with Mike Holmes (What every homeowner wants in a contractor)
- Rehab Addict (Host Nicole Curtis flips houses based on character, not profit)
- Renovation Realities (Mini-documentaries of real homeowners and their life lessons)
- Rescue My Renovation (Cautionary tales of homeowners and their hired labor)
- Ask This Old House (Down-to-Earth advice and How-To’s from true crafstmen)
- Leave it to Bryan (Contractor Bryan Baeumler lends a helping hand to home owners)
AND - Vanilla Ice Project (Rob Van Winkle is a savvy real estate flipper – who gets it right)
So, this Holiday Season, should you find yourself the recipient of a shiny new belt sander, don’t be afraid to put it to good use – but use it wisely.
Oh, and painting hardwood furniture is deplorable. Seriously.
