What can you do now that you couldn't before?

[seashanty]

i know there are many, many things you can do that maybe you never tried to do before you ran a b&b. fiixit kind of things. in addition to the breakfast and cooking kinds of things.
my father taught me carpentry ... if it doesn't fit, wack it with a hammer until it DOES fit. (not good)
today during breakfast a guest came to me and said 'my toilet seat is broken' ... i said, 'can it wait until i finish serving breakfast? you can use xyz bathroom for the moment?' okay, but antsy.
breakfast served, yanked off my apron ... i went to check on the seat. figured out how the thing screws onto the base and how the lid fits on ... lucily nothing looked 'broken' just apart. i found the big nut in a corner. the seat was hanging off and the lid was sitting on the floor against a wall. grabbed a screwdriver and gloves and hoped for the best. a few mis starts as i had a hard time getting the screw out and really wanted to call someone, anyone, for help .... but i am my help so finally got the thing off. and then after screwing it back in discovered that the lid had to get fitted on first, then the seat. all set, wiped off the lube or whatever it was that came off the screw. took my tools and left the bathroom. scrubbed my hands, grabbed a new apron and back to breakfast. it has held throughout the day so i am glad.
got me to wondering about how many odds and ends and basic fixups we figure out how to do. like how to put a doorknob back on a door and how to open a locked door with newer door knob with a toothpick. resetting the satellite guest tv after someone pushes all the wrong buttons on the remote - i can (usually) eventually get the tv back online but it is a mystery and a challenge every time.
how about you?

 

[Morticia]

I used to be able to do a ton of stuff, then I got married and promptly forgot all of it. (And, yes, I DO know how that sounds.) I commend you on improving your skillset!
I am willing to give most any project a try, tho. What happens is hubs comes along and realizes it looks like it might be fun so why let me do it and then he proceeds to tell me to do this and that and it's no longer fun for me so I get out of his way.

 

[Willowpondgj]

I can cook! HA-HA!!! It's true! It's also a family joke now (that I couldn't before and now I can!!)
dh can now fix a broken water main, which has all but eliminated any need for ever calling a plumber, 'cause he knows how to do all the interior stuff!
Shovel snow

 

[JunieBJones (JBJ)]

I bring home the bacon - fry it up in the pan...

 

[JunieBJones (JBJ)]

Anything that has EMERGENCY on it I must at least ACT like I can handle it. LOL!

 

[trishany]

'WHAT CAN YOU DO NOW, THAT YOU COULDN'T DO BEEEEEEFORE"
GO ON A CRUISE!! IT'S ALL BOOKED FOR NOVEMBER. ON PRINCESS. HAVE A GREAT DOGSITTER (which was our number one priority). I woud never, ever place these two in a kenell-
-

 

[YellowSocks]

Spend thousands of dollars in a matter of weeks!
I was already relatively handy, but I've learned a little electrical, which I didn't know before. I can hire a good contractor (fourth time's the charm!), design a bathroom, and figure out where drain pipes should go. I have the cable TV people number on my cell phone because the one TV needs reset on their end whenever the power is out. I can run a cc machine now. Eventually I'll learn html...
=)
Kk.

 

[Samster]

I have to go with YS & say run a credit card machine. But I'm still learning some of the finer points.

That was definitely not in my skill set before. Oh, a few new computer skills, too.
Most of the other skills that we've used during the renovations and now with the business, luckily we brought with us.

 

[josh]

Afford Therapy!! LOL

 

[Penelope]

I used to be able to do a ton of stuff, then I got married and promptly forgot all of it. (And, yes, I DO know how that sounds.) I commend you on improving your skillset!
I am willing to give most any project a try, tho. What happens is hubs comes along and realizes it looks like it might be fun so why let me do it and then he proceeds to tell me to do this and that and it's no longer fun for me so I get out of his way..

What happens is hubs comes along and realizes it looks like it might be fun so why let me do it and then he proceeds to tell me to do this and that and it's no longer fun for me so I get out of his way.

AMEN sister.

 

[swirt]

I can predict what question is going to lead to what story coming out of my DW mouth (and she can do the same thing for me). I'm tempted to want to turn to the imaginary camera and talk to it like Ferris Bueller. "This question still half on the lips of our inquisitive guests is going to lead to DW telling the story of digging the pilings for the cabins in the mud."

 

[Sanctuary]

This is one of those topics I often mumble to myself about quite often. I wear many, many hats from cook/seamstress to diesel mechanic. Having entered the B&B/charteryacht business with a wide variety of home building skills (I built my own house when I had one), I felt I was pretty well set to tackle most anything.
Well, I had a whole new set of skills to learn because many of the traditional house repair/maintenance knowledge I had don't apply here - mostly of knowning what kinds of things not to use - like regular house wire, brass fittings, etc. And then, I had to learn how to repair and maintain diesel engines - BIG ones. With every passing year of having this B&B/charteryacht, I look back at what I’ve learned and think, how much more could I possibly absorb, and then the next year rolls around and I answer that question from the previous year with a whole new list of stuff.
What I know now that I didn’t know how to do before include diesel mechanics; rebuilding electric toilets and pumps; understanding, diagnosing and repairing a complex air conditioning system (one of the three systems is a commercial refrigeration system - that one was tough!); how to work with fiberglass, resin and balsa; and most recently, I built a wetbar cabinet after moving a crane on the roof. I’ve never done cabinetry before. It’s turning out nicely. With the crane in it’s new location, the supporting pipe that comes down through the ceiling goes right through the wetbar which is why I had to build a new one. The ice maker was in the way, so the cabinet had to be reconfigured to swap some things around. Now, I can get a 14' boat up on the roof. Sweet!

 

[seashanty]

This is one of those topics I often mumble to myself about quite often. I wear many, many hats from cook/seamstress to diesel mechanic. Having entered the B&B/charteryacht business with a wide variety of home building skills (I built my own house when I had one), I felt I was pretty well set to tackle most anything.
Well, I had a whole new set of skills to learn because many of the traditional house repair/maintenance knowledge I had don't apply here - mostly of knowning what kinds of things not to use - like regular house wire, brass fittings, etc. And then, I had to learn how to repair and maintain diesel engines - BIG ones. With every passing year of having this B&B/charteryacht, I look back at what I’ve learned and think, how much more could I possibly absorb, and then the next year rolls around and I answer that question from the previous year with a whole new list of stuff.
What I know now that I didn’t know how to do before include diesel mechanics; rebuilding electric toilets and pumps; understanding, diagnosing and repairing a complex air conditioning system (one of the three systems is a commercial refrigeration system - that one was tough!); how to work with fiberglass, resin and balsa; and most recently, I built a wetbar cabinet after moving a crane on the roof. I’ve never done cabinetry before. It’s turning out nicely. With the crane in it’s new location, the supporting pipe that comes down through the ceiling goes right through the wetbar which is why I had to build a new one. The ice maker was in the way, so the cabinet had to be reconfigured to swap some things around. Now, I can get a 14' boat up on the roof. Sweet!.

What I know now that I didn’t know how to do before include diesel mechanics; rebuilding electric toilets and pumps; understanding, diagnosing and repairing a complex air conditioning system

holy smoke!

 

[Penelope]

This is one of those topics I often mumble to myself about quite often. I wear many, many hats from cook/seamstress to diesel mechanic. Having entered the B&B/charteryacht business with a wide variety of home building skills (I built my own house when I had one), I felt I was pretty well set to tackle most anything.
Well, I had a whole new set of skills to learn because many of the traditional house repair/maintenance knowledge I had don't apply here - mostly of knowning what kinds of things not to use - like regular house wire, brass fittings, etc. And then, I had to learn how to repair and maintain diesel engines - BIG ones. With every passing year of having this B&B/charteryacht, I look back at what I’ve learned and think, how much more could I possibly absorb, and then the next year rolls around and I answer that question from the previous year with a whole new list of stuff.
What I know now that I didn’t know how to do before include diesel mechanics; rebuilding electric toilets and pumps; understanding, diagnosing and repairing a complex air conditioning system (one of the three systems is a commercial refrigeration system - that one was tough!); how to work with fiberglass, resin and balsa; and most recently, I built a wetbar cabinet after moving a crane on the roof. I’ve never done cabinetry before. It’s turning out nicely. With the crane in it’s new location, the supporting pipe that comes down through the ceiling goes right through the wetbar which is why I had to build a new one. The ice maker was in the way, so the cabinet had to be reconfigured to swap some things around. Now, I can get a 14' boat up on the roof. Sweet!.

What I know now that I didn’t know how to do before include diesel mechanics; rebuilding electric toilets and pumps; understanding, diagnosing and repairing a complex air conditioning system

holy smoke!

.

That is exactly what I was thinking....

 

[Sanctuary]

LOL Without an endless flow of cash, I had to learn this stuff. And it's been kind of fun.
To hire stuff done: To rebuild a pair of Detroit Diesels costs over $50,000. To buy new ones if I hydrolock one or blow it up, $120,000 for the pair, plus the big hole in the side of the boat that would have to be cut just to pluck the old beasts out of the engine rooms. Rebuild an Allison transmission, $10,000 each (got 2). Ahhh...and just to paint the old girl...$65,000 (she's painted with Imron). Generator, $20,000. Fresh water pump, $900 (for a rebuilt one). Toilet pump, $600 each for rebuilt ones (I've got 4 toilets) - that's just for the pump (this is why we don't take little children who like to flush marbles down the toilet). New air conditioning system, $27,000.
See...I had to learn to fix and take care of what I already have. One day when diesel electric technology evolves to being reliable on a much larger scale (or when I win the lottery), I'll be ready to do this:

This is how we get 'em out!

 

[JunieBJones (JBJ)]

Ang, we are so glad you are on the forum, you add dimension to our doldrums. My broken/stuck lock seems minor now. Perspective aye.

 

[Samster]

This is one of those topics I often mumble to myself about quite often. I wear many, many hats from cook/seamstress to diesel mechanic. Having entered the B&B/charteryacht business with a wide variety of home building skills (I built my own house when I had one), I felt I was pretty well set to tackle most anything.
Well, I had a whole new set of skills to learn because many of the traditional house repair/maintenance knowledge I had don't apply here - mostly of knowning what kinds of things not to use - like regular house wire, brass fittings, etc. And then, I had to learn how to repair and maintain diesel engines - BIG ones. With every passing year of having this B&B/charteryacht, I look back at what I’ve learned and think, how much more could I possibly absorb, and then the next year rolls around and I answer that question from the previous year with a whole new list of stuff.
What I know now that I didn’t know how to do before include diesel mechanics; rebuilding electric toilets and pumps; understanding, diagnosing and repairing a complex air conditioning system (one of the three systems is a commercial refrigeration system - that one was tough!); how to work with fiberglass, resin and balsa; and most recently, I built a wetbar cabinet after moving a crane on the roof. I’ve never done cabinetry before. It’s turning out nicely. With the crane in it’s new location, the supporting pipe that comes down through the ceiling goes right through the wetbar which is why I had to build a new one. The ice maker was in the way, so the cabinet had to be reconfigured to swap some things around. Now, I can get a 14' boat up on the roof. Sweet!.

Holy cow! I am sooooooooooooooooo impressed! Any of my home repair, maintenance skills pale in comparison to all of that. That is awesome!

 

[Sanctuary]

Ang, we are so glad you are on the forum, you add dimension to our doldrums. My broken/stuck lock seems minor now. Perspective aye..

Ang, we are so glad you are on the forum, you add dimension to our doldrums. My broken/stuck lock seems minor now. Perspective aye.

Happy to be here, I must say.