Diy vs. store

[OutandBack]

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As the HF staff have intimated above, it may indeed be the case that only fools DIY. Or read threads about DIY. Or post threads about DIY.



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@kitsapcowboy, am I not allowed to post a personal opinion on the subject of my poor DIY skills just because I volunteer my time here to keep topics organized?
If you read my post again you will clearly see I am speaking for myself and not representing the forum in any way.

This forum was built on DIY but that does not mean all of us know or want to know how to do it.

[kitsapcowboy]

@kitsapcowboy, am I not allowed to post a personal opinion on the subject of my poor DIY skills just because I volunteer my time here to keep topics organized? If you read my post again you will clearly see I am speaking for myself and not representing the forum in any way. This forum was built on DIY but that does not mean all of us know or want to know how to do it.

Reciprocally and with respect, O&B, I think you have misread my post. Of course you have the right to voice your opinion. I was not suggesting otherwise, and in truth I'd like to see the rules and terms of service on HF allow a bit more freedom of speech for all members.

Your own personal opinion actually has much greater weight here on the forums than that of the great majority of other members, not just because you donate your time and effort and not just because you enforce the rules that maintain an orderly online environment here but because you're known as an experienced, knowledgeable, and helpful contributor to this forum, rendered worthy of that respect.

I may have been mistaken in my interpretation of your timely response to the OP's question yesterday, but I regarded it as discouraging consideration of DIY projects without the appropriate elaboration of their pros and cons, such as those GG provided. If I was in error, I will certainly own that. My points of rebuttal (i.e., the parts that you snipped) were my own expression of an alternative perspective, probably overvalued at two cents.

So please accept my apology for speaking out of order/above my pay grade/beyond my area of experience. I will withdraw from this discussion and steer clear of similar ones in the future if that helps keep the peace.

[SilvrSurfr]

I've sewn a tarp and several other things, and I just don't get a great sense of pride or accomplishment from DIY. When I first displayed my DIY silnylon tarp, there was maybe 60 seconds of pride involved. After that, I just thought about the hours (8 to 12) I put into it, and had I gotten paid even $8 per hour, that was nearly $100 of my time (and we're not even counting my expenditures on supplies). I'm sure if I continued to make tarps, I'd get better and better and it would take less and less time. However, it's not going to make we want to DIY everything, because I just don't gain that much satisfaction from it.

I can tell most DIYers take immense pride in their accomplishments - wish I felt that way!

[OneClick]

$0 value in DIY for me. Even if I could, the second something went wrong (a cold butt with my UQ, a leak in the tarp, etc) I would be irritated beyond belief. Was it something I did? What did I do wrong? It's hard enough dealing with something that I paid for from a reputable manufacturer. But at least that way, I can't blame myself, unless I set something up wrong. That's enough to deal with already for me.

[IRONFISH45]

Generally, making a from-scratch quilt is something you do because you enjoy doing it, not because it saves any money.

I STRONGLY AGREE with the above statement.

I build because it makes me happy, it is a satisfaction thing.

[Recalc]

SilvrSurfr is correct, most DIYers take immense pride in their accomplishments.

In my interest to not think about making a quilt, because I fear it would be going down a hard to exit rabbit hole. That was my experience with alcohol stoves. There is always one more feature to pursue or one more defect to correct. The satisfaction level is high, but the project seemingly never ends. At the end of the day, it's just easier to buy the product from a cottage vendor.

[Dlrocm]

I tried the diy route. I bought the materials, cut the pattern, and tried to sew. I couldn't sew to save my life. I ended up shipping off my materials to someone else and paid them to complete the project. the total cost of my diy project was exactly the same as if I would have purchased the completed item from dutchwaregear.com (if not a little more).

if you're competant with a sewing machine, it could be cheaper. in my case, I probably came out a little behind.

[chapinb]

I'm not good at sewing but I enjoy the end result and the (minor) money saving. But the bigger gain for me is that I can produce something that is not available commercially.

A wide/long synthetic underquilt for example with a specific taper I like. Or a gathered end hammock whipped the way I like to appease my overly sensitive calves.

[arcana73]

I haven't saved money on projects. In fact, I've lost money because I've given away things I've sewn, noticed a flaw or issue I needed to work on before trying again. Recently I've just told people who wanted these items to just pay the material cost, but even then I don't get what I'm asking.
But each project I've gotten better, and stuff I've decided to keep I'm proud of.

[JTaylor]

I STRONGLY AGREE with the above statement.

I build because it makes me happy, it is a satisfaction thing.

Exactly! I started mmog as a way of overcoming the crappy gear the military had at the time I was in. This grew into a way to "keep busy" after I retired. Its something I simply love to do and the wife doesn't mind - which is the important part.