If you’ve never mixed plaster or applied joint compound to a wall full of imperfections, consider learning how the next time the opportunity exists. Instead of sitting down at the computer playing World of Warcraft, calling the nearest contractor and avoiding them while they pretend to work, find a friend with some home improvement know-how. Learn from that person how to do simple home repairs—these simple skills will prove beneficial throughout life.
Why would anyone want to get their hands dirty when he or she could pay someone to do the work? It is so much easier to sit down and watch others do home improvement projects for you.
I didn’t really understand either until I moved into Acacia Fraternity, and we were tasked with our own improvement projects. One of the guys with more hands-on acumen (read: not geek) encouraged us to improve the house and take pride in those improvements. Now, at the beginning of the semester, without any severe prompting, a few people have decided to make their rooms look nicer. Since I have arrived this semester, I have patched areas on the wall where paint was chipped away from taking down posters, painted the room, and added crown molding.
I would never have been able to add the molding to the room without the help of an alumnus who showed me how. Home improvement projects can act as relationship-building or even bonding experience for the people involved in improving a room. You interact with each other in a real team building environment, not some artificial First Year Experience-style team-building “game.” Removing five layers of green paint, wallpaper, tile, more green paint, and blue paint on a wall made of plaster in one area and drywall in another creates memories that last for years. Then, when the room is finished, you can both enjoy the new atmosphere over a few beers, or the beverage of your choice. The satisfaction of doing-it-yourself lasts well past the day of the job’s completion.
Knowing these skills is also important when you purchase your first house. After the down payment, furniture purchases, and other incidentals, not a lot of money may be left for hiring contractors. If you need to create a closet, putting up drywall yourself will save on cost and give you the satisfaction of completing a job. Finally, you control every aspect of the project, making sure it gets done well.
Home improvements probably fall within the realm of work that engineers at Rensselaer don’t want to do. If you are one of those who do enjoy it, find someone who might not ordinarily enjoy home improvement or who may not have been exposed to it. After doing a little of it myself, I am maybe…just maybe…starting to enjoy it.
