Four Types of DIY-ers: Which one are you?

The 3rd of April marks National DIY Day, celebrating the ethos of doing it yourself. During lockdown, this method of doing things has been applied to everything from haircuts to homeschooling, with varying degrees of success. There have even been those of us, frequently the smug types who learnt new skills during this time at home (eye-roll) that have turned their hand to traditional DIY. Whether it is a family member, friend, colleague or just someone you follow on Instagram, they likely fall into one of these four categories I've outlined below:

1. The Macho DIY-er

This DIY-er has a rusty old toolbox passed down from their parents who got it from their parents before them and so on. It opens out to display four different layers of trays and enough compartments to house several generations of dust mites without anyone having to share a room. The toolbox is lugged around the house approximately twice a year with a large amount of grunting to alert everyone in the house that Macho activities are about to take place. They wear paint-splattered trousers almost three sizes too big for the event and bulldoze ahead with minimal forethought. The results are slap-dash and sub-par, but bragged about at virtual pub meet-ups, nonetheless. 

2. The Tutorial Video Addict

The avid researcher who won't attempt any task, no matter how simple, without having watched a minimum of 15 different YouTube tutorials. What starts as a sensible approach soon delves into insanity as each comment is read and analysed against each other and the YouTube algorithm pulls them into a rabbit hole from which no one escapes. Before you know it, they're watching a montage of the 10 deadliest sea creatures when they were initially trying to find the best way to install a floating shelf. 

3. The Instruction-Booklet-Phobe

For whatever reason, this person has the idea deeply entrenched within their brain that to consult an instruction booklet is a sign of defeat. Reading the guide that explicitly explains how to complete the task is considered akin to watching the English dubbed version of a classic like 7 Samurai; beneficial for ease of understanding but somehow losing the art, that je ne sais quoi of the whole affair. There is no reasoning with this DIY-er. It is vital for any friends and family to pretend not to notice that while they nonchalantly scroll through their phone, they are actually looking up the pdf version of those very same instructions they claimed were for amateurs. 

4. The Humble DIY-er who just Gets the Job Done 

Personally, I've never encountered such a person, but they are rumoured to exist. They peruse the instructions, perhaps watch a single video of a professional then approach the task in a calm and calculated manner. They recognise that their personal worth does not depend on how much or little outside help they employ and ask as many questions as necessary. If this person decides that a task is beyond their expertise, they do not plough ahead regardless like the Macho-DIY-er or dither eternally like the Video Addict, but rather get in touch with a qualified fitter without shame or a sense of failure. The result is clean, professional and exactly what they were after. 

DIY is all well and good, but when you have companies such as Direct Order Blinds at your disposal with 17 years of industry experience, it simply does not make sense. Take inspiration from the Humble DIY-er and get in touch with us for your blind fitting needs here, for the sake of your friends and family.