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Do-it-yourself saves money, causes permanent forehead creases Saturday, Nov 12, 2005 By Micki Bare Dad is a frugal man. If he can fix, build or assemble it himself, he does. Which explains my tendency to at least try before calling the plumber or carpenter. It also explains my habit of buying "assembly required" household items with a positive, I-can-tackle-anything attitude. My latest project was a wicker basket rack for the bedroom. It's been years since we sold our bedroom furniture. At the time, we bought only a bed. For everything else, we've been recycling or improvising. My clothes went from being stacked precariously around the room, to plastic bin storage, to an old dresser that finally fell apart to the point at which it was beyond repair - wood screws held together with wood glue and duct tape didn't even work - back to being stacked precariously around the room. Anyone willing to put in time and effort can save hundreds of dollars on furniture, so I diligently sought out the words "assembly required." I really wanted the metal stand with wicker baskets. It would complement our bed. It would also be a space-saver, which we need in our home full of children and pets and stuff. After several weeks of carrying around a picture of what I wanted in my head, I found the piece on the Internet. One week later, the 4-inch thick corrugated box was waiting for us at the back door. Hubby got home first, brought the 40-pound package into the bedroom, and then called me at work. "Your dresser thing is here, but it looks like it has to be put together. Do you want me to cancel my plans tonight and help?" No need for canceled plans. I told him to carry on with his evening because I'd have no trouble with the assembly. I reminded him that I put together the entertainment center in the living room all by myself. Less than a month ago, I assembled an L-shaped desk for my home office while he was at work. Surely I could tackle this little project. After supper, Hubby retired to the back deck with his buddy, a couple of guitars and the amplifier. The boys headed for the driveway for some basketball under the floodlights. I cranked iTunes, the all-'80s channel, gathered my Allen wrench and Phillips head screwdrivers, opened the box and spread out the parts. It took awhile to find the hardware, as it was in a small pink plastic bag taped to the bottom of one of the wicker baskets. I had a little difficulty identifying the three different types of shelves because they were not marked. I had to go by the descriptive names on the parts' list and the fact that there were three of one kind, two of another kind, and one completely different from the other five. I put all six shelves in a lineup and hummed that song from "Sesame Street" - the song that's played when the grid of four similar items is displayed on the screen. The viewer at home is supposed to pick out the one object that is different from the other three. Actually, I had trouble humming it at first. Luckily, Hubby came in for some guitar picks and was able to recall all the words and the tune. Once I identified all the parts and had the back and sides assembled, I started putting the shelves in place, per the 17 percent clear instructions. Once I figured out how to keep the shelves from collapsing, I began assembling the wicker baskets. For each basket, I was supposed to attach the bottom to the sides with screws. But, as with all do-it-yourself projects, a couple of the bottoms didn't quite fit. On one, the screw would only go in the side on an angle and didn't match up at all with the bottom. I became somewhat frustrated, but not deterred. After 30 minutes of readjustments to the basket with various pliers, I was able to make it work. I only walloped my face once after losing my grip. Three hours later, much longer than I first anticipated, my new wicker basket stand was in place and ready to hold my clothes. I was proud of my accomplishment. Especially since my nose wasn't bleeding after the pliers incident. In the process, I learned that the metal on my new piece of furniture is quite sturdy. I also figured out why Dad has a permanent crease in his forehead. A few more do-it-yourself projects and I'll have that very same crease. But I will also have saved lots of money. ------- Micki Bare is a columnist for the Arkansas News Bureau and the Courier-Tribune in Asheboro, N.C., and author of the book, "Relative Expressions." She lives in Asheboro with her husband and three children. Her e-mail address is mickibare@earthlink.net. |
