Hi,
I grew up with a very handy dad (farm kid), but my husband and I are not at all handy in the use of power tools and to accomplish DIY home projects. Over the years this has cost us to maintain our home. We paint... that's about it.
We are very handy with outdoor work, such as landscaping. I'm pretty fearless and have learned a lot because I always feel that if I mess something up about the worst that will happen will be that a plant will die. I won't have to call in an expert.
Any recommendations on how we might become more handy and comfortable using power tools to do basic home fixes and construction? Particularly, are there great books I can get at the library? Any good "how-to" videos on youtube?
I AM NOT interested (at this point) in doing my own electrical or plumbing -- that would just be too much. We don't own many tools either... just a standard circular saw, drill... that sort of thing.
But, I would like to have more knowledge and confidence. What holds me back is that I get anxious that I'll really fuck something up and it won't be an easy fix and so I'll end up paying a professional anyway.
Here's an example... I want to paint our front door, which is pre-primed fiberglass. It seems to me that the painting should be easy with some advice from Sherwin Williams. I also want to change the hinges so the finish matches the rest of the hardware. And, when I'm done I want to install a metal kickplate on the front. This seems like it should be an easy DIY, but I'm afraid I'll drill a hole in the door wrong or something...