Become a DIY Master

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Want to learn how to frame out a house, hang drywall, install light fixtures, and become an overall do-it-yourself sort of person? Luckily, someone has done some of the work for you, compiling a how-to for free or cheap how-to resources where you can learn the tricks of nearly any trade.

Check out the story on http://lifehacker.com/5478079/increase-your-diy-knowledge-for-free?skyline=true&s=i” target=”_blank”>lifehacker, which suggests things like volunteering on Habitat for Humanity projects and attending free workshops at hardware stores.

The best way to get up to speed as a DIY person, however, is probably to just start doing it yourself. You really do learn to do simply by doing. And unlike generations of tinkers before us, who toiled alone in garages, banged thumbs with hammers, and occasionally removed the wrong pipe to calamitous results with no one to consult but their equally clueless neighbors, we’ve now got a team of gurus that can be readily consulted at any hour of night or day:

The internet has been the best thing that has ever happened to the DIY community. With a good search engine on your side you can find out how to do nearly anything, find any part, and find people who can offer advice all at once. A perfect micro-example of this in action are two repairs I made on an aging washing machine several years ago. While setting the wash cycle the cycle knob snapped off. Traditionally I would have had to call a repairman who would pay a house visit, bill me for the visit, and bill me for the replacement part. Using the model number of the washer I was able to search out a parts list for the washer and get the part number for the knob.

One google search later for the part number and I ordered a replacement for $10 with free shipping.