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Thread ID: 117212	2011-04-07 20:58:00	DIY Declining	pctek (84)	PC World Chat

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
1192896	2011-04-07 20:58:00	DIY is in danger as high incomes and lack of skills turn new generations off power tools. The alarming prediction comes from John Hartmann, who moved from the world's biggest home improvement retailer Home Depot in the United States 14 months ago to become CEO of Mitre10 in New Zealand. As a consequence, the likes of Mitre10 and Bunnings were modifying their behaviours, changing their mix. "There's a noticable trend in the space to more consumer products, there are more toasters, there are more dishwashers," said Morris. "This appears to be global phenomenon. The UK's Daily Mirror reported [in January] that this year, DIY skills will be extinct by 2048 stating that DIY skills are becoming a lost art as men prefer to fix a PC than change a plug.'' It said that if interest in home improvement kept falling, 20 per cent fewer men will know basic handyman skills by 2030 and DIY will be unknown by 2048. "They also pointed out that only 32 per cent of men under 25 were able to fix the last practical dilemma they had in their home compared with 83 per cent of over 55s,'' he said. "Seventy one per cent of men in their 70s learned basic DIY skills from their fathers. Now only 44 per cent of men are taught DIY, with a steep decline expected to continue.'' Even making repairs was a dying art, Hartmann said. www.stuff.co.nz	pctek (84)
1192897	2011-04-07 21:04:00	I hate conversations that start with "my husband/partner started this small job" knowing full well they want you to fix some major stuff up. Plus with the rules being tightened as to what you can and cannot do to your own home less people are inclined to DIY. Still it keeps the trades employed as people are too lazy and would prefer to pay for services. Unfortunately I'm no longer able to make use of peoples laziness since I wrecked my shoulder again but its kept me employed for the last 26 years	gary67 (56)
1192898	2011-04-07 21:09:00	I believe it, my kids cant use a saw or hammer and they arent interested in using them. When they are forced to use a saw it looks like a woman with a gun very ungainly and unnatural.	prefect (6291)
1192899	2011-04-07 21:34:00	My step son is very practical for a 16 year old, he actually wants to learn stuff and in some things is much better than I am	gary67 (56)
1192900	2011-04-07 22:08:00	It was interesting, two weeks after my wife and I moved in to our first home, we had a problem with the toilet dribbling water constantly into the bowl. Her first reaction was to call a plumber. My first reaction was to Google for the fix. 2 minutes later I'd read a DIY How-To guide, and was off. Turns out it wasn't all that difficult to fix, only took me 5 minutes and it was good as gold! Long live DIY!	Chilling_Silence (9)
1192901	2011-04-07 23:22:00	As a schoolboy I was taught the basics of woodwork while the girls were sent to cooking classes. Later while I was at Secondary School I was also taught metal work. These classes taught me the basics of using tools. I live in a house that was shifted onto a section. I kept my costs to a minimum. The first major jobs I did were creating drains, lawns and landscaping which I did by hand. I recently built a pathway to my back door, something that I have never done before. I used books and the Internet as my research tools. I had to read up on council regulations (the path had to slope away from the house). The building inspector poured water on my new path to ensure the water flowed the right way. I mixed the concrete by hand using a shovel and wheel barrow using the instructions on the cement bag. The rest was common sense. Any DIY job needs to be thought through and planned before you start it.	Bobh (5192)
1192902	2011-04-07 23:33:00	Doesn't surprise me at all as so much fixit work done around the home is done while the kids are at school and not at the weekend by dad like it used to be. Most young kids are quite keen to learn if they are around Mr Fixit.	mikebartnz (21)
1192903	2011-04-07 23:35:00	The rest was common sense. Sadly lacking these days.	mikebartnz (21)
1192904	2011-04-07 23:35:00	I love a good bit of DIY. Always keen to give anything a go. I reckon, down here at least, the DIY spirit is still alive and well. :punk	wratterus (105)
1192905	2011-04-08 00:33:00	It was interesting, two weeks after my wife and I moved in to our first home, we had a problem with the toilet dribbling water constantly into the bowl. Her first reaction was to call a plumber. My first reaction was to Google for the fix. 2 minutes later I'd read a DIY How-To guide, and was off. Turns out it wasn't all that difficult to fix, only took me 5 minutes and it was good as gold! Long live DIY! Probably saved you likea trillion dollars too, those plumber call outs are a killer.	Fifthdawn (9467)
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