5 ms·

Literally everything is explained on the web/YouTube-- I learned this when I remodeled my house down to the studs with virtually no experience. Need to repoint

Literally everything is explained on the web/YouTube-- I learned this when I remodeled my house down to the studs with virtually no experience. Need to repoint a chimney? Trim a window? Hang a door? Tile a shower? You're a single search away from knowing how to do almost anything practical... Seconds of research when 20 years ago you'd be hoping in the car and driving to the library in hopes that maybe you could find the best book/pages to get you where you needed to be.

chubot 12y ago
Yeah, YouTube is pretty huge. In 2010 I learned a lot of bike maintenance just by watching YouTube. I learned lots of music stuff on the web in the 90's, but having videos is really necessary for a lot of things. Without a video it would be really hard to explain how to change cranks and so forth. It occurred to me that even 5 years before that (2005), I wouldn't have had access to that content.
- doorhammer 12y ago
  And even if you can't find it online, it's usually not that hard to stumble into a university library and troll through some peer reviewed journals for giggles, or find good books on amazon that are a click and a few days away. One of my favorite books on cycling: http://www.amazon.com/Bicycling-Science-David-Gordon-Wilson/dp/0262731541/ http://www.amazon.com/Bicycling-Science-David-Gordon-Wilson/... Not much practical in that, that I remember, but tons and tons of random articles on odd-ball bike stuff. One of the few books I've purchased and randomly read most of a few times. Really great book.
the_cat_kittles 12y ago
I've considered buying a run down house, spending a year fixing it up using youtube, and then selling it for hopefully a profit- I have no doubt I could do a good job with just youtube and the internet, but the only thing stopping me is confidence that I will be able to sell it. Has anyone done something like this?
- itchyouch 12y ago
  With realestate, you make your money whwn you buy the place, not when you sell it. Also, with flipping houses, the adage that time is money rings very very true. Each month paying a mortgage,and interest is money thrown out, and mostly lost opportunity. For example, if you can make 10k from a flip after costs, but it takes 6 months, as opposed to making 5k from a flip after costs, but with a 1 month turnaround, you can see which strategy wins out. For selling, location will be a bigger determinant of liquidity than your ability to sell it. If you want to do construction, I would learn on small projects as opposed to fixer-upper houses.
- brc 12y ago
  Start with something simple - a small house with basically sound construction but dated/damaged interior fitout. Learn how to do simple stuff like fixing walls, painting, new kitchen cabinets, laying new tile, replacing plumbing fittings. Keep it simple, low cost and in-line with the market expectations for a good quality house in the area. Do the numbers and if you can't make at least 20% on your outlay (not the total sale price, but your cash-on-cash return) then keep looking until you find something suitable. The key challenges are less learning how to lay grout but more in buying effectively, assessing the market your customers are operating in (ie, who is going to buy it, what are their tastes, budget and needs?) and dealing with contractors who will necessarily complete work you cannot do (such as electrical). Every house will sell with the right price attached. That should be the least of your worries. Worst of all cases is that you are halfway through, and lose time/money/energy/cash to complete the job. Then you've got a half-built house which is unsaleable to everyone but a person who can exploit the pickle you've got yourself in. I have moved into houses and lived there while upgrading the interior and it has always been personally and financially rewarding, but this is not for everyone.
  - dfc 12y ago
    > I have moved into houses and lived there while upgrading the interior > and it has always been personally and financially rewarding ...after the demo work is finished. Maintaining sanity and a positive outlook is hard if your partner/spouse does not thrive in chaos. Triple the insanity if the kids are hopping over the chop saw in the dining room:)
tripzilch 12y ago
Anyone got an idea whether it matters a lot that most of these clips are aimed at a US audience? Apart from the fact they all measure things in feet and inches, that I can convert, I often worry about whether the same type (sizes) of parts even exist or whether certain standards work the same was in the EU as US (safety stuff you don't want to mess up, like how electrical wiring always runs vertically above or below power outlets, so you know where to drill safely).

chubot 12y ago

Yeah, YouTube is pretty huge. In 2010 I learned a lot of bike maintenance just by watching YouTube. I learned lots of music stuff on the web in the 90's, but having videos is really necessary for a lot of things. Without a video it would be really hard to explain how to change cranks and so forth. It occurred to me that even 5 years before that (2005), I wouldn't have had access to that content.

doorhammer 12y ago
And even if you can't find it online, it's usually not that hard to stumble into a university library and troll through some peer reviewed journals for giggles, or find good books on amazon that are a click and a few days away. One of my favorite books on cycling: http://www.amazon.com/Bicycling-Science-David-Gordon-Wilson/dp/0262731541/ http://www.amazon.com/Bicycling-Science-David-Gordon-Wilson/... Not much practical in that, that I remember, but tons and tons of random articles on odd-ball bike stuff. One of the few books I've purchased and randomly read most of a few times. Really great book.

the_cat_kittles 12y ago

I've considered buying a run down house, spending a year fixing it up using youtube, and then selling it for hopefully a profit- I have no doubt I could do a good job with just youtube and the internet, but the only thing stopping me is confidence that I will be able to sell it. Has anyone done something like this?

itchyouch 12y ago
With realestate, you make your money whwn you buy the place, not when you sell it. Also, with flipping houses, the adage that time is money rings very very true. Each month paying a mortgage,and interest is money thrown out, and mostly lost opportunity. For example, if you can make 10k from a flip after costs, but it takes 6 months, as opposed to making 5k from a flip after costs, but with a 1 month turnaround, you can see which strategy wins out. For selling, location will be a bigger determinant of liquidity than your ability to sell it. If you want to do construction, I would learn on small projects as opposed to fixer-upper houses.
brc 12y ago
Start with something simple - a small house with basically sound construction but dated/damaged interior fitout. Learn how to do simple stuff like fixing walls, painting, new kitchen cabinets, laying new tile, replacing plumbing fittings. Keep it simple, low cost and in-line with the market expectations for a good quality house in the area. Do the numbers and if you can't make at least 20% on your outlay (not the total sale price, but your cash-on-cash return) then keep looking until you find something suitable. The key challenges are less learning how to lay grout but more in buying effectively, assessing the market your customers are operating in (ie, who is going to buy it, what are their tastes, budget and needs?) and dealing with contractors who will necessarily complete work you cannot do (such as electrical). Every house will sell with the right price attached. That should be the least of your worries. Worst of all cases is that you are halfway through, and lose time/money/energy/cash to complete the job. Then you've got a half-built house which is unsaleable to everyone but a person who can exploit the pickle you've got yourself in. I have moved into houses and lived there while upgrading the interior and it has always been personally and financially rewarding, but this is not for everyone.
- dfc 12y ago
  > I have moved into houses and lived there while upgrading the interior > and it has always been personally and financially rewarding ...after the demo work is finished. Maintaining sanity and a positive outlook is hard if your partner/spouse does not thrive in chaos. Triple the insanity if the kids are hopping over the chop saw in the dining room:)

tripzilch 12y ago

Anyone got an idea whether it matters a lot that most of these clips are aimed at a US audience? Apart from the fact they all measure things in feet and inches, that I can convert, I often worry about whether the same type (sizes) of parts even exist or whether certain standards work the same was in the EU as US (safety stuff you don't want to mess up, like how electrical wiring always runs vertically above or below power outlets, so you know where to drill safely).