The hardest DIY task IN THE WORLD!

[rich p]

Not the hardest perhaps but one of the least rewarding was digging up the front garden to repair a fractured clay drainage pipe. The reward of a job well done but you can't stand back and admire your handywork while receiving the congratulatory approbation of your nearest and dearest.
"I hope you didn't damage the roots of the roses"!

 

[Baggy]

Currently the hardest DIY project in the world is fitting a cat-flap...

...through a 9" thick brick wall using only an angle grinder, lump hammer and cold chisel

 

[domd1979]

Changing the radiators on this machine was "interesting"....

Depressing thing is repair isn't right on one of them and its got to come out again!!!

In fact, when English Electric designed their locomotives, they did a good job of making sure that anything you might want to get at was nicely inaccessible without being a contortionist. You can also guarantee that a spanner or socket will never fit nicely into the available space around whatever it is you're undoing!!

Changing radiators on minis. I cursed the evil mind of Alex Issigonis for all eternity.

 

[Fnaar]

Currently the hardest DIY project in the world is fitting a cat-flap...

...through a 9" thick brick wall using only an angle grinder, lump hammer and cold chisel

Perhaps if you warm the chisel up a bit...

 

[Andy in Sig]

There's nothing quite so hellish as trying to adjust the brakes on a bicycle. That is strictly one for the LBS workshop.

 

[Lazy-Commuter]

Replacing 2 x double light switches (giving 4 separate switches controlling 4 wall lights) in the lounge with 2 x dimmer switches, so each dimmer is trying to control one side of the room each. Simple enough, you might think, but not for DIY Muppet Man!!

DIYMM forgot to take any kind of note of which of the tangled spaghetti of wires went where in the original switches or what any of them did and just shoved the wires into the switches in a "what looks right" kind of way.

When DIYMM switched the lighting circuit back on at the fuse box (safety first!) it was found that the light in the hall was permanently on and could not be switched off, other than at the fuse box. Only half the lights in the lounge worked at all.

DIYMM then spent the next four hours (as it got darker and darker) trying many different combinations of wiring which resulted in such inspiring lighting patterns as:
- All working normally, except for one fitting in the lounge which would dim but would not switch off.
- Light switches in the lounge controlling lights in the dining room.
- Dimmer switch in the lounge dimming the lights in the kitchen, but only if the switch in the dining room was off.

I got it right in the end. And I didn't even need to SOS my uncle (an electrician) ..

 

[ChrisKH]

I have just finished assembling a computer desk.
Do NOT buy Argos item 621-1721.
It ends up just slightly wonky, and it's very difficult to get the top on. Grrrr!

They've got some nice ones at Ikea, Doc.


I don't believe I said that. Someone slap me.

 

[Mr Pig]

Changing the radiators on this machine was "interesting"....

Cool :0) That looks like epic fun. If I had the time I'd love to do things like that.

Coincidently, I fitted a new door interlock on our washing-machine on Sunday. Annoying thing was that the way it was wired it was impossible to bypass it and keep the machine working until I got a new one.

Also built a turntable power supply on Sunday, finally. I've had all of the parts for about six months and just never got around to making a start to it.

I've done a lot of DIY and much of it has been terrible. And the sad thing is that I'm not finished. I still need to finish building a fireplace I opened up and stripping the stain off a staircase. Can't face it :0(