Failure is a natural part of life and part of the learning process. When you are working on DIY projects part of the process is learning new skills. Especially when building a home there are so many disciplines to learn from carpentry, masonry, drywall, paint, roofing, electrical, plumbing and the list goes on. Its not possible to become a master in all of these areas but become proficient is part of being able to complete projects DIY. Learning how to overcome failure is a part of this process.
Learning from mistakes
I have made more mistakes than successes over the course of my DIY career. Looking back I laugh at the mistakes I have made and view them from a perspective of gratefulness for teaching me the lessons I have learned. To overcome failure is about having the right perspective. For me I know that I can either be successful or learn. I cannot lose because I view my mistakes with gratefulness and acceptance.
How to deal with difficult feelings from failure
Of course we should also not forget how we feel when we make a mistake. Often times I feel anger, frustration, sadness, hopelessness when I make a mistake. Its ok to have an emotional response to failure so don’t be afraid to sit with your feelings for a period. Its important to not ignore or bottle up feelings because this will lead to graver consequences later.
Mindset
Be thankful these feelings are telling you that you have made a mistake. This is an opportunity to make a change with your approach to the problem at hand. You are not your feelings but are the action that comes from your feelings. Stay aware of this distinction and you will be able to appreciate learning any DIY skill. Below are 5 mistakes I have made and how I overcame them.
Wall fell over during framing
One of the most catastrophic and emotionally unsettling mistakes I made when building my tiny house was when a 24 foot wall fell over. What happened is that I got overconfident that I could lift a very heavy 24 foot section of wall by myself. I know I am an idiot. What I did is rigged up a system of pulleys and stilts to lift the wall slowly into place and prop it into place. The plan actually worked but when the wall got all the way to upright it tipped over and fell the other way.
Luckily it fell into a few tree branches that slowed the fall and the wall was mostly still in tact. Some of the framing lumber of the wall had snapped upon impact with the ground but damage was minimal. The important thing is I was not crushed by a multi hundred pound wall. The whole event was very scary and really made me feel dumb for my arrogance.
How did I overcome failure
The first step was to use a prybar to take off any of the damaged framing that had snapped during the fall. I then replaced the broken pieces with new ones and nailed it into place. For safety sake and ease of lifting I decided to break the 24 foot wall into two 12 foot walls. I invited some friends to help me lift the two 12 foot sections back on to the foundation of the house. We then lifted the 12 foot sections upright with 2 people holding it while I nailed it into place.
Installed tile before upgrading plumbing
I rehabbed an old house that needed most the components to be replaced. Often times I would find myself in the position of trying to upgrade everything so the house would be functional but also trying save money by salvaging old parts. The debacle backfired when I decided that the plumbing components in one of the bathrooms looked good enough to keep so I tiled over the old plumbing. It turns out later the components of the shower value failed shortly after tiling over the wall.
As a rule of thumb its always a good idea to replace old shower and sink valves when rehabbing an old home. Shower valves break down over time and older valves aren’t as well constructed as newer valves.
How did I overcome failure
I had to smash one of the tiles that was covering up the shower valves. In this process I was careful to not break anymore of the tiles and create the break just along the grout line. I used a hammer to break the tile and then a screwdriver to to carefully pick apart the broken pieces. You want to be very careful not break plumbing or other tiling.
After installing new shower valves I was able to install a new tile over the one I removed. luckily I had left over tiles from when I originally completed the project. Its always a good idea to keep a handful of tiles from every tiling project for emergencies.
Using ceramic tile for a counter top
When I was rehabbing the kitchen in my house I wanted to build a tile counter top that imitated to the milky white color of marble. While installing tile countertops seems like a good idea most of the time the end result looks cheap. It also is laborious to install and doesn’t hold up over time to the rigors of kitchen use. The tile tends to chip and crack over time. These chips and cracks are highly visible.
I decided to install 2’x2’ ceramic tiles to make up the counter top. Some would say that ceramic tile is a good choice for a countertop but I would choose another material next time. Don’t get me wrong I think the countertop looks good but given the time and expense I wouldn’t choose ceramic tile again.
How did I overcome failure
I was able to fix the chips and cracks with white epoxy. The epoxy caulked the gaps for a smooth finish and also stopped further spreading of the crack. The biggest thing I did was not using tile for future countertop projects. My preferred material for kitchen countertops are stone or epoxy resin.
I messed up my stairs
I was very careful to be conserving of space when building the stairs in my tiny house. The mistake I made is that I cut the 2×10 boards way too short. This resulted in a much steeper than desired staircase. The steepness of the staircase reduced the surface area of where a foot could land because the steps were overlapping. Pitch of the incline of the staircase also made it arduous for the climber.
The combination of the reduced surface area for a foot to land and the steepness of the stairs made it dangerous and difficult to use. I could have went to the store and bought new pieces of wood and make less steep cuts. Given the challenge I was determined to use these already cut pieces.
How did I overcome failure
My solution to the steep incline stairs was to create an alternating tread staircase. A notched staircase has alternating notches cut in the step of the stair to allow more surface area for the foot to land. You want to have at least 10 inches of stepping room.
The downside is that the cadence of the steps up or down the stairs is predetermined. The user must start the climb with their right foot. Since most people are right footed this was the best choice. The downside is this does restrict the range of motion of the user. The upside is this allows for a staircase to be much more space efficient than a normal staircase.
My wood floors got flooded
When I rehabbed my house I wanted to have wood floors in the bedrooms to provide a more comfortable experience on the feet. I decided the best choice was to put engineered hardwood in all of the bedrooms. One of the bedrooms was also a converted garage which I didn’t know at the time was at risk of flooding in strong storms. Weather events can be extreme in Texas.
It also didn’t help that at one point a gutter downspout had become disconnected. This resulted in water coming down and collecting right next to the house near this garage bedroom. During one strong storm the water collected and flooded the bedroom causing the boards to get wet and eventually warp.
How did I overcome failure
I wanted to keep the wood floors because they were comfortable to the feet. The flood damage was only located on one side of the room meaning I only needed to replace some of the boards not all of them. I started by prying off trim boards in the bedroom. From there I could start to pull out warped boards. The boards were connected by tongue and groove and can be popped loose and slid out from there.
How to determine which boards are warped
You could tell which boards were warped and which were not by seeing how well the tongue and groove connected. The underside of the board would also ofter have a water stain. I removed all of the damaged boards and left the undamaged ones. Then I was able to replace the damaged boards with new ones by popping the new boards into place with the tongue and groove. I had some left over from when I originally complete the project.
The most important thing was I needed to upgrade the flood management in my front yard to make sure this never happened again. The obvious fix was replacing the downspout next to the garage so it would route water away from the house.
I also dug out the area next to the house and added gravel so it would act like a french drain if the area flooded. The area flooded because the water ran off my driveway. I was able to add a french drain to my driveway drainage to stop the torrent of water.
Conclusion: Overcome failure with your mindset
Learning how to overcome failure will give you the courage to charge forward when things get tough. This skill is necessary.
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