Plumbing in the Home/Expert Profile

Expertise

I have worked in Electrical Engineering for 30 years in power distribution and am now a Senior Electrical & Instrumentation Designer, but I am a handy homeowner more than anything else and have a lot of skills when it comes to home repairs. Bathroom remodeling, flooring, painting, reconditioning old wood items, plumbing, car repairs and troubleshooting most problems. I think of myself more of a teacher than someone that is going to tell you exactly what you have to do, but I will share as much info as I have to help get your problem fixed, so if you are not interested in learning then don't ask me a question or rate me if you don't like my answers. To me, it is all about the journey so lets share the trail for a short ride and see where it takes us! I also want to give thanks to both my Mom, who has passed and my Dad, who raised us with the "Can Do" attitude and instowed such confidence in not only my life but everyone that ever came in contact with them. You can do anything that you set our minds too if only you can break it down into pieces and just tackle one piece at a time, for the rest will fall into place.

Experience in the area

My greatest accomplishment was finishing my first bathroom upgrades in my first home which helped me to sell my home is less than 3 days by myself with a For Sale By Owner sign and no more. Plus I got $10,000 more for it in just 4 years of owning it, now that is great equity.

Education/Credentials

Nursing School, 1 1/2 years of a 2 year RN program, 1976 US Army, Intelligence School, Image Interpreter, 1977 Thomas Nelson Community College, Mechanical Drafting, 1980 Newport News Shipbuilding, Designer Training Program, 1981 School Of Hard Knocks

Awards and Honors

Certificate of Achievement, Graduated with Honor's from Military Intelligence School, Award from Planning Research Corporation for a Job Well Done, Hand Selected to be an Internal Auditor for an ISO 9000 Certification Program for one of my longest employers, Mutable Letters of Appreciation

What do you like about this subject?

What I like most about home repairs is saving money and upgrading my home at the same time. When you do it yourself you can do more than twice as much. I really like stretching my all mighty dollar as far as I can.

What do you still hope to achieve/learn in this field?

I hope to be smarter when it comes to shopping around better for contractors when the job gets to large for me to handle. I have had some real jerks and have been taken a time or two and I hope for the last time. I want to be an educated consumers and one thing I have learned is don't ever do anything in haste. Don't jump at the first estimate.

Something interesting about this subject that others may not know:

How proud it makes you when you can say that you did it yourself!

Something controversial or provocative about this subject

Don't always believe what some try to tell you to be true, be educated and look into things for yourself first and you will come out much better in the long run having done a little research in the beginning. Think first, Act last.