Just to add confusion and controversy, I am DIY when it comes to vehicle repairs (up to a point). Because I figure the chances are very low my house will leave me stranded by the side of the road due to a mechanical failure.

Hello? Triple-A? Yeah, my PoS house broke down again, and I need a tow. Hello? Hello???

People are almost inevitably in their place and so seldom if ever need to be put there is the way I think.

I think it's wise to pay somebody who knows what they are doing to get it right the first time. I have a spouse that likes to DIY even if he has no idea what he is doing. I guess it allows you to learn something new and obtain some self-satisfaction for a job well done. I think my husband mostly does DIY because he is cheap, eh I mean frugal. Some people do it because they really enjoy it and are good at it. I'd rather pay, have the job completed in a short time, and enjoy the repair or remodel, and not have it looming over my head unfinished or half-assed. I will say that thankfully we rarely do things half-assed but there are some closets without shoe molding and I can see the concrete slab and dust where the floors are unfinished and it irks me.

Free-Time-Lover?
Hands-Off-Handyman?
Relaxitician?
Jack-of-few-trades?
Handy-uncapable?
Master-Delegator?

Six months ago we decided to overhaul our townhouse - which included new floors, taking out a halfwall, cutting in some some built-in shelves, and a LOT of painting. We paid for someone do the wood floors, but we tackeld everything else ourselves with the help of my retired handy man father-in-law. Now six months later we still have a dining room full of tools, paint, tarps, wet saw, miter saw, and other assorted weapons of liesure killing. Mrs Slack and I are not the fastest at DIY projects.

I really wish I had that DIY spirit, but after a few hours of getting it done slower than it should take and not quite as good as it should be, I decide to call it a day and relax a while. I enjoy learning how to do this stuff, but I lack the patience to enjoy the whole process. The "are we done yet?" voice kicks in pretty fast.

I grew up with a father who was a master DIY guy, he built my grandparent's deck, put up walls in our house, etc and they all looked sturdy and professional.

Cut to "The Stepfather", who was a complete moron and cut a hole in our bathroom floor between the door and the toilet and LEFT IT THERE for 3 months. You had to walk across an exposed beam like a tightrope about 10ft above the concrete basement floor to pee. He did so many jacked up and ugly things to our house (not to mention never finishing any of them) we eventually had to move. I'm serious,it became unlivable after a while.

I have seen both sides of the coin and considering my lack of skills in the carpentry arts, I will avoid throwing spackle at the wall like chimp throwing it's own scat.

As my boyfriend puts it "I chose my job wisely so I could pay those to do that which I could not or would not do myself."

I'll tackle some small jobs, and I'll certainly bugger with the car when it needs buggering with, but I think the term you're looking for is:

normal

Tell your smug in-laws that most people think like evilcupakes's boyfriend. If I could fix the bloody house with SQL I would.

(now, having said all that: I'm one of those wankers who wants cars to be all manual, naturally-aspirated and have manual windows - because I'd like to be able to fix them.)

(Also: I like 'free-time-lover')

I don't have a witty moniker to suggest, but I am right there with you in attitude. Fiance wants to get a fixer-upper for our first house, and I'm thinking, you don't even have time or motivation to do your own laundry!

I would just like to point out that my in-laws(-to-be) are not smug (you never know who's reading this). It's just a cultural thing, for lack of a better term. Their natural order involves building stuff. Mine involves only 4 years of living in a home my family actually owned, split between two domiciles, the last year-and-a-half of which, my father was not around much. He was very handy with cars (former mechanic at the time) but I cannot for the life of me remember one single home improvement project.

There are people who are smug about it, though. "Oh, why don't you just reroute the phase coupling through the balustrade? Should take you about 2hrs." Bullshit. I spent almost 2 hours just changing the freaking lock in my garage (should have been ~15 minutes).

I like several of Slack's suggestions. And Lori, your husband is lucky you're so understanding. ;)

"I chose my job wisely so I could pay those to do that which I could not or would not do myself."

Nominated for bumpersticker of the week.

I feel so guilty about this sometimes. I'm normally an independent woman, so why did I spend over $500 paying people to pack and move my things when I could have saved money and done it myself? And I'm so busy with this convention coming up and work that I'm tempted to pay someone more money to help me unpack my things.

One thing that keeps me feeling less guilty is that I remind myself is that the last guy I paid to help me pack is the dishwasher at my favorite bar in the West Village and by paying him money to help me, I'm helping put food on his table rather than entering into the complicated system of favors and obligation that happens when you ask a friend to do you a favor.

So, maybe the term for this is: Economic Stimulator?

*runs, ducks, hides*

I like to paint, and I'm pretty good at putting stuff together and light carpentry.
So I decided, if I ever get married again, he has to know a bit about plumbing and can do wiring.
It seemed like a great idea at the time. But then I realized I can't even meet a guy who is afraid of outlets, much less one who can install them.

"I chose my job wisely so I could pay those to do that which I could not or would not do myself."

I've also chosen my job wisely--it provides me with everything I need to research and learn new skills.

I hope that doesn't sound snotty--different strokes and all that. DIY/craftiness seems to be a continuum, and I don't fault anybody for being at any point on it.

Eideteker,

As I stare across the street at my neighbor's immaculate lawn and down at my dandelions and weeds, I always think that my neighbor should really get a life.

Check writer. And I am one.

Isn't there a third category- the people who just don't do it at all? In some respects, I am that person.

4 hour workweekers?

My mum calls it "gardening by check" or "laying tile by check" and similar things.

Did anybody say 'consumers' yet?

Tradespeople call them "Suckers"