Replaced calipers/rotors on my wife's Passat, renovated a bathroom (led to updating some wiring in my old home). Do hackers spend time on this stuff or spend their wealth on contractors?
Ask HN: Work on your own car/home or contract out?
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Re: Ask HN: Work on your own car/home or contract out?
#2What is more important to you: time or money? This will determine the choice that you make.
Re: Ask HN: Work on your own car/home or contract out?
#3I used to own a repair shop before getting into software. I still do all my own maintenance on my vehicles and anything that needs to be fixed around the house unless I don't have the capacity to do so.
I enjoy doing this stuff, I have the tools already, and I would probably just piss away the time saved from hiring someone anyways.
Re: Ask HN: Work on your own car/home or contract out?
#4You're probably not going to be writing code during the time that you spend on auto and home care, but those are things that you can include others in without involving computers, such as non technical buddies that you've been looking to catch up with, or your significant other.
Re: Ask HN: Work on your own car/home or contract out?
#5I try to do everything myself because no reasonably priced mechanic or contractor cares more about my stuff than me.
Re: Ask HN: Work on your own car/home or contract out?
#6My sense is that if you're asking this question find someone else to handle it
Re: Ask HN: Work on your own car/home or contract out?
#7Would you tell your clients to make their own website to save money, or use you?
My personal feeling is that a specialist can always do the job better and faster than you can. Same as you can write code faster than they can. Always outsource unless you know what you are doing. Whilst you are learning on the job renovating your bathroom, you could be earning money.
Re: Ask HN: Work on your own car/home or contract out?
#8Making/fixing things, at least for me, has an element of catharsis. It feels nice to come home sometimes and put away the code and know I don't have to see any more until Monday (or whenever) and to have that relaxation and sense of accomplishment when something is just right (a standard which can take a long time to find a contractor for anyway.)
Not that programming isn't nice. It's just... sometimes you don't want it then. Chocolate is nice too, but you don't want that all the time either.
Pretty rare for me to hire someone to do something. Unless it's plumbing or working on the car. Those are a bit messy.