[quote=FlyerInHi]
Isn’t interesting that educated DIYers are better than the tradesmen?[/quote]
This aspect is irritating to me. There should be more stringent requirements for licensing. As it is, I think of the vast majority of contractors as trained monkeys, am positive I could do a better job, but don’t have the time to learn – either that or I would be so anal retentive that it would take me months to complete (like with a tile job). In many cases, you’ll find three or four different methods of doing something online, only one of which is really effective, long-lasting, and makes future maintenance easier. I tend to try the other three before I get it right, but the experience is invaluable.
Luckily I have a GC, tile guy, and plumber I trust for the stuff I don’t have time to learn. There are some things everyone should know, though. The movers hooked up our dryer’s gas line without sealant, for pete’s sake (untrained monkey?). I shudder to think of people paying a plumber $100 to come out for that 1-minute job.