Take my garden tap which is not working until today. I called a plumber to check it and he said the problem is beneath the ground and to do it takes too much money. So he suggested a different pipeline from the mains. The price? RM150. What?! The answer is DIY. Guess how much it cost me to DIM (D0-It-Myself)? The pipes and glue cost me RM18 and I also installed a RM25 water filter to go with it.
Yanti would like to have a water-feature in our garden. She said it would be soothing to hear the water run. So we went to Sungai Buloh to search for a small one that would fit the garden. The price? RM500 after bargaining, for the water-feature alone. The answer is DIM. Went to Ikea and bought a white basin at RM39, some wood at RM10, paint RM7, and niceties RM70 (the jug and pebbles). The plants were free... from in-law and Nurleena. Here's the result. Lyana loves it. She feeds the fishes everyday.
Our water feature - where ten RM0.50 fishes live and play.
Then the carpet grass in the front garden. I called a landscape man to our house and he quoted me RM4.00 for a piece of 2'x1' carpet grass and from his calculation I would need 40 pieces. I would also need sand and some special fertilizer, he said. Then there's labour charges too. "Tapi untuk abang, saya caj RM300 aje lah." Thanks, but no thanks. I went to Sungai Buloh again and bought the carpet grasses at RM2.50 per piece and needed only 30. I planted them myself, without sand nor fertilizer. There's so healthy now I am considering to trim them. Total cost = RM75.
Lately, my Zephyr's front hub made some noises and wasn't running straight. I went to the big-bike workshop and they wanted RM400+ for parts and labour to repair the wheel hub bearings. Earlier, I had ordered a Zephyr's Haynes Repair Manual from the internet which came from Australia at RM180. It was the best thing I bought for my bike. Ever since, I have been making minor repairs like brake servicing and exhaust cleaning on my own. Back to the hub story... I went to Kawasaki Sunrock in Segambut and bought spare parts at (guess what?), RM89.10 only. It was 2 sets of bearings, 2 circlips, and 2 oil-seals. I made the repair myself.
My Zephyr and its hub being repaired in our porch.
"We need hot water la, abang." No problem - DIY. Cost = RM199 for the water heater at Tesco, RM15 for a metal hose, some wire and a plug head. I was quoted RM400, which include installation for the same setup.
The water heater in our bathroom.
Moving the Astro satelite dish would cost RM100 to dismantle from the Arcadia condo where we used to stay and another RM100 for installation in our Shah Alam house. My cost was RM30 for 10 metres of Astro cable and some wall clips to hold the wires to the wall. Dismantling and installation cost = RM0. I climbed the roofs at the condo and house myself and did the wiring.
Initially, I was forced into DIY because I just won't allow myself being 'slaughtered' and robbed in the middle of daylight for services I believe should be charged at much lower prices. Then I started to enjoy it. Now, I'm so enjoying it. It is very fulfilling to be able to do it myself - my own... my precious.
You should try DIY too. Maybe something easy first. And if you need advice on DIY, ask Azad the DIY addict. I also have a fat DIY book. :)
5 comments:
well done bro, lepas ni kita kena promote DIYOAATDIFY bis... short for Do It Yourself Or Ask Azad To Do It For You (potential biz ni..)
well, u sudah banyak post ini hari, means we should see u sharp at 9 tonite ya..
Eh, sindri buat lar. Saya jadi Con-sultan(t) jugak.
Yes, will be early for badminton tonite, hopefully. But before that me and Ruslan are going to MSC (Motorcycle Sales Center at Bulatan Universiti) and KTM (an Austrian bike near Telal's place) showrooms to salivate on the new bike models.
Hehe.
bestnye! nak garden mcm tu jugak! :-P
Ask hubby to take up DIY la, Coy. :) Or force him into it. Btw, I saw a lady that looks exactly like you in Menara Citibank's foodcourt. Tiba2 hari ni you 'muncul'. Heh.
nice pond azad
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