BIL came over today to install a new kitchen faucet and a new bathroom faucet. I also got him to take down the holder for the old smoke detector and, while I didn’t ask him to, he also hung up the new one.
The faucets were a lot harder to put in than he thought so that made him late for dinner. But he stayed and finished.
I’m very grateful. He is a gem.
Often, the hard part of replacing a faucet is removing the old one, particularly if it is attached with corroded metal fittings.
Other times, an older appliance may be attached in ways that differ from newer ones. For example, replacing an old dishwasher may require a supply line extension, conversion of hardwired power to an outlet, and/or changing the drain line connection.
For the kitchen one, it was getting the old one out that was the problem and I heard him pounding on it (I was outside doing yard work), and then he swore (very unusual for him) and then it came out. What was strange is that it wasn’t that old. I think my mother got a new kitchen in 2015? The guy who put it in used a lot of shortcuts , and I guess, a lot of gooey stuff to put it in.
The problem with the bathroom one was the new faucet had a VERY short copper pipe to connect, and the vanity is very small.
It’s always to have handy loved ones who are willing to help!
Home repair jobs make for swearing more than anything!! 
I have a bathroom faucet that needs replacing…can I borrow your BIL???
Good question to ask CC though…WHAT ARE YOU OR YOUR SPOUSE/PARTNER HANDY TO FIX???
My brother has been a huge help over the years. H is handy, but my brother can do pretty much anything. I have made sure to let him know how much I appreciate him.
I can fix almost nothing, though it is probably learned helplessness, as my H can fix (or make) everything and anything.
@DeeCee36 - same here.
My H is very handy and I’m so grateful for all he does. So many of my friends are always in search of a good handyman since their H’s can’t do anything around the house. Over the weekend H repainted the dining table on the deck and installed all new outlets in the spare room. He also had to do some rewiring.
I would say that my H can be handy. Or was. Seems he’s not as interested in digging in and taking care of something that needs to be fixed! His best wheelhouse is tree/bush trimming. He doesn’t have a lot of patience for putting things together.
I don’t love fixing things. But more recently (see above, re: H!) I have managed to fix a few small things - but nothing like plumbing, electrical, or that requires more than a hammer or screwdriver! YouTube can be helpful though!
That makes three of us! I leave tinkering to Mr. I’m the QC/QA and code compliance person. 
ETA: I’m also in the business of locating parts and fixtures. Just ordered 2 cartridges for our leaky faucet from Amazon.
Sounds like me - over the years I’ve changed faucets, repaired the yard irrigation, run electrical wiring, changed the oil in my car, reset pavers, etc.
Now I happily pay people to do all that for me. I’ve decided I value my personal time to the tune of about $100/hr. For example, if it would take me 2 hours to do a job that’s not fun or otherwise interesting, and I can pay someone to do it for less than $200, then I’m pulling out the checkbook. Been there, done that, ready for the sofa.
Just a reminder: not all of us have spouses/partners.
My friends who are solo parents sometimes learn to be “handy” or develop nice relationships with neighbors, friends, relatives or others who are and do some bartering to get repairs in exchange for meals/groceries/errands, etc. Heck even those of us who are not handy and married to non-handy folks do bartering. Haha!
Of course. To be honest, I definitely was aware of that when I wrote specifically, “you OR your spouse/partner”. It wasn’t meant to be inclusive to a couple.
I am so grateful to my future son-in-law. He came over, hung a bunch of photos and an extremely heavy dresser mirror, and leveled my stove. I live in an apartment building and the super, who is not really that good at odd jobs, charges through the nose and then hires someone to do a job like assembling stuff. I am ready for another visit from f-s-i-l who lives with my daughter at least an hour and a half from here and is holding down the fort at home while my daughter, a med student, frantically studies for boards. He’s also handing the wedding/shower stuff for her and me. Of course he also has a job!
My daughter is a mechanical engineer, she’s the one who likes to put things together. And fix things.
Her fiancé likes to garden and cook. It’s a good partnership.
My husband is that person who thought the best part of Christmas was putting together the toys. As kids, they would go to the cousins and put their toys together. He’s that guy.
As a husband, he can do anything. But the timeline for that is fuzzy. He can, the question is when?
My hairstylist is married to a contractor. She’s says it’s true that the cobbler’s children have no shoes. She was delighted when covid hit, her kitchen was finally finished.
I think this sounds familiar… lol
You guys need my BIL. He’s very reliable although I did have to wait about 10 days for this install (had to order from Amazon and let him know it was here, then wait).
We have an electrician friend and my mother would pay him, but every job was half done and he never cleaned up. He put can lighting into my sewing room. When my brother put up Christmas lights, somehow the lights in my room went off. It’s been three years and I still ahve no ceiling lights in that room now. I’m sure it is a simple fix, but no one will do it. The electrician friend is moving so I’ll never get those lights back on by him.
I try to add my skills to the bartering. I sew. I drive to the airport.
I don’t do electrical or plumbing but I do the rest myself. Hang a picture? That’s me. Put together furniture or a cat tree? That’s me. Paint a room or many rooms? That’s me. DH’s brother-in-law (his sister’s husband, so I guess my BIL-IL) is a plumber and DH worked for him before he went to college so he has way more plumbing knowledge than I do. I can unclog a toilet, but leave installing faucets to DH. We hire out electrical.