who puts stuff together in your house?
 

My husband can do it but with him he kinda just looks at the pieces and figures out where stuff goes and is often wrong (or skips a really important step and debates whether to take it all apart or try to get by without having to take it apart). With me I take all the parts out, note their labels, mark them off on the checklist, take all the bolts/screws etc out and count them then seperate by type and mark them off the checklist. Then I gather all the tools needed and finally follow directions step by step exactly how the instructions tell you.. My husband says that is all a waste of time and a little weird. I told him what if we are missing a board and get to step 5 (or whatever) and board K is just not heere. Then you have to stop, call the company, order the part and wait for it to come. With my way you would still have to wait but at least you would not have a half assembled desk sitting in the middle of the living room LOL. So who does it in your house? You or your hubby? Are you more like me inventorying and seperating and following direction or more like my lovely hubby who thinks the instructions should be thrown away? I think I am faster and better then my husband because he tends to take longer and curse at it a whole lot more (from not following instructions I tell him LOLOL). It is actually kinda funny when we are trying to do something like this (although it never happens together unless I need him to hold a part in place. He sits and makes fun of me for having to do every single thing down to seperating parts and bolts/screws.

I put everything together around here. Dad could do it, but it seems like he forgets a lot, so I end up doing it anyway. Lol.

Its a team effort in our house. Usually DH does the heavy lifting & actual hands on work while I read him the directions. There were a few times were he was sick and I had to put something together. I can do it but prefer not to.

i'm not allowed to touch the tools, so, DH does it.

I do it mostly. DH sometimes helps but usually I get frustrated with waiting around for him to find a moment to help and just do it myself. I make him do all the moving around once it is assembled though

We do it like Melissa, he actually does it, but I'm reading the directions as we go along. I do a quick inventory when we take everything out, too. Like you said, what if we're missing a pretty important part?

ETA: And yes, if I wasn't sitting there reading the directions TO him, he's never read them and it would take twice as long and he'd be cursing a lot. Sheesh. Men.

the "boys" do it... ;) My hubby is an engineer and pretty anal about reading the directions before putting things together. He now has a "mini me" (kiddo) helping him with all these projects... but at times he needs me to hold a board so he could attach it... Also, it gives him an excuse to use his tools that he has to have, but never uses... and also an excuse to go to the hardware store 5 times for any project... hahaha

My hubby does it... And if he can't do something for whatever reason (like program a remote), I am not above calling my dad for help. Daddy can fix anything. :)

haha.. me too, my step dad is amazing at fixing stuff!!

I do it all. Steve gets frustrated with stuff like that. SO, I normally make him entertain the kids while I work. LOL

We are EXACTLY like you two, Jessica. It is just better for me to read and follow the directions and for him to get out of my hair. LOL

At the risk of sounding like a helpless female, DH and his sidekick (ds age 2) do all the assembly around here. I don't even try anymore cos I need to read instructions every 2seconds and I get easily frustrated and annoyed. DH is one of those guys that can fix anything and everything. He's the one all our family and friends ring when something won't work or needs fixing/installing. Weve been together ten years and I'm yet to see him read the instructions for anything. He doesn't need to tho. His brain just works that way. He's really a very handy guy to have around.

I *can* do it but I'm not allowed to touch power tools. So if it needs more than a simple screwdriver... Jeff does it.

My husband is a mechanic/auto body tech but he taught me a long time ago how to fix alot of stuff without him. This desk only requires a screwdriver, allen wrench and a hammer. so aside from occasionally needing help with the heavier moving I do it mostly alone with him sitting there laughing at my counting and checking everything is there.

Either of us will do it, or often we'll do it together. I've even trained DH to read the manuals because it's just that much easier to do something. However, if the manual is obviously a poor translation from Chinese, we are pretty good at just looking at the images to put things together.

i do! i love to put things together! its so satisfying lol. and i do a damn good job if i do say so myself :P hehe

Team effort here too!

I did something bad to one of his drills once and since then I'm not to touch things that require batteries or cords :D

If it's just a screwdriver or hammer, I can and will do it. :)

It's almost always me. I'm much quicker than my husband because I am much more spacial than he is. I usually glaze over the directions before getting started and then I read them as I go.

Team effort here too.

It totally depends on what we have purchased if its something hubby is interested in he wants to put it together if its something I bought and wanted he is out!

LOL that makes me wonder what you did. I occasionally will use the drill although not often because it is never charged. My husband bought me my own tools because his are such a mess I can never find anything. Just basic stuff but it is easier then searching in his crap to find what Im looking for.

Oh and this desk is kicking my butt. I can normally do a project like this in a few hours but man this desk is a more then one day job. I have been working since this morning on one side (it comes in four seperate boxes and you assemble the bottom halves first then the desktop and then the hutch). Hopefully I will have it all together and have my living room cleaned back up tomorrow. Luckily my daughter is come over tonight and making dinner. Pizza (hope she remembers how she has been gone from Domino's for a long time LOL)

My 2 best male friends put the stuff together around here.I'm horrible at it, I don't think we even own a screwdriver in our house (according to my uncle thats typical for a house full of women lol) the boys come and put stuff together, or take stuff apart, or fix what needs to be fixed and they bring their power tools with hem. If they aren't available or can't do something and my uncles and cousins arent around I call the Mr FIx It Guy and he comes and does it. x

We both do it, just depends on what it is. And, we are both like you. Count out everything, make sure it's all there & not broken or scratched, then follow every direction!

furniture wise? my mother. dad doesn't have the coordination anymore (he has MS and his left hand is pretty much useless). electronics wise? my dad, with help from my brother.

me? i'm hopeless when it comes to both.

I put it together myself - for a few reasons. One, I actually LIKE putting stuff together. I find it fun. Two, my hubby is the same way as yours, and just tries to go for it without really looking at the directions (and he usually gets irate halfway through because something isn't working right - gee, amazing how helpful instructions can be).

Oh and my desk looks very similar to yours - and it kicked my butt too. Took me hours - it was an all day venture!! Good luck, hope you can get it done soon!! :)

I grew up the oldest of two girls, so I was the "son" and put together things, changed oil, mowed the yard, etc with my Dad. I LOVE putting things together and I always read the directions, but I don't organize everything beforehand. I've never had a missing piece, so maybe I've gotten lucky.

DH puts stuff together too, if its big, heavy, etc or I don't want to do it. I use power tools, have re-grouted a bathtub, put up bead-board, and helped build furniture. I'm not afraid of power tools. As a military wife, I've learned that if I can't/don't do it, it doesn't get done!

I used to think I was all handy and could do it myself ... and tried ... and messed up often. DH got so tired of having to fix my mistakes, he now puts everything together asap before I get a chance to have a go at it. It's pretty funny really.

My hubby does it all.. He's pretty handy to have around. I could do some of it if I had to. I'm just glad I don't!!!!

well the hutch really got messed up. The holes were not lining up right so it caused one board to break. And one of the pieces which had three staples in it broke when I picked it up. So I have to call them on Monday to get those two pieces sent out and hopefully itll line and up AND not take forever getting here.

DF starts to put things together but gets lost because he wont look at the instructions, so I step in and tell him what needs doing and he does it.

I pretty much always put the stuff together. The only exception I can think of in recent memory is our new TV stand, and dh only helped with that because he was dying to try out the new TV. LOL I'm like you, I follow the directions, sort out the pieces, and make sure I have everything ready when I get started. Dh just kind of jumps in and hopes for the best. LOL

This.