Over the last three months DH has been renovating the kitchen, a slow and contemplative process as each move was discussed exaustivly. Things proceeded at The rate of speed that a bilateral amputee could manage with the assistance of little old me to help.
Today we were bolting the hanging cabinet to the ceiling, the very last thing we needed to do to make an end to three months work. We got to the last hole, the last bolt, I am up in the attic waiting for the drill bit and with a poof and a bang, DH drilled through the wiring that sits on top of the cabinet. Now it has to come down and be rewired.
Aaaaaaaaaaaah.
So I am now knitting a very tight two inches into a sock. Knitting soothes the troubled spirit once again

I say you should pour a glass of wine and celebrate the facts that he didn't electrocute himself and you're nearly finished.

Electrocute himself, or you. We bought a 3 apartment building in Feb. and if we don't get hurt it will be a miracle. We've already replaced the roof (3 floors up) Isn't renovating fun?

The electrician came by today to check my work before we turned the circut back on. Good thing too because I had the wires in wrong. Sheepish, you have my sympathy.
If you end up having to do under rafter work a straw hat can save your head, a flashlight that fits around the hat band makes for a lot better crawl space experience. The other thing I have learned over the years is the value of knee pads in tight places. Wall papering should be done with a friend and not your spouse, and if you are choosing the paint get the sample jars and put a big patch up to contemplate for a while.
anyone else have some hard earned wisdom to add?

Hard-earned wisdom:

Hire someone else to do it.

:-)

Finances dictate that we do this ourselves. otherwise that is the best idea of all. The cabinet is up, bolted, leveled. and awaits the doors and shelves. Woo Hoo.

Remodelling of any kind always expands to fit somewhat more than the money available and takes longer, sometimes much longer, than you expected. ...And I wish someone would give my some idea of how to keep my DH from getting up and inspecting the roof and cleaning the gutters just because he always has done.

Sew his pants to the chair.
Ok, now really, My DH has a bad case of testosterone poisoning, and the results have been painfully funny. I will never forget the conversation with firehouse dispatch when I had to call them because he was pruning a tree and dropped a prosthetic from thirty feet up. Explaining that you need them to get your husband out of a tree and why, leaves you and dispatch both with an indelible impression.
The problem is that if you tell him not to, for many good reasons he will be more determined to show you that dammmit he can too.
The things we face as we get older can be daunting.

I hear you. My 82-year-old father just *had* to do the gutters last weekend--because my brother called to say he was coming by to take care of them. I'm just glad I didn't know until after the fact that he was there by himself on a ladder.

Dances, I love it! I thought my MIL did very well when she sold FIL's extension ladder, but yours has some even better quality to it. I wouldn't be so touchy on the subject if a good friend hadn't recently died as a result of a fall from a ladder while he was picking figs. I know he was doing that simply because he always had and it never occurred to him that he couldn't always do that.

I am sorry for your loss. I get a bit tetchy about things that DH is quite intrepid about, and he is upset and worried when I ride my bike after dark which bothers me not at all. I think we all have invisible capes in some direction or other when everyone else can see the danger and we say "WHAT?!!! That? oh I'm Fine, don't worry." and the worst of it is, we truly can't see why they are fussed.
Well sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. My mom (who fell out of a tree at the tender age of 76) got me to wear a reflective vest while biking in the dark in return for going to regular exercise classes. She is still in class, regular as a clock every monday and wednesday so I wear my vest. (not that I need it, I can see fine in the dark so whats the problem?)

I'm glad neither of you was electrocuted!

As for relatively small things, I don't worry. DH can mow the lawn, bang a nail and make adirondack furniture. For the big stuff I tell him "that's why there are guys who {name of project here}.

We're in the throes of home renovation - new roof, new windows and replace the siding. There was a lot of fascinating stuff under that aluminum! We're documenting it for the next owners, and might share it with the local historical society.

And today, while the siding is going on, the neighbors have a gas leak.... Gotta laugh, and stay out of the living room, which is 15 feet from where they're digging!

What Kind of Facinating stuff? Newspapers? jewels, a cache of money?