High-tech home repair help is just a click away

... yes, you can be as handy as your Dad! By Rick Castellini Special to PRIME My Dad always amazed me as I grew up ... in fact, he still amazes me. There seems to be nothing the man can't do when it comes to home repair and maintenance. Sure, he would enlist my help in completing many of these chores from fixing a sheetrock wall to changing the plumbing in a toilet. But, being a one track minded kid; I didn't let enough of it sink in to my thick brain. Wish I'd paid more attention, Dad! Now, years later and in my third house and with two kids of my own, I clamor for those bits of practical and money saving skills my Dad possesses. He lives about 500 miles away so getting him to help with projects isn't always possible. Enter the Internet. Information abounds on the Internet in the 'home repair and maintenance' category. If you don't have skills of a master craftsman or your handy father, don't despair, read on for help. Learning the hard way We all have 'honey do' lists whether made by our honeys or ourselves. For me, the biggest stepping stone in completing one of these projects is figuring out where to start and what tools or equipment I will need. When we first moved into my current home, my wife wanted a garbage disposal. No problem, I thought, "About an hour long project tops!" Well two days later, the project was finished, sort of. On my third trip to the hardware store and pushing a basket full of interestingly shaped pipes and connectors up to the counter, the check-out man gasped, "Sir, you either have an extremely large project or you don't know what the heck your doing." I confirmed that is was the latter and sheepishly paid for my plumbing supplies. If I would have systematically approached the disposal the way I do my computer projects, I'm sure the job would have been completed quicker and without my sink looking like a new roller coaster maze. doityourself.com Today, when I embark on a project, I make my first stop a phone call to Dad. If he's not around, I use the Internet. My favorite site for gathering helpful information on almost any do-it-yourself project is aptly named: doityourself.com. It covers the gamut of most household related chores. In the past year or so a new TV network started (haven't seen it) that has a wonderful web site complete with shopping lists and videos. The network is DIY and their site can be found at diynet.com. Both sites are easy to navigate and can give you a boost of confidence from the start. ubuild.com, and more! Along with home repair comes home improvement. Dad was great at that too. His woodworking skills were unbelievable. The Internet contains some fabulous woodworking sites including; ubuild.com, woodworking.com and woodweb.com. These sites provide a wealth of information to spur your imagination, tool recommendations, and even printable plans for your project. And, shop around for online help While I'm not quite as handy as my Dad, my goal is to pass on the power of using your resources to my children. I teach them that asking questions is never the wrong thing to do and asking the same question to more than one person is even better. The Internet epitomizes this idea. Don't trust your important home projects or hobbies to just one web site or source. Use many of them and take the best of each to come up with your own plan. Rick Castellini hosts a nationally syndicated radio show, is an author and computer consultant in Colorado. Visit his web site at HelpMeRick.com for practical tips and computer information every week.