For Better or For Worse by Lynn Johnston for June 12, 2017

“How hard can it be,” asks John.

For those of you out there who might be thinking things like, “Wouldn’t a dentist, whose business depends on being able to maintain his finely precise manual dexterity, avoid doing a kitchen remodel for fear of wrecking his hands?” Fear not. John Patterson is a manly, man’s man and he is going to take a sledgehammer and have a good, old time destroying some old flooring, walls and cabinets all by himself.

Famous last words before they realize they just spent $40,000 for a pro to fix the project they’ve already spent $20, 000 on.

Those three dreaded words…“I got it.”

Put you foot down, woman!!

So was the father on “Family Matters”.

Used to be a show on TV about a group of professionals that would go in and finish remodeling jobs that people started years back and never finished.

Run, Ellie…just run.

Elly. You’re in for it now!

This will not end well.

John has just come up with a brilliant way to get out of the remodel.

Bad idea. I knew a doctor with the same attitude. His daughter’s cat needed neutering, and he groused that the veterinary fees were a ripoff. Then he decided that since he was a doctor, he could just do it himself. What he failed to realize that human anatomy and cat anatomy are quite different, and his do-it-himself neutering killed the kitty. Then he had another price to pay, with his upset little girl!

Lynn’s Notes:

My husband was certainly capable of remodeling the kitchen, but it might have taken years. In order to keep the marriage stable, we decided to get help. The dismantling, however, we did ourselves.

Unless John has hidden talents we are not privy too, I see no way in which this can end well.

No your not, don’t lie because you want to be cheap

He might have some skills and knowledge, but he probably doesn’t have the time and he most likely doesn’t know the latest standards and code requirements. I’m always wary of buying a house where the owners did most of the work themselves in their spare time.

Great, if the sink gets a toothache, you’re the one to call all right . . LOL!

If their is a leak, do a “roof canal”!

This comes under those famous Tombstone Last Words like: “Trust me, I’m a professional !” and “Hold my beer and watch this !”

I’m a professional accountant. That doesn’t mean I’m about the fix the electricity!

What a first class jerk. Honestly how did Elly marry this nitwit? I’m surprised he even stays in his dental business. He must have lawsuits up the yahoo. Elly better tell him NO WAY!!! RIGHT NOW otherwise she’s going to end up with a kitchen she can’t use. I’ve heard this story many times about men who start a bathroom renovation and then lose interest and there it sits unusable, but they at least have another bathroom. The wife nags him to finish but he’ll get to it “someday.” But you only have one kitchen, so tell him to forget this utterly brainless stupid idea!

I always figured dentists were just like woodworkers except on a tiny scale.

It’s actually more fun to try to figure the age, maturity and martial status of the people posting comments than the cartoon itself provides, at times. I am a 70 year old male and have been ‘happily married for 39 years (and, no, that’s not a Henny Youngman joke!) I speak with a certain amount authority that, unless you are a licensed contractor, you are deluding yourself, but probably NOT your spouse, when you say," I can do this, how hard can it be?"

The cost analysis is as follows: Cost of Renovation by Homeowner + Cost of Repairing Attempts by Homeowner + Cost of Actual Renovation + Usual 25% overrun on Estimate by Professional = Total Cost! Added to that, on occasion, is “Cost of Marriage Counseling/ Divorce”.

More divorces resulted from Home renovations than from infidelity, in my humble opinion – it’s just that the courts don’t allow “Stupidity” as an argument for divorce, usually.

The money you save doing it yourself, will be spent, along with even more, to have someone else fix your mess.

But wrong profession.

Lynn’s notes:

My husband was certainly capable of remodeling the kitchen, but it might have taken years. In order to keep the marriage stable, we decided to get help. The dismantling, however, we did ourselves.

Yyyooouuuu’llll…beee…sssoooorrrrryyyy…..

All problems aside, he is fortunate to have married Elly. He could have married some trophy wife who would say something to the effect of “I don’t care if you need the kitchen remodeled, I must have the dress, I must have the cosmetics, I must have the jewelry.”"

This will not end well.