Finally got my patio lights wired up after 3 failed attempts

I've been trying to get string lights across my backyard for like 6 months now. First try I used those cheap hooks from the hardware store and they fell down in a week. Second time I tried screwing into the fence but hit the neighbor's side by accident. Third time I tried a metal pole and it bent over in a storm. This past Saturday I finally did it right. Used actual eye bolts into the house and a 10ft pressure treated post cemented into the ground on the other side. Took me like 4 hours and I had to rent a post hole digger from Home Depot for $35. But now the lights are up and they actually look nice. Has anyone else had a dumb simple project turn into a whole weekend thing?

4 comments

4 Comments

karen_sanchez491mo agoMost Upvoted

Went through pretty much the same thing with my backyard last spring. I swear I was out there for three weekends straight trying to get a pergola shade up. First I got the wrong size hooks, then I broke a drill bit on a knot in the wood. Finally just gave up and drilled some eye bolts into the fence posts with my neighbor's permission. Now it looks great but man I wanted to throw the whole project away a couple times.

emmaclark1mo ago

Isn't that kind of making do instead of actually solving the problem though? I think @karen_sanchez49 nailed it by sticking with it and getting the right setup in the end, even if it took some frustration.

vera_robinson361mo ago

Oh come on, I read an article just last week about how half the battle with DIY projects is just getting through the frustration phase. It's not about making do, it's about working with what you've got at the time. Karen's story sounds pretty normal to me honestly. Sometimes you gotta switch up your plan on the fly because the hardware store doesn't have what you actually need or you just hit a wall. The end result is what counts, and if it looks good and stays up then that's a win in my book. People get too hung up on doing things the "right" way when there's usually a dozen ways to get the same job done.

diana6171mo ago

I mean you say that @emmaclark but the real hidden win here is that after three failures you now basically have a masterclass in fasteners and load testing for free. Nothing teaches you like your own screwups, honestly.