My neighbor walked over while I was building a birdhouse and said 'you're doing it wrong'

I was out on my porch last Sunday trying to nail together this cedar birdhouse kit I got for $12 at the hardware store. This older guy from three doors down just strolled into my yard without saying hi first. He pointed at my hammer grip and told me I was gonna split the wood holding it that way. Honestly he was right, I was choking up too high and the nails kept bending. He showed me a different angle and the whole thing went together in like 20 minutes flat. Has anyone else had a random neighbor give unsolicited but actually useful DIY advice?

3 comments

3 Comments

rowan96913d ago

Is it weird that I kinda wish more neighbors would give me unsolicited advice? I feel like everyone's too scared to talk to each other these days. A little help can go a long way.

ryan_barnes13d ago

Yeah @rowan969, I feel you on that. People keep to themselves way too much now.

taylor.reese13d ago

and honestly @rowan969, i think you're ON to something. People act like unsolicited advice is always some kind of attack these days, but a lot of times it's just someone trying to look out for you. Like, my neighbor saw me struggling with a gutter cleaning ladder situation once and just yelled over "hey, you're gonna hurt yourself doing it that way" and showed me a better trick. Saved me a trip to the ER probably. We've gotten so scared of offending someone that we've lost that basic community thing where people actually help each other out. it's like everyone's walking on eggshells in their own neighborhoods and it's honestly kinda sad.