I know I wouldn't have been able to do it. I wouldn't even know what to do! He can figure out how to close an inch-wide gap between the doorframe and the floor. The kind of materials to use. There's a lot of things to know. He had good ideas on using covers for pipes going into walls. He knows the kind of paint to use on bathroom ceilings that will resist moisture.

So it isn't just the work, it's also all the decision making, and also knowing that it will be done WELL, and I can leave him alone in the house for the day. You hear so many bad stories about contractors ripping people off, or doing a shoddy job. (Like when this house was initially build, you can see it was just slapped together. Nothing lines up. Like, one edge of the front door scrapes against the top of the frame, while there are gaps everywhere else.)

I also need to ask him about winterizing one of the rooms - maybe even ripping up the wall to put the insulation inside.

And yes, New York is very expensive. Using a Cost of living calculator, the equivalent of $20 in Phoenix should be $34 in my borough of NY (not Manhattan).

My biggest obstacle is that I have a great amount of respect for people who do what I can't. And the home maintenance stuff - I wouldn't know how to do, I really don't want to, and I just plain wouldn't. I'd rather do several hours of my work than an hour of house work. (And I make more than $20/hr. And I get benefits, vacation, sick pay, health insurance, employment insurance, commuter benefits, etc.) It always strikes me as so unfair - the nicer the jobs, the more perks it has, and the more pay. LOL, so the real problem here is: socialist meets reality.

This thread helps to assuage my concerns.