History Main / DoOmitYourself

* [[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep Dad]] from ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents'' does this. Sometimes it works, ([[MacGyvering making a computer out of an old TV, a hamster wheel, a typewriter, and a]] ''[[NoodleImplements plastic milk crate]]'') sometimes it doesn't.

* ''ComicStrip/{{Crabgrass}}'': In [[https://www.gocomics.com/crabgrass/2019/06/19 this comic]], after his mom refuses to buy Miles a pair of shoes that light up when you walk, his dad offers to make some. Knowing how this is going to end, Miles begs his dad not to, but to no avail. Indeed, the resulting shoes are outright ridiculous, much to the amusement of Kevin.

* Creator/JackPrelutsky takes this to comically exaggerated heights in his poem "[[http://www.steveshapero.com/IWishMyFatherWouldntFixThings.pdf I Wish My Father Wouldn't Fix Things Anymore]]." (note: PDF link) Everything the father in question fixes works after a fashion, but not in quite the intended way--for instance, a toaster that previously didn't pop now pops even when disconnected.

* Bernard Cribbins' "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8Ybkj7oLJU Right Said Fred]]" is a farce about three removal men trying to shift an unidentified piece of furniture and making increasingly drastic bodges until Fred ends up [[EpicFail knocking a ceiling down]] on [[TooDumbToLive top of his head]].

* Even the most tech-savvy can fall victim to this, as [[http://xkcd.com/349/ this]] ''Webcomic/{{xkcd}}'' strip shows.

* When UsefulNotes/{{Bitcoin}} became popular, people began to make computers specifically to "mine" them, resulting in [[https://davidgerard.co.uk/blockchain/2017/12/11/bitcoin-mining-accidents-2017-updated-version-with-photos/ frankensteinian "mining rigs"]]. Sadly, people have been [[http://web.archive.org/web/20110614072912/http://www.bitcoinminingaccidents.com/?p=271 permanently injured]] or [[https://www.news.com.au/finance/money/investing/bitcoin-miner-killed-in-grisly-accident-after-computer-breaks-down/news-story/8a2f2041948fced5f4a7511b40af6d8e even killed]] in [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome "mining accidents"]].

* Roger makes a habit of this in ''ComicStrip/FoxTrot''. In his best effort, he manages to burn his silhouette onto the wall while trying to light the furnace. It's even been invoked on at least one occasion; Jason convinced him to make his own homemade wine (to predictably disastrous results) after he'd been banned from playing ''VideoGame/DiabloII''.

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* ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'': Calvin occasionally tries to fix things around the house (including more than one ill-fated plumbing incident), and usually ends up causing more destruction than when he tries to destroy things.

* A NoodleIncident in the ''Webcomic/KillLaKillAU'' fanfic, ''Breaking and Entering'', mentions something like this happening to Ragyo. She tried to fix a microwave and got a screwdriver in her hand for her trouble.
* This is the reason for the horrible broken-down state of the ''FanFic/AllGuardsmenParty'''s ship, the Occurence Border. The ship was carelessly treated by previous owners (a series of dumb or impressively unlucky Rogue Traders), and so not only is it half the length it should be (The prow fell off. Multiple times), the myriad failures in equipment have resulted in kludges kludged on top of other kludges, so absolutely ''nothing'' works as it's supposed to, and only the sticky notes put on everything by the resident engineers will give you any good directions (sometimes, at least). The ship is also very warp-tainted, and the most common fix for ''that'' is just to wall off the affected area. Tech-priests consider it an abomination in the eyes of the Omnissiah.

* OlderThanRadio: Jerome K. Jerome's ''Literature/ThreeMenInABoat (To Say Nothing of the Dog)'' features a brilliant story about Uncle Podger hanging a painting along these lines.

* Bree Pym decides to repaint her bedroom early in ''[[Literature/AuntDimity Aunt Dimity and the Lost Prince]]''. Unfortunately, she does so during a February cold snap and cannot open the windows for ventilation without risking freezing and/or bursting the plumbing pipes. This brings her to Lori's doorstep in hopes of a place to stay for a few days.
* In ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'', what Harrenhal probably needs to get fixed up properly is a major cash injection, mass evacuation, a good six or more decades of constant scaffolding and an army of masons, carpenters, blacksmiths, plasters, plumbers and all their suppliers. Failing that: ten years and a wrecking crew would do to start back at scratch. What it generally gets is... bodge jobs on a budget that never address any of its core issues because no lord it has had since Harren the Black built it can afford to anything else.

* ''Series/OurMissBrooks'': In "Do It Yourself", Mr. Conklin starts the plot in motion when he burns down his garage after a misguided attempt at fixing the electrical wiring.

* ''Series/TheRedGreenShow'' got a lot of mileage out of this trope. "If it ain't broke...you're not tryin'."

* ''Series/ItsAllRelative'' did this in one of its few episodes: the son-in-law to be breaks his fiancée's gay dads' fancy cappuccino machine, and ''his'' father tries (and fails) to fix it.
* In the ''Series/FawltyTowers'' episode 'Gourmet Night' Basil insists on fixing the car himself despite Sybil's orders, resulting (of course) in the car being unfit for use when he most needs it. Also the methods of the cowboy builder O'Reilly in 'The Builders', whose slogan is "no job too cheap".
* Endlessly on ''Series/TopGear'' -- the presenters have tried to build their own electric car, space shuttle[[note]]fortunately for Creator/TheBBC's public liability insurance premiums, the rocket stages accompanying the space shuttle were outsourced to people who actually knew what they were doing[[/note]], and "Mitsubishi Evo" (nee Renault Avantime), generally for less than the cost of the real thing.
** The ''Series/GroundForce'' crossover for [[UsefulNotes/ComicRelief Sports Relief]] involved applying this trope to ''somebody else's property.'' The only part that wasn't PlayedForLaughs was the reaction shot from Sir Steve Redgrave, the ''very'' burly Olympian who owned the place, who was ''not'' pleased (and had the presenters genuinely fearing that he'd punch one of them).
* The Creator/DIYNetwork's ''Series/RenovationRealities''.
** And inverted on fellow DIY show ''Series/DisasterHouse''. The point of that show is to take a house already scheduled for demolition and ''intentionally'' inflict all manner of calamities upon it until such time as they do something so bad to the house that the insurance company calls the whole building a write-off, at which point they tear it down as originally planned and start again with another house. After the anvil has been rolled down the staircase, the car has been driven through the garage at speed, the herd of sheep has finished their pooping session, the elephant has finished clogging the toilet, the indoor lucha libre match or roller derby has concluded, the sand castle has been [[StuffBlowingUp blown apart with C4,]] or the piano has been dropped through the roof, then and only then do they get around to undoing what their chaos has wrought. Discussions of what insurance will cover and pleas to leave things to the professionals due to the sheer scale of the disaster in question are common. (The thing that finally did in the first house, by the way: simulating ice and snow buildup with a garbage truck. Placed on the roof.)
* Carl on ''Series/FamilyMatters'' was infamous for being absolutely ''terrible'' with housework, yet determined to be a man and fix it himself to save a few bucks. A NoodleIncident involving a spice rack ended up with the family staying in a hotel for a week while professionals fixed the mess, just to give you an idea. He tried to install a shower for his mother and somehow ended up crossing the pipes so turning on the sink turned the shower off. ''That's'' how bad he is. He also almost burned the house down trying to fix a toaster, and his birdhouse was condemned by the Audubon Society. Perhaps more poignantly, he also electrocuted himself trying to fix a lamp and would have died if Steve Urkel hadn't performed CPR to save his life.
* The entire point behind ''Series/CanadasWorstHandyman'', a SpinOff of a similar [[Series/CanadasWorstDriver series for driving]]. Five handymen are taken to a building in need of renovation with the person that nominated them. They are given a series of challenges, ranging from making a worktable to installing a ceiling fan to installing disco balls. The show also includes several challenges where all five handymen are brought together to do a larger project. The end of each episode includes ‘Most Improved’ who leads the next group challenge and ‘The Worst’ who is given ‘homework’ to do with the host. At the end of a season, the host and two experts decide that season’s worst.

* ''Series/{{Emergency}}'' has an episode where the paramedic truck breaks down and the Paramedics decide to fix it themselves, much to the annoyance of the regular mechanic who doesn't appreciate them doing his job. Sure enough, the truck keeps breaking down which forces them to abort dispatches. The mechanic eventually solves the problem and the Station Captain bluntly tells the paramedics to leave future mechanical problems to him.
* ''Series/HannahMontana'': When Jackson learned how much plumbers usually charge for their work, he convinced his Dad to hire him for a smaller (but still big enough to convince Jackson) amount. Jackson's Dad was furious at the results and called a professional plumber. Surprisingly, the plumber concluded Jackson actually prevented something ''worse'' from happening and said Jackson could be a professional plumber.
* The cast of ''Series/MythBusters'' often does this on purpose, disabling safety features on the items they test in order to see how catastrophically they can fail. For example, in several myths involving water heaters, Adam and Jamie blocked off the safety valve so that the heater would explode once enough pressure built up.
* ''Series/TheFreshPrinceOfBelAir'': Judge Philip Banks was a highly respected attorney, and becoming a judge only improved his reputation. Unfortunately, he crossed into full BumblingDad mode whenever he tried to fix something around the house. His attempt at fixing the stove burned off his butler Geoffrey's eyebrows, his attempt at fixing the toaster caused Geoffrey to get hit in the eye with a piece of toast, his attempt at fixing the phone killed the line, and his attempt at fixing the sink caused a major leak.
* Frank Barone in ''Series/EverybodyLovesRaymond'' fancies himself as an ace repairman and handyman. As he is retired, his good intentions are focused on his son Ray and daughter-in-law Debra, who live just over the street. Frank's doom-it-himself blunders include alienating the whole street by using power tools at seven on a Sunday morning; destroying Debra's bathroom with a bodged repair on the shower; destroying both Marie's and then Debra's stoves with bodged kitchen repairs; painting Ray's house the wrong colour; and causing the stairs to collapse at Ray and Debra's.
* In one episode of ''Series/{{Coach}}'', Luther and Dauber try to install a new floor in Hayden's rec room (After their first, off-camera attempt resulted in a floor that was decidedly not level). They lose control of the cement mixer and in the final scene of the episode are part of the new floor, as the cement has risen above their ankles and hardened.
* Frank in ''Series/StepByStep'' closely follows the Tim Taylor model of home handyman studies; at one point he assembled a gas barbecue and had a few bits left over. They turned out to be parts of the regulator system which prevented the device from being launched across town trailing a huge fireball. He found that part out the hard way.

* ''Series/{{Fargo}}'': PlayedForDrama when Lester, a spiteful HenpeckedHusband, tries and fails to repair the washing machine himself. His wife belittles him for it, the argument escalates, and he murders her.
-->'''Pearl:''' You killed my washing machine!\\
'''Lester:''' ''[stammers]'' ...I was being a man.\\
'''Pearl:''' But you're not a man, Lester. You're not even half a man.
* On ''Series/GrandDesigns'', clients who try to save on money by being their own project managers inevitably end up causing delays and cost overruns due to their inexperience. Kevin [=McCloud=] always advocates for the hiring of proper professionals because the upfront costs are almost always cheaper than having to fix mistakes.

* Bernard Cribbins' "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8Ybkj7oLJU Right Said Fred]]" is a farce about three removal men trying to shift an unidentified piece of furniture and making increasingly drastic bodges until Fred ends up [[EpicFail knocking a ceiling down]] on [[TooDumbToLive top of his head]].

* Many episodes of ''Radio/ThePhilHarrisAliceFayeShow'' use this trope, from coloring Julius' hair with fabric dye, fixing the dishwasher with disastrous results, to buying a live steer to save money on steak (which it doesn't).
* Fibber of ''Radio/FibberMcGeeAndMolly'' often gets into projects of this type.
* One of Denis Norden's monologues on ''Radio/MyWord'' describes him repairing the light in the fridge himself, after he sees what the electician is charging. He's adamant that this was a success; the light now works. The boiling ice cubes are just an unfortunate side-effect.

* [[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep Dad]] from ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents'' does this. Sometimes it works, ([[MacGyvering making a computer out of an old TV, a hamster wheel, a typewriter, and a]] ''[[NoodleImplements plastic milk crate]]'') sometimes it doesn't.

* Creator/HannaBarbera character ''WesternAnimation/WallyGator'' also fell victim of this trope. Long story short: by the time he started believing a plumber would be needed, the zookeeper told him to call the coast guard instead.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheLooneyTunesShow'': "The Shelf" begins with WesternAnimation/BugsBunny refusing to pay the hardware store $20 to install a shelf, insisting he can do it himself. By the end of the episode, he has demolished his house.
* ''WesternAnimation/TazMania'': The entire plot of "Home Despair" as Taz attempts to repair a hole in the wall before his parents get home. [[NoFourthWall Hugh even notes that]] [[SelfDeprecation the writers couldn't think of anything else for the episode.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold'': The 'Mazing Man story in "Four Star Spectacular!" revolves around 'Mazing Man repeatedly demolishing and rebuilding a fireplace in an attempt to rescue a cat, with predictable results.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Dogstar}}'': In "The Quick and the Dog", Zeke attempts to fix the food synthesizer. It results in him and Alice being drenched in dog food.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons''. Homer is a frequent offender, with most of his DIY work falling asunder in short order. Of note is the time he tried to build a barbecue pit and instead, he wound up creating a jumbled mess that ends up getting mistaken for a modern art sculpture.
-->'''Nelson:''' (After Bart wipes out on a bike Homer tried to put together himself) Ha-ha! Your dad's not handy!
** In "Hurricane Neddy", all of Springfield comes together to help rebuild the Flanders house after it's destroyed in a hurricane, only to predictably end up with an unlivable hovel that collapses right after the grand tour is done, since none of them have any sort of construction experience on top of their usual incompetence and stupidity. This ends up being the straw that breaks the camels back, causing Ned to erupt into a massive TheReasonYouSuckSpeech for the whole town, the end result of bottling up all his negative emotions since childhood.
* In the ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'' episode "Home Spun", Lincoln cites this as one of the reasons the Loud family's house is in such a bad state.
* ''WesternAnimation/BatPat'': Martin, the oldest of the 3 Silver Kids, may be smart, but he is terrible at building stuff (unlike his younger brother Leo, who is a GadgeteerGenius).
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}'': In "The Pirate Light", Grandpa Lou keeps a list of all the times Stu's injured himself doing home repairs. According to Lou, Stu [[NoodleIncident somehow managed to get]] "nine stitches and a case of pinkeye" from changing a refrigerator light-bulb.
* WesternAnimation/BoJackHorseman attempted to fix up his family's old vacation home in Michigan. Suffice to say, his neighbor eventually bails him out.
* ''WesternAnimation/ClassicDisneyShorts'': The WesternAnimation/{{Goofy}} short "Home-Made Home" has Goofy bumbling his way through putting together a pre-fab house. Despite struggling with such hazards as sheet glass and a rogue paint sprayer, he somehow manages to finish the house, but [[{{Bizarrchitecture}} the exterior is garishly-decorated in clashing designs]]. Not to mention [[TheAllegedHouse the place ends up falling apart]] thanks to the guests at Goofy's housewarming party getting a little too rowdy.
* ''WesternAnimation/DextersLaboratory'': "A Dad Cartoon" revolves around Dad spending a Saturday washing the family car. His attempts at doing so causes increasing damages to the car, with Dad saying he'll "clean it now, fix it later", until he finally loses his temper, throws all the damaged parts back into the car, and pushes it over a cliff. The ending reveals that the entire ravine is filled with cars that have suffered similar fates.
** Mom specifically refuses to let him indulge in this trope when the house wiring acts up, calling a professional electrician instead.
** Another episode shows Dad's idea of gardening, which mostly involves obsessively pruning any plant life in the garden down to the bedrock. Dee-Dee gives some of Dexter's plant growth formula to the plants just to give them a fighting chance, which ends up mutating them into plant monsters.

* ''WesternAnimation/DextersLaboratory'': "A Dad Cartoon" revolves around Dad spending a Saturday washing the family car. His attempts at doing so causes increasing damages to the car, with Dad saying he'll "wash now, fix later", until he finally loses his temper, throws all the damaged parts back into the car, and pushes it over a cliff. The ending reveals that the entire ravine is filled with cars that have suffered similar fates.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons''. Homer is a frequent offender, with most of his DIY work falling asunder in short order. Of note is the time he tried to build a barbecue and it got mistaken for a modern art sculpture instead.

* ''WesternAnimation/PatAndMat'' have it as their entire shtick.

* When UsefulNotes/{{Bitcoin}} became popular, people began to make computers specifically to "mine" them, resulting in [[https://davidgerard.co.uk/blockchain/2017/12/11/bitcoin-mining-accidents-2017-updated-version-with-photos/ frankensteinian "mining rigs"]]. Sadly, people have been [[http://web.archive.org/web/20110614072912/http://www.bitcoinminingaccidents.com/?p=271 permanently injured]] or [[https://www.news.com.au/finance/money/investing/bitcoin-miner-killed-in-grisly-accident-after-computer-breaks-down/news-story/8a2f2041948fced5f4a7511b40af6d8e even killed]] in [[RealityEnsues "mining accidents"]].

[[caption-width-right:350:[-[[MemeticMutation "Lower your car", they said. "It'll be]] ''[[MemeticMutation fun]]''[[MemeticMutation ", they said.]]-] ]]

* ''WesternAnimation/ClassicDisneyShorts'': The WesternAnimation/{{Goofy}} short "Home Made Home" has Goofy bumbling his way through putting together a pre-fab house. Despite struggling with such hazards as sheet glass and a rogue paint sprayer, he somehow manages to finish the house, but the exterior is garishly-decorated in clashing designs. Not to mention the place ends up falling apart thanks to the guests at Goofy's housewarming party getting a little too rowdy.

* One of Denis Norden's monologues on ''My Word'' describes him repairing the light in the fridge himself, after he sees what the electician is charging. He's adamant that this was a success; the light now works. The boiling ice cubes are just an unfortunate side-effect.

--> What we should have done - I knew it!
--> Was get someone in to do it.
--> We might as well have left the job alone.

* Roger makes a habit of this in ''ComicStrip/FoxTrot''. In his best effort, he manages to burn his silhouette onto the wall while trying to light the furnace.

It's an idea that you see often in {{Sitcom}}s: whenever a plumber/exterminator/repairman/whatever is needed for something around the house, the father (usually, but not always, a BumblingDad) almost ''always'' says something along the lines of, "You don't need to call a professional; I'll take care of it." Often, he enlists the help of one of his sons ([[AlwaysMale never a daughter]]). And HilarityEnsues as the attempt to economize [[YouGetWhatYouPayFor backfires horribly]].

Can result in a DIYDisaster, where a mechanical device's functions are switched around. For strictly plumbing related projects, see DoItYourselfPlumbingProject. Compare and contrast DuctTapeForEverything.

* ''WesternAnimation/ClassicDisneyShorts'': The WesternAnimation/{{Goofy}} short "Home Made Home" has Goofy bumbling his way through putting together a pre-fab house. Despite struggling with sheet glass and a paint sprayer, he somehow manages it, but the exterior is garishly-decorated in clashing designs. Not to mention the place ends up falling apart thanks to the guests at Goofy's housewarming party getting a little too rowdy.

* The end of [[this strip https://bobadventures.thecomicseries.com/comics/142/]] from ''Webcomic/TheInexplicableAdventuresOfBob''.

* The end of [[https://bobadventures.thecomicseries.com/comics/142/]] from ''Webcomic/TheInexplicableAdventuresOfBob''.

* The end of [[http://bobadventures.comicgenesis.com/d/20070508.html this strip]] from ''Webcomic/TheInexplicableAdventuresOfBob''.

* One of the WebAnimation/DumbWaysToDie is "Do your own electrical work." From the same vid, we get the guy who tried to teach himself how to fly. It ends as well as you expect.

* A Creator/DaveBarry column deals with the columnist's attempts to do this with his plumbing system. Highlights include "a spider the size of Mike Tyson" and Barry's assertion that the Roman Empire collapsed when they tried to install plumbing in it.[[note]]Romans got lead poisoning from ''plenty'' of sources, but lead pipes were not a major contributor — the lead in the pipes was quickly coated with a plaque made from minerals in the water. Using Lead(II) acetate as a sugar substitute, on the other hand...[[/note]] Dave Barry also has a DoomItYourself ''book'' called ''The Taming of the Screw''.

* ''''The WesternAnimation/WoodyWoodpecker Show'':

Can result in a DIYDisaster. For strictly plumbing related projects, see DoItYourselfPlumbingProject. Compare and contrast DuctTapeForEverything.

* WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}} mentions this with a kid Stu. According to Grandpa Lou, somehow, Stu managed to get, quote, "nine stitches and a case of pinkeye" from changing a refrigerator light-bulb.

It's an idea that you see often in {{Sit Com}}s: whenever a plumber/exterminator/repairman/whatever is needed for something around the house, the father (usually, but not always, a BumblingDad) almost ''always'' says something along the lines of, "You don't need to call a professional; I'll take care of it." Often, he enlists the help of one of his sons ([[AlwaysMale never a daughter]]). And HilarityEnsues as the attempt to economize [[YouGetWhatYouPayFor backfires horribly]].

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

[[folder:Web Comics]]

* In the ''Series/FawltyTowers'' episode 'Gourmet Night' Basil insists on fixing the car himself despite Sybill's ordes, resulting (of course) in the car being unfit for use when he most needs it.