History Main / DoomItYourself

* One episode of ''WesternAnimation/SittingDucks'' had the main duck try to install a satellite TV dish by himself. Not only does [[HilarityEnsues Hilarity Ensue]], but his antics make the news, where the anchorman (Er, duck) refers to him as a 'hapless do-it-yourselfer'.

* It's not just dads who fall victim to this trope. Virtually everyone having to "make do" with a damaged implement in an emergency (or from lack of funds) can coax it to work with a little jury-rigging or PercussiveMaintenance, which makes the user think the problem is really fixed and continue using it without a proper repair. The latter is often what ''really'' destroys the implement in the end by aggravating the initial defect.
* 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 Doom It Yourself ''book'' called ''The Taming of the Screw''.
* Firearms enthusiasts have their own name for this; they will often describe a poorly or hideously modified gun as the work of "Bubba Gunsmith", or say that the gun has been "Bubba'd".
* If the dad in question is one of those "doesn't read the manual" types, this can very well turn into TruthInTelevision. Even if he gets it right, it almost always takes such an unexpected amount of time and money that it'd be easier to just hire a pro in the first place.
* The site [[http://thereifixedit.failblog.org/ There I Fixed It]] is built from this trope.
* College kids in dorm rooms also fall victim to this trope, especially when it's something the school's maintenance team doesn't repair. A little bit of duct-tape, some creative thinking, and....voila! Instantly fixed. Also an instant fire-hazard, but the joy of triumph overshadows anything else. At least for the next three days, until it breaks... again. [[FromBadToWorse And catches fire this time.]]
* In an [[RealLife IRL]] example, there's a common misconception that the notorious Red and Yellow Lights Of Death (or "RROD" and "YLOD") on the Xbox 360 and [=PS3=] (respectively) can be fixed by blasting the graphics chips on the systems with hot air from a heat gun, and many tutorials exist on Website/YouTube demonstrating how to "repair" your game console in this manner. The fact of the matter is that this is at best only a temporary fix, and in most instances it actually causes irreparable damage to the GPU's heat sensors and the system motherboard, to the point where even a professional may be unable to repair the system. Long story short: you should not be trying to repair a fried game console.
* With the release of Xbox One, a number of gullible users fell for an Internet hoax that gave a list of easy-to-follow instructions on how to make the console backwards compatible with Xbox 360. If you followed the instructions, you ended up putting the console into an infinite reboot loop that made it unusable.
* Upgrading a PC is ''usually'' simple enough to avert this trope, at least on the hardware side of things, but British gaming magazine ''PC Format'' once received the following letter (paraphrased from memory):
-->''Dear PC Format, I was in the middle of installing some more RAM when my flatmate walked up behind me and touched me on the shoulder. Suddenly ''the screen went blank'' and my PC has refused to boot up since. He'd been walking barefoot on the nylon carpet and might have picked up a static charge. Does he owe me for a new motherboard?\\
Yours, etc.''
** The correspondent received NoSympathy from the editors. In short, he was trying to install RAM while the system ''was still turned on.''
* The website [[http://www.darkroastedblend.com Dark Roasted Blend]] is ''chock full'' of this kind of stuff. Most of it is hilariously nightmarish -- the "Crazy Wiring" section will have you either rolling with laughter or cowering in terror.

* 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"]].

* 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.

** ''Treehouse Of Horror V'': In a parody of ''Literature/ASoundOfThunder'', Homer gets his hand stuck in the toaster (''twice!''), smashing it to pieces in a panic to get loose, and when he tries fixing it afterwards, he somehow managed to turn it into [[AchievmentInIgnorance a functional time machine!]] On a related note, Homers idea of "the right tools" to fix it involves using a rock to break open the casing.

** ''Treehouse Of Horror V'': In a parody of ''Literature/ASoundOfThunder'', Homer gets his hand stuck in the toaster (''twice!''), smashing it to pieces in a panic to get loose, and when he tries fixing it afterwards, he somehow managed to turn it into [[AchievmentsInIgnorance a functional time machine!]] On a related note, Homers idea of "the right tools" to fix it involves using a rock to break open the casing.

* ''Treehouse Of Horror V'': In a parody of ''Literature/ASoundOfThunder'', Homer gets his hand stuck in the toaster (''twice!''), smashing it to pieces in a panic to get loose, and when he tries fixing it afterwards, he somehow managed to turn it into [[AchievmentsInIgnorance a functional time machine!]] On a related note, Homers idea of "the right tools" to fix it involves using a rock to break open the casing.

* ''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.

* The infamous [[https://threader.app/thread/891475977183739905 "Groverhaus,"]] a 2006 attempt by [=SomethingAwful=] moderator Grover and his wife to expand their house entirely by themselves. While Grover had previously worked as a contractor, he was not experienced enough to take on a project this big, and the end result was a Frankensteinian mishmash of disparate ideas crudely built together with supplies bought from Lowe's and Home Depot. Among other things, the front entry was crammed into the edge of one of two staggered garages, the stairs were given unnecessary insulation and had an odd, purposelessly shallow cranny built right next to them, and the whole building was held up by a single support wall placed in the middle. The house was so poorly built that it failed to meet building code certifications-- leading Grover to acquire a certification license just so he could [[ScrewTheRulesIMakeThem approve the house himself]]. The DIY project became infamous among the [=SomethingAwful=] userbase for just how poorly executed the whole affair was, with the state of the Groverhaus becoming [[MemeticMutation the subject of memes]] on the site; Grover eventually shut down the thread that detailed the construction process as a result.

-->''Dear PC Format,I was in the middle of installing some more RAM when my flatmate walked up behind me and touched me on the shoulder. Suddenly ''the screen went blank'' and my PC has refused to boot up since. He'd been walking barefoot on the nylon carpet and might have picked up a static charge. Does he owe me for a new motherboard?\\

* ''Series/DoctorWho'': The Doctor, in all his incarnations, has a pathological dislike of manuals of any description or for any item. Being the MrFixit of the universe, this should actually make you worry a bit, as it can blow up spectacularly in his face. And, everybody else's. Still... he does manage to gaffer-tape up the worst of any mess you stick him near in imaginative, and often, innovative ways. Even if he caused the mess in the first place.

* Film/TheThreeStooges are pretty much the kings of this trope. One short has them building a dream house for their wives, which ends up being something out of a Picasso painting with a set to stairs leading to nowhere and a door on its side.

* Nala from WebComic/DeanNalaVinny decides that as a Scotsman, Dean must have a set of bagpipes. She makes it herself with garbage bags, string, a water spout, and the most important [[https://www.instagram.com/p/Cpnv4-uPRop/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= material]]: