Tim Dowling's DIY philosophy is clear: First Do Nothing. He admits that none of the maintenance issues he faced this year fixed themselves, but many became irrelevant. A collapsed brick wall is now hidden by ivy, a partially collapsed pergola remains as is since the wisteria died, and a stuck garden door temporarily fixed itself before fusing shut again. Dowling argues this does not disprove his approach.
Temptation to Act
Despite his principles, Dowling occasionally contemplates action. He has thought about taking an axe to the pergola and watched beginner bricklaying videos, but he knows from past experience that his interventions often cause harm. These urges remain idle until his wife and he decide to install an electric car charger.
The installation process proves labyrinthine. After paying a large sum, Dowling must upload photos of the proposed site and fuse box. Then the company requests a video showing the route between the two. His wife makes the video, and he deliberately produces a poor hand-drawn floor plan, thinking, 'I don't work for you people.'
The Trowel Solution
Waking early the next day, Dowling finds his trowel and heads to the stuck garden door. He slides the trowel blade between the frame and latch, and the door opens easily. The latch doesn't retract fully, so the trowel provides the needed boost. He considers removing the strike plate and chiseling the wood but decides to keep the trowel handy instead.
A week later, an electrician arrives and is immediately unhappy, seeing no obvious cable route between the charger site and fuse box. He suggests unsightly trunking along the walls, which Dowling's wife would reject. Dowling proposes running the cable under the house, through the wall, and out the garden door—a shorter route with no trunking. The electrician agrees but notes they'll need to lift floorboards.
Floorboard Removal
The first board comes up easily, revealing brick piers supporting the house—a sight that unsettles Dowling. The second board is longer and securely nailed; prying it with a screwdriver only cracks it. The electrician suggests levering from both sides, so Dowling fetches his trowel. 'A trowel?' the electrician asks. 'It's good for everything,' Dowling replies.
When Dowling's wife returns home, they are on their knees pulling up board number four, still searching for a clear cable path. 'You've removed the sitting room floor, I see,' she observes. The electrician peers under with his phone torch and finds a joist in the way. Dowling points to another board, and the electrician shrugs. Dowling slides his trowel between two boards and presses down, thinking, 'We're a long way from First Do Nothing.'
