Interesting that you all have husbands to not complete projects. All I have to blame is me! So take that, picture frames in the boxes under my dining area table! Etc etc etc x infinity.
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Our property is 60 x 110, we hired a landscaper immediately after we bought it, to protect our marriage. I can’t imagine nagging about it on a weekly basis. I was a SAHM, which meant I did/do all of the cooking, cleaning, laundry, shopping, errands… I do make lists for him (I love lists, I love crossing things off), he doesn’t share my joy when chores are finished, he will literally leave three items in the sink when loading to dishwasher (out of eight, I’m a little ocd about dishes in the sink so it’s rare that he does it at all). We came from different backgrounds in the sense that his dad and stepmom (never met his birth mom, died in her early 50’s) have a little hoarder tendencies, my parents were a bit OCD ocd about their home, everything in its place.
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I’m definitely not blameless! I have so many partial needlepoints it’s not even funny. Stacks of books to donate…someday. Plus, I am working on Moms house…lots of partially completed tasks there!
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I have the opposite spouse of most of you. It actually can be pretty annoying. Once he starts a project he needs to finish it in a timely manor. Tools and clean up get done immediately, no sit down and relax a bit before cleaning up. We came home from a trip on Tuesday night after close to 24 hours of being awake. He starts unpacking his bag immediately. He bought a print on the trip, ordered a frame and it’s already on the wall. The things I purchased aren’t even put away.
This morning as I was getting dressed I glanced at a bolt of fabric I bought 25 years ago to make drapes for my bedroom. I’ve since purchased drapes but the fabric remains. Im much more the procrastinator in our house.
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One thing that has helped me a lot is to appreciate the wonderful things in my life and have serenity about the things I can’t change.
I have offered to hire someone to repair the windows (since I lack the requisite skill set) but after multiple rebuffs, have decided having the ductless A/C a great addition to our happy home.
Fortunately we both agree on most things and I can donate many items to the neighbor who is running garage sales nearly constantly to help fund their disabled kids’ private school tuitions. This helps us clear our home of clutter that can build up from abandoned projects, etc.
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When we pull up to the house after a vacation I bring the dirty laundry bag into the side door to the basement to get laundry started, then all of the bags must come into the house and go upstairs so I can then check the mail. If it were up to my husband it would stay in the vehicle for a week. We have more adults here this summer than cars do it’s a bit of a free for all, I was not a happy camper to see a bunch of random stuff in my minivan and sent H out to get his stuff. Fortunately I have 2 of my daughters home who are more like me, hopefully it’s enough to counter H and ds. They’re pretty type A.
I’m with you - still look at the slope down the side of my house that was supposed to have railroad tie stair steps - 23 years and nothing has happened. I do bring it up every now and then but he gives me a side eye. Same with the saw he wanted to add additional crown molding trim to some rooms upstairs, that 15 year old father’s day saw could bring in a pretty penny if I sold it.
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Best way I’ve found for my husband to work on a project is if I start doing it myself. Then he is there to “help” and offer suggestions. At that point, however, I’ve usually committed to doing it myself my way and I get annoyed.
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how much time do you have? LOL, seriously, I can’t even start to list it out because I’d be here all day and it’ll just make my blood pressure rise.
Suffice to say, I feel ya on this!
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Judging by the responses here, I should be counting my blessings because the shed is the only thing my husband has been putting aside! 
But it is a pile of giant pieces and takes up so much space inside the room!
Exactly, totally the way mine is. I have always blamed ADD. We have been in this house 40 years and it will never be done. And he IS old as in 80. And he has challenges post two major back surgeries, including stamina and pain. And he is now finally coming around to admitting he needs to hire a handy man. @@ He has always been a fabulous do it your selfer but…again, there are things undone or unfinished and he’ll sit here and start going on about yet another something he needs to do. There is zero point in me saying anything so I don’t. I mean seriously, I could write a book.
Reading through this thread…so many similarities (especially the cutting branches and not picking them up, or just leaving the tools out forever). Add to that my “almost engineer” husband CAN do just about anything, so g-d forbid we actually hire anyone to do anything…gah!
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My husband is textbook undiagnosed ADD (fortunately a couple of my kids are diagnosed). Every now and then I want to ask him to try ds’s meds (not really but it could be interesting).
So, a general question for all those lamenting the challenges from their husbands about not starting and/or completing projects. Not necessarily a suggestion on my part, btw, but what would happen if you just hired someone to do it? Assuming you have the financial means. Or if you threatened to hire someone to do it? E.g. “You’ve been saying you will do _____ for the last _____ years. It hasn’t happened, so I’m going to hire someone to do it.”
This scenario would never happen in my house because my dh is not a handy person at all.
I realize this may not be the most loving or mature way to handle this sort of situation. Just curious
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I may be frustrated by this quirk of my husband’s. He doesn’t see the mess and stuff will sit on the dining room table for literally months.
But he also doesn’t worry if I haven’t dusted for a while. Or the laundry piles up. Or if we decide that going for a hike or playing golf is more important than a clean house.
After almost 40 years, I’ll take the half baked projects. Because I’m used to it and he’s pretty easy to live with. Wouldn’t have it any other way
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I’ve been known to start projects and then need to hire someone to complete them. 
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Shout out to the other wives/partners of mechanical engineers!
Right now, the ramp to the beach and the boat rails have to be fixed at our second home. They were damaged by a very large tree that came floating down the cove in February. H will take care of both things this summer. I hope. He said today he’s ordering stuff for the ramp. He got sidetracked by a dinghy he found on Craig’s list. It needs some work done on it. “Great winter project!” he says, forgetting about the projects he was going to work on last winter that never got completed. (Fortunately found out from who he thought was the boat builder that it was probably made by someone stealing their design, so that’s off the table. Whew!)
We were camping last week. He was thinking and has decided to kind of build in a small wine fridge to go at the end of the kitchen island in our 5th wheel. Oh, and make an end-grain cutting board to fit above it. I am not at all sure when he’ll get around to it, given the zillion other things on his list.
Never mind the things we’ve been talking about for years to be done here at home. Carpet the front stairs, new floors/carpet in the FR, re-do the large cubbies and build in the large home wine fridge and add a bar cabinet for me.
This has obviously been building in me for a long time. He does really good work, he just has issues with priorities.
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H wants to have the windows done his way and is convinced no one can do it as well (he’s very good & meticulous so likely correct). I’m satisfied with my work-around of whole house A/C and importantly it helps all of our allergies.
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