I think it's interesting to compare Greenspun's attitude to Mike Rowe's recent Senate testimony about the lack of skilled workers in the trades in the US. Greenspun thinks that going to Home Depot and pulling weeds clutters the mind and prevents us from writing novels and building empires. Mike Rowe wishes that we weren't a nation of people who just left a check on the counter for the plumber.

I rented for years, and not being able to fix stuff when it broke (without losing the investment when we moved) drove me crazy. I feel a strong desire to maintain my own home, even though I know I'd do better financially hiring cheap labor to do the work while I go make money faster building an empire.