Did your Dad think of himself as a handyman, but everything he built was crooked, cracked or it fell apart?

nope; father is one of the best, most respected, most liked, etc. contractors around here. was a licensed carpenter before that, and owned & operated the best autobody/paintshop in the county before that (most of ones doing it now originally learned the trade from him). There's very little that he can't do/excel at...