A father killed himself after cutting a piece of skirting board too short while carrying out DIY at home, an inquest has heard.
Gerald Nutbeen, 62, took a fatal overdose as he could not cope with having botched the job, a coroner was told.
The father-of-five, from Southampton, left post-it notes in the kitchen explaining what he was going to do.
A coroner recorded a verdict of suicide and said the DIY problem had been the final straw.
Gerald Nutbeen, 62, took a fatal overdose as he could not cope with having botched the job, Winchester Coroner’s Court heard
Assistant coroner for Central Hampshire, Simon Burge, said: ‘It seems the trigger was simply a DIY that went wrong.
‘That is something most of us can relate to – it is very, very frustrating.
‘I have heard of his low self-esteem and lost confidence. He was fed up with life and felt useless.
‘It is not difficult to see how that could push someone close to the edge.’
The inquest heard Mr Nutbeen, an unemployed gardener, was found wrapped in a blanket at the bottom of his garden.
He had been suffering from depression and minor setbacks would upset him, the hearing in Winchester was told.
His son Dale said: ‘Cutting the skirting board short, that sort of thing got him down. He was angry with himself. It would have affected him and played on his mind.’
On the evening of his death, Mr Nutbeen and his wife of 43 years, Tina, had been arguing and she had decided to stay at her daughter’s house nearby.
Mrs Nutbeen said: ‘He used to breed budgies and if one died it would take him days and days to get over it. If a fish died in the pond it would depress him.
‘Little things used to get to him. His self-esteem and his confidence was not good.’
PC Matthew Jones, who was called to the scene the following day and confirmed there were no suspicious circumstances, said: ‘He looked like he was asleep. He looked very peaceful.’
Coroner Mr Burge added: ‘There is no-one else to blame. There was no way of knowing what he was going to do.
‘The post-it notes make it clear that at the moment they were written he wanted to die.
‘He hadn’t planned it. It is important that the record shows that this gentleman had a loving and supportive family.’
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