I used to be annoyed by these realities as well. Now, I expect them. And of course, the world being as perverse as it is, once you become mentally prepared for the big distraction, it doesn't show up ;-)
I haven't done this sort of thing for maybe 25 years. Now that my S.O. knows about my skills, she dreams up new uses for them. Fortunately, projects seem to go a LOT smoother than I remember. "Remember the I35W bridge--who needs terrorists when there are Republicans"
I'd guess if you've been doing it for a while it gets to be more a case of 'This is probably going to happen, and then I'm going to solve it this other way.'
If it's all new, it's more of a challenge.
Also - tools. The professionals have the specialised tools, and they know which ones they need. If you're new to the game it's not obvious which tools are required, or even if they exist. (An obvious example being the tap spanner, which turns a horrendous under-the-sink job into something rather easier.)
