How old was everyone when you did your first mirror? Did you have the help (or the hindrance?) of your parents?
I did mine when I was 12. My parents were pretty amazed. I did it pretty much on my own, though I had some help from my dad in the silvering (he had chemistry lab experience, though he had never done silvering). (My dad otherwise was quite unhelpful... most of his suggestions turned out to be counterproductive).
I did not get a telescope that I was actually happy with, though, until I was 18, mostly because of trouble making a decent mount.
Mike