What are terms for a person who makes things work (and improves upon) by fixing, modifying, or creating only from spare parts because they are poor?

Question

What are some names, labels, terms, slang, and/or figures of speech; for a person who (can quickly and 100% dependably) makes things (devices, systems, machines, processes, etc.) work (not only successfully performs original functionality but always improves upon in many ways, such as: extended functions, added functions, reduction in necessary time and/or energy required for operation, increased user-friendliness/comfort/ease-of-use, aesthetics, etc.) by the act(s) of fixing, modifying, and/or creating from scratch; only from scraps, spares, parts, and/or pulls that are readily available, because:

(any, all, or combination of)

1. no time nor money is available to procure a replacement
2. no time nor money is available to procure original replacement parts
3. no time nor money is available to procure non-original but well-suited new parts

..?

Phrases such as "problem solver" or "critical thinker" are not necessarily what I am searching for, as these examples are a bit too "general" or "generic" in that they are used so commonly that the talent/skill/expertise I am seeking to define as something unordinary and priceless is watered-down into banality.

MacGyver aired for seven years on broadcast television simply showcasing the character's unique abilities that solved multiple critical issues all at the same time. What would MacGyver's resume look like? I don't think anyone would understand his abilities if it simply stated phrases like: "works well under pressure", "quick and efficient", "thinks outside of the box"...

So the answers I am seeking, would be closely related to the interdisciplinary skills on the MacGyver character's resume, but in the context of my original question.

Thank you in advance to anyone that devotes any thought to this question.

Answer 1

Improviser fits your criteria, except that it doesn’t incorporate poverty.

William R. Compton, in his book about the Apollo Program, said of Apollo 13, "Only a heroic effort of real-time improvisation by mission operations teams saved the crew."

After an explosion, the Apollo 13 crew needed to find a way to remove carbon dioxide from their cabin. One astronaut not on the mission worked in a mock-up of the cabin to use what was available to solve parts of the problem, including using items such as the cover of a manual. Other ground crew contributed. Great story, great movie (there’s more than one).

Details here.

Answer 2

The term DIYer (from DIY, short for "do it yourself") might work.

Cambridge defines it as:

someone who decorates or repairs their home, or makes things for their home, rather than paying someone else to do it for them

Collins defines it as:

a person who builds or repairs things for himself or herself, usually in the home

Answer 3

bricoleur has the meaning:

One who makes from whatever is available.

The word could be used figuratively of someone with mechanical or engineering aptitude who improvises using parts on hand, whatever they find on the shelves in their workshop.

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/bricoleur#:~:text=bricoleur%20(plural%20bricoleurs),using%20whatever%20materials%20are%20available.

But it doesn't connote elegance of design, simplicity of design, improvement or extension of functionality that you seem to be looking for as well. For that tinkerer might work, as a kind of understatement, since people who tinker with things often improve them, substituting random parts on hand that might actually perform better than the original design or work more reliably.

You may need to enlist the services of an adjective. You could call someone an inventive tinkerer to imply that they don't just kludge things together but that they find clever novel ways to improve devices that already exist, or to combine features of existing devices in order to devise something to meet a new need.

My neighbor is such a guy. He is a talented machinist with extensive training in electronics as well, and he has worked for years in the fabrication department of a multi-national corporation, making all kinds of gizmos the company needed when a ready-made device didn't exist.