As a homeowner, you have a huge responsibility on your shoulders. Not only must you pay on your mortgage every month, but you must also keep your home in functioning order. There are a number of common home repair projects that can really stress out your wallet. Fortunately, there are also many home repair projects that you can do yourself, as long as you are willing to roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty. These are some simple repairs that every homeowner should learn how to do:
Simple Paint Jobs
You can spend hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars on just one area of your home if you hire professionals to do a paint job. You can also do paint jobs yourself, and just as well as any team of professionals, as long as you commit the time and energy to doing it the right way. When it comes to painting, the prep work is the bulk of the job. Prepare the area to be painted by removing the furniture from the space (or at least covering it), covering the floors with plastic, and taping off all the trim, window sills, door jambs, and other architectural elements that you don’t want to get paint on. Use edging tools or paint brushes to paint the places where the walls meet the ceilings, and rollers (or sprayers) to fill in the large areas.
Caulking
Consider caulk your go-to for most basic home repair jobs. Whether you need to seal a leaky space under the toilet, fill in cracks around windows that can leak air, reseal around your louvers, or repair holes in PVC piping, caulk is the magic bullet for you. Fortunately, caulk is also cheap and relatively easy to use. Purchase your caulk and a caulking gun at your local home improvement store, load up your gun, and squeeze the trigger. Use your fingers to work caulk into tighter spaces when necessary.
Unclogging Your Toilet
You don’t have to run to the plumber every time you face this common problem. Simply purchase a toilet plunger and commit to using it until the job is done. To put a toilet plunger to work for you, put the bowl of the plunger into the toilet bowl, right over the hole where the liquid drains. Push the plunger down until the bowl suctions over the hole, and then pull the plunger up rapidly to suck the clogging contents out of the drain. Once the clog comes up, flush the toilet right away to send it back down the drain (hopefully for good). Repeat this process until the toilet is unclogged.
Home repairs don’t have to require the assistance of a professional. Save your money and do your repair work yourself. Start with these simple fixes.
