If you own a home, you can expect to spend a fair bit of money on maintenance. It’s not exactly ideal, but you can reduce those expenditures by learning some DIY skills yourself. Buckle your tool belt and get ready, because these are three home repairs you really need to know how to do on your own.
Unclogging a Toilet
Yes, clogged toilets are gross. It doesn’t matter if you clogged it or if it was someone else in your house, it’s still an unpleasant thing with which you are going to have to deal. Calling out a plumber for this mess isn’t just expensive, it’s embarrassing – and fortunately, you can avoid it by doing the job yourself.
Luckily, this one doesn’t take a whole lot of skill. Get a plunger for the easy stuff and an auger for the tough stuff. In a worst-case scenario, you should be able to take care of the clog with some detergent, some hot water, and a lot of patience. If you can’t solve the problem with those basic tools, you can at least feel confident that you really did need a plumber’s help.
Changing a Lock
At some point, you’re probably going to want to change a lock. You might be moving out, decide you want something that’s a little safer, or you might even get bored. This is actually a super-easy repair because it doesn’t actually involve skill. If you can use a screwdriver, you can remove most locks and have them switched out in a few minutes. Can you call a professional for this one? Sure, but you definitely don’t need to do so if you’re willing to pick up the new lock yourself.
Note that there are plenty of different types of locks and doors out there, so make sure you check out some resources before tackling this sort of job. You need to be able to change out some basics locks – if you’re looking for real security, that might mean calling out the professionals.
Basic Appliance Repair
Some types of appliance repairs just involve heading out to the Appliance Parts Pros, picking up a part, and plugging them in. Other repairs are a little more difficult and require reading an old manual and then visiting the Appliance Parts Pros. It’s a really good idea for you to learn how to assess the difficulty level of an appliance repair and take care of the easy stuff on your own. There are few things more frustrating than calling a repair specialist to come out to your home and watching them spend five seconds fixing a problem, so avoid that situation by learning how to do it yourself.
If you can deal with these three basic home repairs, you’ll avoid some expensive service calls and feel pretty handy. Though you may not be able to do everything, tackling the small stuff really should be an expectation. The more you can do on your own, the less time you’ll have to spend waiting for professionals to do the repair work for you.
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