Every one of us wants to have our own home. However, maybe not all of us are willing to do the dirty work when it comes to home repairs. There are several reasons for this.
You may not have the right tools to do the repairs, or you simply don’t know how to do it. Whatever your reason is, you should remember that owning a home comes with responsibilities. That means taking care of it the best way you know how.
Preparing Yourself for DIY Projects
Many DIY home repairs can easily be done even if you have very little knowledge and experience. It would help a lot though if you read a lot of articles or watch video tutorials so you can get a basic understanding of how to do things properly, for example if you are installing a new water heater, regulations you should learn and how to do things safely.
Remember that you should exercise extreme caution when handling tools and doing repairs that have anything to do with electricity. So learn as much as you can first before tackling the repair on your own.
Building Your Toolbox
You may not feel so confident about doing DIY projects at home because you don’t have the right tools. This would be a perfect time to build your toolbox so that you have everything you need.
Yes, it can get quite expensive to buy tools in one go. It’s okay to buy only the tools that you need for now and then add others as the need arises. Another solution for this is to borrow from your good neighbor. You may even get some good advice about repairs if you do.
Once you have the necessary tools, you can begin your project. Here are some of the common DIY home repairs that you should know as a homeowner.
Loosening a Stuck Window
This problem usually occurs when you haven’t opened the window for some time. Dirt can accumulate, making it a challenge to open the window. Loosening a tight window is not very hard to repair.
Prepare some lubricating agent such as elbow grease or WD-40. But before using any lubricating agent, do some research about when it should or shouldn’t be used to be sure. Also prepare a pizza cutter or putty knife, your cleaning supplies, and a rag.
Using the pizza cutter or putty knife, pry you window sash from its frame. This allows you to wiggle open the edges. Once the window moves, you can open it. You can then thoroughly clean it to remove the dirt that have accumulated and caused it to stick.
Patching Drywall Holes
It is almost unavoidable to have drywall holes. The great thing about this issue is that it is very easy to fix. You don’t have to call a handyman or spend too much money to have your wall repaired.
Among the holes that are easiest to fix are those where nails or screws used to be. To cover the holes, you first have to clean the surrounding area of the holes as well as wipe the wall.
Prepare your putty knife and spackle paste. Using your putty knife, press some of the paste on the wall and allow it to dry. Once the wall is dry, get sandpaper so you can sand it to make the wall flat and smooth. This might be too intimidating a task for some, and there will always be certain things you will have to call on the help of experts for such as garage door repairs and replacements, just make sure to hire a professional and credible company in these instances.
Clearing a Clogged Garbage Disposal
When you’re choosing a garbage disposer and find the one you think will be best for you, you often hope nothing ever goes wrong with it but this can sometimes be unrealistic… Fixing a clogged garbage disposal can be quite scary. It is a machine with blades that can harm you if you are not careful. But if the need arises and you have to face this machine, know that it is actually easy to clear a clogged garbage disposal.
The first thing you have to do is to unplug the garbage disposal from the power outlet. This way, you can avoid any mishaps from happening while you are fixing it. When the power is cut, you can then take hold of an Allen wrench.
This tool is what you will use so you can make adjustments to the flywheel which is found inside the garbage disposal. To adjust it, locate the center hole found at the bottom of the garbage disposal. Put the wrench in the hole and rotate it. By doing this, you can loosen some of the food that has been jammed inside.
Conclusion
These are the most common issues that homeowners encounter. It is important to know some of the basic steps so that you can fix them yourself, especially if you can’t get help. Nevertheless, if you can reach out to home repair services, it is still better to hire a professional.
Getting a professional to do home repairs will ensure that all problems are fixed and that you will have a long-term solution. But having some understanding and basic knowledge of home repairs is good because you may encounter them in the middle of the night when no one can help you with it. You can rely on yourself to remedy the problem until you can call a professional in the morning.
Ezra is a recent graduate from Mindanao State University with a degree of Entrepreneurial Marketing. Soon after she graduated, began researching and doing copywriting work for AllianceWood.com. The topics she mainly writes are about real estate, home improvements and interior design.
