Read these repairing and maintenance tips to save money on any home repairs you may need.
Owning a home takes a lot of commitment and responsibility.Nearly anyone can buy a home, but it takes a responsible homeowner to maintain it. However, it’s understandable why people fall behind.
Home repairs are expensive. For example, plumbers cost anywhere from $45 to $200 an hour! That money adds up fast.
We’re not suggesting you bite off bigger jobs than you can chew, nor that you should put yourself at risk by attempting something you’re not qualified for, such as any electrical work.
However, there are a lot of repairing and maintenance projects around the house you’re more than capable of doing! Doing these little projects yourself will save you loads of money in the long run!
Keep reading for 12 repairings and maintenance tips you can apply around the house.
Home Repairing and Maintenance Tips to Save You Money
These tips will not only save you money by avoiding hiring out small jobs, but it could improve your home’s market value if you choose to sell later! Additionally, keeping up on these small projects around the house helps prevent more expensive repairs in the future.
1. Fill Out a Patchy Lawn
Whether it’s for your sense of satisfaction or you’re looking to improve your curb appeal, filling out a patchy lawn is easier than you think. You also don’t need to hire a landscaping crew to do it for you.
Figure out what your lawn needs by trial and error. Start with some extra water, then advance to fertilizers or even grass seed.
2. Refinish Your Floors
If you have wood floors, you know that they get scuffed up and lose their lacquer over time. However, you can rebuff and refinish them yourself, making them shine again.
You just need to sand the existing finish off of them (we suggest an electric sander) and then add whatever finishing agent you want!. If you choose to stain, make sure you add a sealant as well.
3. Get Your Roof Repaired Before It Needs Replacing
While you won’t necessarily be able to do this yourself, it’s wise to get your roof repaired ahead of time, rather than replacing it for much more money down the road.
A roof repair is much less expensive and can give you roof an additional decade or more of life! The roofing cost for each project varies, so make sure you do your research first.
4. Resealing the Bathroom
Around the sink, sealant keeps it from getting into the vanity. Around the shower and bathtub, sealant keeps water from getting into the walls and floors. The sealant is very important.
As the sealant starts to wear down, scrape it out and apply new silicone caulk for simple repairing and maintenance.
5. Replace Weather Stripping
Around your doors, the weatherstripping starts to get torn up, especially if you have impatient animals who claw at it. However, weatherstripping is as easy to fix as pealing it off and replacing it with a new strip. It can be found at any home improvement store.
6. Deodorize Smelly Appliances
The convenience appliances we own in our homes that require water, such as our clothes washer and dishwasher, often develop a funk over time. However, deodorizing them is one of the easiest home repairing and maintenance tricks.
All you need to do is remove food scraps (from the dishwasher) and run a special cleaner through either machines cycle.
7. Fix Small Leaks
If you have a burst pipe spraying water everywhere, you won’t be able to fix it yourself. However, if you have a few small leaks in pipes under sinks, no problem.
Turn the house water off, and fix them yourself. All you need to do is add more sealant to the joints where the pipes leak. Unscrew the pipe connection, add new sealant to the threads and put it back together!
This doesn’t make you a plumber, but it will make you feel like a pro at repairing and maintenance in your home!
8. Carpet Removal
Almost anyone can remover their carpet. Start at a corner of the room and start pulling. Use a knife to cut through the carpet if the pieces are getting too big to handle.
Also, remember there will be tack strips and cushioning underneath. If you’re planning on removing those too, you’ll need a floor scraper to remove the glue from underneath the cushioning and a hammer to remove the tack strips.
9. Clean Your Gutters
Cleaning your gutters is a tough chore, but a free one if you do it yourself. Just be careful on the ladder. This is a somewhat dangerous repairing and maintenance tip, so only do what you’re comfortable with.
Regardless of if you do it yourself, however, it needs to be done. Clogged gutters can result in all kinds of problems for your home. It could lead to roof and trim damage and negative drainage.
10. Unclogging Drains
Clogged drains are a real bummer, especially if it’s a toilet. However, while everyone knows how to use a plunger on a toilet, not everyone knows how to unclog other drains.
For sinks with standing or slow draining water, there are plungers designed specifically for sinks. Alternatively, you could use a drain snake, with hooks and bars to pull out all the gunk or drain-clearing chemicals to eat it away. Finally, there are also pressure-based products that force the clog through the pipes.
11. Fix a Cabinet Door That Won’t Stay Shut
Many people have dealt with that cabinet door that just swings open every time you shut it. Whether it swings all the way open or just a crack, it’s super annoying.
A simple magnetic lock attached to the cabinet and the cabinet door will fix all that problem right up! At most, this repairing and maintenance fix will cost you five dollars.
12. Fix Negative Drainage
Most homes with basements experience some type of water damage in their lives. One of the leading causes of water damage is negative drainage. This occurs when water drains back toward the house, rather than away from it.
To fix this, make sure your gutter system is cleaned out. Add downspout extenders if necessary to carry the water farther away from the house. Finally, make sure the landscaping near the foundation of the house all drains away from it.
How to Get Started
Now that you know how simple repairing and maintenance around the house can be, it’s time to get started.
First, walk around your house and make a list of needed repairs in each room. Then, taking it one room at a time, start making repairs. Before long, your house will be in fantastic, if not a perfect condition!
Good luck!
