Little problems around the home can be both annoying and costly as professionals often charge big fees for repairs. Fortunately, social media has given us plenty of reasons to start addressing simple repairable issues at home, thanks to all the instructional videos provided by a number of friendly experts.
Here are 7 home repairs that you can easily do on your own.
- Fill in a hole in your wall
Small and medium holes tend to be unavoidable around the home, even when you’re just renting. Luckily, they’re pretty easy to fix, and don’t require much accuracy to do so. No need to call in an expert for this home problem just applies patches over the holes, and then covers them up by applying compound. A little sanding down and some paint and you should be good to go!
- Rewire a light socket
It may sound intimidating but other than preparing a few choice tools plus a replacement socket of the same style and wattage as what you’re replacing, rewiring a socket can be done on your own. The important thing to remember with any electrical project is to turn off the power before doing anything.
- Fix a leaky faucet
It’s often easier than it looks. All you need to do is to remove, and then replace the O-ring, washer, or seal. A quick trip to the hardware store to get the correct parts, and you’ll be all set.
- Re-apply tile grout
If you’ve got a grout-removal attachment for your rotary tool, then you can do this home repair efficiently. Just get all the grout out of the tiles using your rotary tool and then replace them with something that can give your tiles a new and more coordinated look.
- Unlock a door without key
There are different ways to address this. You can use the good old credit card method to begin with, but when that doesn’t work, you may need to either remove the doorknob, or even the hinges to completely detach the door. Of course, a set of lock picking tools often does the trick fairly well, and you won’t have to resort to having to remove your door altogether.
- Replace a thermostat
If your thermostat is an older model, it might be more energy and cost-efficient to replace it with a new one. Start by turning off the power to your HVAC, then remove the face of your old thermostat. Afterwards, disconnect the wires from your old thermostat, remove the older mount, and then put the mount for the new thermostat and connect the wires. Finally, screw on the faceplate mount securely, and then attach your new thermostat face, power it on and configure it. It’s that easy!
- Straighten a sagging door
Exterior doors are usually heavier, and thus, tend to sag over time. Mostly, the problem lies with the hinges. To repair this, you’ll need to remove the old screws that are keeping the hinges in place, and replace them with longer ones that can penetrate deeper than where the old screws have lost their grip. An important thing to remember when working on wood, though, is to remember to wear eye protection.
There are certainly other repairs that you can do yourself without needing to call in a professional. Provided that you follow all instructions to a tee – and keep safety in mind as you do – you should be able to save up on repair costs by performing the repairs yourself.