Your house, just like any other commodities or things, wears out over time. As such, it also needs maintenance. There are lots of services and businesses around that offer property maintenance and repairs but that could mean an addition to our long list of monthly bills. Maintenance and repair don’t really require someone else to do them, unless you left your house neglect and things have gone overboard.
Contractors often charge you a lot!
You may think some home repairs are out of your league, but even beginner DIYers can handle many of these fixes—and save a lot of money in the process!
Jenny Stanley in her article for Family Handyman listed down 100 Do-It-Yourself home repairs and here are 10 of them:
Refinish Your Own Hardwood. Intimidated by this seemingly daunting project? Don’t be. If you have the will and a whole day (or two) to yourself, you can refinish the hardwood floors in the major areas of your home. You don’t necessarily need to sand, but if the floor is damaged enough to warrant buffing, check out your local hardware store and rent the equipment for anywhere from 4-48 hours.
Patchy Lawn. Achieving a lush lawn doesn’t have to be a constant struggle. And you don’t have to pay big bucks for a lawn service to douse your yard with chemicals, either. Growing healthy, green grass is mainly just a matter of knowing what to give your lawn, and when to give it.
Garbage Disposal. A garbage disposal is a bit scary when it’s turned on and the blades are noisily chopping up kitchen waste. But, if your disposal gets stinky, fear not. It’s easy to clean out the gunk and get rid of the smell. If the splash guard needs replacing, you can do that in 20 minutes! If you need to replace the entire disposal you can replace it yourself.
Smelly Dishwasher. Stop bad dishwasher odors by cleaning food scraps from the tub and running a dishwasher cleaner through a cycle.
Loud Cabinet Doors. Tired of listening to those cabinet doors bang shut? Peel-and-stick door and drawer bumpers are the solution. Get a pack of 20 at a home center for a few dollars. Make sure the back of the door is clean so the bumpers will stick, then place one at the top corner and another at the bottom.
Clogged Drains. Most clogged drains are caused by hair or greasy grime and you can clear them out yourself. Skip the chemical drain cleaner and grab a plunger to clear the clog and save on a service call. Even more serious problems in the distant reaches of your plumbing can be fixed without a pro.
Fix a Wallpaper Seam. If you have a wallpaper seam that’s coming apart, reactivate the paste around the gap with a rag soaked in warm water. Hold the rag over the area for a minute or two, and then carefully open the gap a little larger so you’ll have more room for the sealer. Squeeze seam sealer (white glue works in a pinch) into the gap, and press the paper to the wall with a roller. Clean off the excess sealer with a sponge.
Scratched Cabinetry. If you have shallow scratches or nicks, hide them with a stain-filled touch-up marker. Dab on the stain and wipe off the excess with a rag. But beware: Scratches can absorb lots of stain and turn darker than the surrounding finish. So start with a marker that’s lighter than your cabinet finish and then switch to a darker shade if needed. For deeper scratches, use a filler pencil, which fills and colors the scratch. Or, try using a walnut to remove scratches in wood!
Fix Wobbly Furniture with a Penny. You can fix a wobbly bench or table with your pocket change. Add a drop of hot glue to a coin and attach it to the problem area. The coin will act like a shim, leveling out the furniture piece.
Decks. Many things can go wrong with a deck. Missing screws, warped boards, squeaky nails, wobbly railings, fortunately, many of these problems are well within the scope of the average DIYer. Inspect your deck for seven common deck problems and then repair whatever needs fixing. Full list here.
Ugly or not, we will give you the best deal!
The need for a home is constant but at some point in our lives there would be the need to sell it. While it has always been said that repairing before selling would boost the profit. But what if the need to sell is unplanned and immediate? We at Dependable Homebuyers will buy your house whatever state it may be!
