Latest posts by MattHerndon (see all)
- Logo design: DIY vs professional - February 26, 2013
- What’s the Deal with All These Awareness Months—Besides Early Detection & Saved Lives? - February 24, 2013
- Kidney Transplants and a Nobel Prize in Economics - January 30, 2013
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You’ve gone through the process of buying a home — waiting for the loan approval, making offers and counter-offers, dealing with inspectors, signing contracts — and now, you’re finally settling into your new place. It doesn’t take long for a question to begin to form in your mind: How on earth am I going to maintain this place??
Even blenders and toasters come with owner’s manuals. Your home? Nada.
But don’t despair, and don’t panic. While certain things are best left to trained professionals, there are a number of things a homeowner can take care of on their own. Here are six things just about any homeowner can handle themselves:
1. Attic Insulation
If you don’t have enough insulation, you’ll be wasting money on heating and air conditioning. Your home’s insulation should have at least an R-30 rating insulation. (“R” refers to thermal resistance.) That would be equal to a minimum of 8 inches of fiberglass insulation. Homes in colder regions should go with R-40 or R-50, or a minimum of 12 inches.
Insulation is affordable, and upgrading a home from R-15 to R-30 can potentially save you hundreds of dollars a year in your heating and energy bills. Simply unroll the insulation in place, using a staple gun to secure it if needed.
2. Roof Maintenance
Most asphalt shingle roofs last about 15 years. A lot of homeowners just put a layer of shingles over the old ones instead of replacing the entire roof. However, roofs with multiple layers might conceal hidden problems such as leaks, rotted sheathing and compromised wood. What many homeowners don’t know is that the difference between a new layer and a brand new roof is relatively small, only about 25 percent.
Signs a roof needs replacement: Buckled, cracked or missing shingles, granule texture loss from the surface of the shingles, leaks in your roof.
To preserve your
• Keep tree branches cut away so that they are not touching it.
• Remove moss buildup every 4 to 5 years. (Only if you are comfortable with heights, ladders and working on your roof.) Mix equal parts water and chlorine bleach. Spray it on the affected area, and then scrub it clean with a brush.
• Clean your gutters at least once a year or install leafless gutters. Cost of leafless gutters is $10 – $20 a foot (vs. $4 – $7 a foot for traditional gutters.)
3. Painting
Nothing freshens up a living space like a new coat of paint, and this is something most everyone can do, especially interior painting. Why hire a painter when you can do it yourself? Use spackling compound to fill in small holes or cracks before starting. Make sure surfaces to be painted are clean and smooth. Use masking tape for masking moldings and drop cloths to protect floors and furniture. Start with a layer of primer, and then paint the walls with whatever color you desire!
4. Non-Toxic Ant Control
Issues with ants in your home? Sprinkle baby powder at known entry points.
5. Washing Machine Maintenance
The filter on a washing machine can clog from time to time, negatively impacting the performance of the unit. The solenoid valve can have issues as well. Repairing or replacing these is as simple as buying the new part and following the instructions on the packaging.
6. DIY Plumbing
Paying a professional plumber can be very expensive. Here are some plumbing tasks you can do on your own:
- Low faucet flow: This issue is likely caused by a sediment buildup inside of the aerator. Unscrew it from the nozzle’s end and wash thoroughly.
- Banging noise in water pipes: Indicates that all air has escaped out of the pipes. (Water pipes actually work better if they contain pockets of air.) To fix, start by draining your system. Shut off the water main valve. Open all faucets, and then flush every toilet. Turn off all faucets. Re-open the water main valve. With air back in your pipes, the banging noise should stop. (If it doesn’t, contact a plumber.)
Home maintenance need not be scarier than your mortgage! For any question or issue you have, there’s probably an article or video online that can help walk you through it. This article can help get you started as a DIY homeowner. Give it a shot — you might surprise yourself!
Twitter: googlai
Hi MattHerndon ! Thank you for sharing a excellent article. i really contribute your effort and contribution. keep in touch.
Googma Sansar recently posted..Earth Body Mind Kiaf 2012
Twitter: primejuicers
Hello Matt! Nice suggestions and I consider myself a DIY kind of guy. I didn’t know about your solution with banging noise in water pipes. The roofing repair is probably the worst thing a DIY can do and I won’t do another. Like you said it doesn’t cost that much more to have the roof replaced. I wouldn’t think I covering things up, but I know people do it (actually I probably would as a temp repair). Your suggestions to maintain a roof are spot on. Great suggestions! Thanks and have a great day. Happy Holidays!
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Twitter: freedommmc
What ever you do if you are going to do it yourself make sure you use the right tool to do the job.
The easiest way to get hurt is to use the wrong tool for the job. Too few DIYers fail to place a high value on learning how to do a job the right way.
No need to hire a contractor but make friends with someone who knows better.
Be safe or be Sorry.
Hi Matt,
Ever sense we moved into our new home we have had plumbing issues. We found out that it didn’t have a drain out. After having multiple plumbers come by and try to fix our clogged drain we finally had them put in the drain out. Now every time we have a problem my husband can fix it himself. We have saved so much money now that he can fix it himself.
Good maintenance list, Matt. I’ll be sure to research those leaf-less gutter systems, sounds like a dream. Any tips for those home owners with concrete or interlocking paver driveways? We’ve got a couple ideas for removing new oil stains if you’re interested.
Calvin recently posted..Outdoor Patio Designs
Hello Dear
really amazing post i was facing plumber issues but now feeling good finally i will save money really this is very useful post for me really thanks for the sharing me
helllo Matt nice post!!!!
nice gudie by help this i can easily repair my home and now require any plumber for small work thanks for sharing…
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It’s really amazing how much money you can save from a few do it yourself projects. I believe it’s very important for homeowners to at least learn some basic repair and maintenance skills to help avoid a larger upkeep expense.
Some very good tips Matt, to help keep things in check.
Robert recently posted..How to Repair the Caulk in Your Bathtub
DIY can save money and improve the personal skills. It can also make someone feel free from the dependece on other people
julidarmaputra recently posted..The Relationship Between Angina And Blood Pressure
Nice article, being a roof cleaner one change I would make would be to not let the roof get covered with moss; but if it does get covered it is best to spray the cleaner on it and let it die and blow off on its own. The moss has roots that are digging into the shingles and it is best to just let them die. Brushing will dis-lodge the granules of the roof.
this is an awesome article. Thank You. I would say first learn about how to do these things correctly because you might end up on making things even worse.
Cool article! This is very helpful, though I am not really good in any of those mentioned above, i find this article very sensible. Thanks for providing such helpful and useful post to us.
adrian mendoza recently posted..Marvel Galactic Guardians HeroClix
hi matt very nice post. It’s really amazing how much money you can save from a few do it yourself projects.
We tackled these easy diy projects when we bought our house – our course the gutter cleaning is a yearly task – but I plan on doing as little diy projects as possible in our next house.
Yes, i agree.it Cool article! it helpful for me.It’s really amazing how much money you can save from a few do it yourself projects. I believe it’s very important for homeowners to at least learn some basic repair and maintenance skills to help avoid a larger upkeep expense.
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Great tips! As a realtor in Maryland, I constantly see these things come up during a home inspection. It’s always good to get the problems fixed before selling your home, or putting your home on the market!
Jonathan Lahey recently posted..19121 Cherry Bend Drive, Germantown MD 20874 Video Tour
Good maintenance advice. External wall insulation is becoming popular in the UK. If you have solid walls you can expect a 35% heat loss reduction.
Aaron recently posted..Recommended Plasterer Bristol Freeindex Company Award
make it as principal, if we can do it ourselves why not. I’m DIY person for many years, the time i became a head of family it was the time for me to have the responsibility on my home and my little family. great tips! appreciate it so much.
In these tough times DIY is definately the way to go. A friend of mine recently spent thousands on a contractor to do what i thought was basic maintenance on his home. A penny saved is a penny earned!!!!
Jared Adams recently posted..How to Get a Confession Thrown Out of Court
This is a great article that can speak to thousands of military spouses that have to make DIY repairs to their home with their husbands are away! So many great tips that can be utilized and any money that can be saved is worth it in the long run.
I have taken many asphalt roofs apart that have two or even three layers on them. It can hide problems and the additional weight that is adde every time you add a layer is HUGE!
Good overall tips.
Great tips on roof repair. The roof is the most important part of your home and it needs to be inspected and taken care of.
Tom Buczak recently posted..Roof Repair
Great article! I think a lot of homeowners are afraid of DIY projects and don’t realize that with a bit of patience they can save themselves up to thousands of dollars by doing a project themselves. This is especially true as we head into spring (if it will ever get here!) since that’s a popular time for DIY’ers to tackle home projects.
With regard to number 6, I’m a plumber in Brooklyn NY and I have repair I don’t know how many low pressure faucets. And your right… it”s almost always because of sediment caught in the screen. It make me feel bad to even charge for fixing it but…
More people “should” do a little research for a cheap easy fix before coming out of pocket. but its things like this that keep food on my families table. Urg…
I like the number 3 do it yourself. A very practical way to save money. Painter Perth is promoting the same way you did. Bookmarked!