A year brings along fresh motivation to get your house in order. You might be also prepared to tackle that listing of repairs around the house.
“You can save a lot of money if you use just a little hard work for small fixes in your own home,” says Ellsworth Buck, Vice President of Insurance, Florida's leading independent homeowners insurance agency.
Below are some common household repairs along with instructions
for DIY.
Hanging Curtains
Curtains can modify the feel of a room and even assist with energy efficiency. Begin by measuring correctly and determine the way you would like your curtains to hold. Be sure they're long enough to touch the ground, you can even move the rod in the wall if necessary. Use curtains twice the width from the window so that they look full. Iron or steam the curtains before hanging. When selecting hardware, consider the weight of the drapes. The load of your curtains determines if you need extra support and added hardware.
Stuck sliding door
If your sliding door is stuck, it could be debris clogging the track. Popular Mechanics gives directions regarding how to repair the problem yourself.
“Start by removing the door in the track. The removal process
can vary by door, but typically, it requires removing the screws at the top and
bottom rails, then pulling from the stile cover that keeps the door panels from
lifting out. Then lift up the door and pull the bottom toward you to definitely remove it
from the track.”
“It’s smart to have a helper because the door is heavy. Lay
the doorway flat and look at the wheels across the bottom. If they’re broken,
you’ll have to replace them. Otherwise, clean the wheels, door bottom, and door
track with warm, soap and water. Wipe everything dry, then switch the door. Spray
silicone lubricant on the track, then slide the doorway backwards and forwards a few times
to start the lubricant over the track.”
Patching a hole in drywall
To cover up unwanted picture holes, This Old House recommends, “Overfill holes with a lightweight patching compound. Once dry, smooth having a damp sponge.” This leaves no harm to the wall paint like sandpaper.
Install a good switch
“Most electrical work ought to be left to the professionals,” says Ellsworth Buck, V . p . of Insurance, Florida's largest independent home insurance agency.
However, for simple projects like installing a good switch for example
WeMo, it's an easy DIY. Begin by switching off the circuit breaker. Remove the
faceplate since the switch. Next, remove the switch from the wall. You will
see two wires linked to screws on the switch. Disconnect the wires and fix
then to the new switch.
Fix a running toilet
Lift off the lid to the back of the toilet, reattach the chain if required. If that's not the problem, you can buy a rest room rebuild kit from the hardware or big box store. These kits contain easy directions to follow along with.
