Ever since my plumbing fiasco, I’ve had the philosophy that we should try to manage home repairs ourselves — and if we fail, THEN we’ll call in the pros.
By simply taking the bull by the horns, I’ve installed ceiling fans and at least five light fixtures. Sure, once the wires crossed, caused a huge spark, and required Donna the Electrician’s help to sort out my mess (cost: about $50, and I learned what NOT to do). But unless it involves 220 (where the current is too hot to handle) I’m going to try it myself first.
When we replaced our dishwasher last fall, I installed it myself, with the help of some brute strength from Mr. Cheap.
This year, inspired by my sister’s successful (and far more ambitious) forays into bathroom renovation, I took that philosophy into plumbing. I’ve fixed a leaky toilet, replaced a j-trap on a sink, and most recently, I redid the bathroom sink myself, my first larger venture into plumbing. I even resolved a tricky stuck shutoff valve, although I nearly had to call my plumber in for a consultation. (A last-ditch online search revealed that I needed to back flush the pipes, although I wish I’d seen this dime tip … instead I made Mr. Cheap hold his bigger thumb over the faucet, and I got a mild drenching.)
All in all, I’m confident that I’ve saved about $700 — and of course, gained that incomparable feeling of accomplishment.
Naturally, then, this article about DIY furnace maintenance impressed me. I change the furnace filter regularly, and I installed a programmable thermostat at our old house. (If you don’t have one, they cost about $35 and take about 15 minutes to install – SUPER easy! Do it this weekend!) I explored our furnace when a part went out a year or two — resulting in my realizing I couldn’t fix it, but I could tell the repair guy just what was wrong so he could bring the right part out on the first try and fix it in a jiffy on a freezing cold Sunday afternoon.
Whatever goes wrong, whoever you are, I encourage you to take a deep breath and dive in. At least pull out the owner’s manual and explore. Get to know your house, see if you can fix it yourself — and then call in the experts if you need to. Just remember to be safe and careful. And of course, share your best “I did it” story here!
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Comments ( 6 )
[...] 16, 2008 by cheaplikeme After writing just a week or so about saving money by fixing things yourself, I found myself facing an assortment of technical [...]
Reboot your dishwasher to fix it « Cheap Like Me added these pithy words on Nov 16 08 at 3:41 pm[...] Do it yourself. If you have more time than money (or even a fairly balanced time/money ratio, or you just like to keep those pennies to yourself), do some research, ask savvier friends/neighbors/relatives for advice, and give a project a shot yourself. [...]
9 money-saving home fix-ups « Cheap Like Me added these pithy words on Feb 12 09 at 12:18 pmI did it! In that I married a guy who can do these thing. And for that, I will be forever grateful. And I am happy to help in whatever way I can…
(Although there was that one fiasco wherein his changing of the 50 cent gasket ended up costing us $12K (aka a whole new bathroom) but it could have been the impending birth of my first child).
erin added these pithy words on
Nov 10 08 at
1:11 pm
I’m lucky because I was raised by that guy who could fix everything – my Dad! I learned a lot from him growing up via the”hey hold this for me for a second” learning method. Although I have to say, the most important tool in my DIY toolbox is my copy of the book Home Improvement 1-2-3. It was the best housewarming gift I ever got. It’s saved me a lot of money too.
Condo Blues added these pithy words on
Nov 10 08 at
9:49 pm
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. you are my hero!
Old Friend added these pithy words on
Nov 14 08 at
3:19 pm
Yea! Good for you. I have to admit I am still on the learning curve with my new house, but I love trying to get my hands on fixing everything first, then calling in the experts.
Anne added these pithy words on
Nov 20 08 at
10:12 am
