subject: What Types of Home Maintenance / Repair Is It Possible To Do For Yourself? [print this page] What Types of Home Maintenance / Repair Is It Possible To Do For Yourself?
Doing maintenance / repair for your home whenever you can is a good way to avoid paying the high cost of a home contractor. But there are certain jobs that you should not take on by yourself, unless you happen to be a professional.
In some instances the local building code may prohibit anyone but a licensed contractor from doing the work. In other cases, even though it may be legal, it isn't worth taking a chance on trying to fix something that might endanger your property, or maybe your life.
An example of this would be repairs on gas appliances. How many of you know that most gas connections are threaded backwards to the usual direction? It's not "righty-tighty", its "righty-loosey"! Little things like that make it advisable for you to bite the bullet and call an experienced and licensed gas repairman.
Electrical repairs fall under two classes. Some are simple enough that most of us have performed them ourselves many times - like replacing a faulty plug in a lamp. There are electrical plugs which are made specifically for the amateur repairman that don't even need a screwdriver to connect.
And then there are jobs like changing the power supply on your television set that are best left to a TV repairman, if you can find one nowadays. And changing faulty wiring in the walls is not a job most people want to attempt. An electrical contractor not only has the experience, he has equipment that most of us don't want to buy for ourselves.
There are many kinds of home maintenance / repair jobs that can be easily done by the average home owner. A couple of examples should be sufficient to get you thinking about things you can do in your own house.
1. Painting: I can't think of any adult who hasn't used a paint brush or roller at least one time in their life. Although it might not be your favorite task, and is often kind of an unpleasant task, it's one way in which you can easily avoid the expense of a home contractor.
2. Cleaning: I'm not referring to dusting and mopping here. I mean an intensive "spring cleaning" of certain areas of your home that may deteriorate badly if left alone for too long. Your cabinets and shelves, for example, could probably benefit. Don't just wipe them off - take them off, and even disassemble them, so the joints can have the grime thoroughly washed off. You'll be surprised at how new they will look when you're done!
Keeping up with what you are able to do for your own home maintenance / repair will not only keep you busy on the weekends, it will definitely be good for both your home and for your pocketbook. Look at the paragraph below for more great ideas about keeping your home in good shape.
