Five Repairs Every Homeowner Should Know How To Fix and When To Walk Away

Kenny Rogers in the song, The Gambler tells us, “You have to know when to hold, know went to fold and know when to walk away”. Home repairs are like that. There are times when the untrained should fold. However, there are many projects a homeowner can do, if he has read at least one book on home repairs, and knows when to walk away.

Light Fixtures and Electrical Outlets

Light fixtures will need to be replaced for many reasons. Electrical outlets and switches also wear out. Fixing these items requires following one basic rule. Turn the electrical power off. With outlets and switches, you just need attached the wires in the same order as the old device. Installing a light fixture in the ceiling, may mean installing a new bracket. Just follow the directions.

Damage To Walls

Walls will be damaged by nails, slamming doors, and more. These repairs can be handled with a spackling compound. Follow the directions, and if there is a large hole to fix, you will need to use some tacky tape that looks like window screen material. You use strips of this to cover the hole, apply the spackling compound, and let it set. Sanding and repainting will often be necessary.

Painting—Do It Right

Painting is the one job that everybody thinks they can do, but there are few things to remember. Use masking tape around the ceiling and floor to keep paint off those areas. Fill in the small holes with spackling compound first, and fix the big holes as noted above. Sand the area and then paint. You may need two coats.

Locks and Doorknobs

These are easy to replace. Just remove the old one, and put the replacement in the same hole. Installing a doorknob or lock into a new door should be left to a professional. A locksmith will have the guide that aligns all the holes in the proper manner.

Plumbing—Some Things You Can Do

Changing a shower head is easy, and clearing a clogged drain is not hard, while replacing leaking pipes under the sink becomes a little more difficult for the average Joe. Changing out faucets can be easy, depending how your sink and waterlines are designed, and toilets can have many issues ranging from difficult to easy. Study closely each project and decide if you want to spend the day doing this repair or calling a plumbers in Los Angeles who can do the job in an hour.

When it comes to home repairs, all it takes is a little research on your end to see if the repair is something you can manage on your own, or something you should call into the professionals. Once you have a general idea of what is required, you will be able to get most of the work done on your own.