With the recent down turn in the economy home improvement has come to mean ‘how can I do this job without it costing me an arm and a leg?’ Here are a few tips on how to improve your home by tackling some of the areas that people usually stay away from.
Plumbing
Until recently (the early 1980’s to the present), if you didn’t know how to ‘sweat’ a copper solder you were in way over your head with anything to do with interior plumbing. But with the price of copper rising astronomically, the introduction of PVP plumbing quickly supplanted the old copper piping used. Unfortunately the old fear of dealing with plumbing issues still remains for most of us. PVP piping is a god send! It is extremely easy to use and cheap to buy.
All that is needed is the right connecting piece, a hacksaw, some pipe prep and glue and you are ready to tackle just about any plumbing job in the house. Recently my electric water heater gave out so I had to quickly find another to replace it. It was an eye opening experience to say the least. The water heater I wanted cost about $300 and the price to have it installed ranged anywhere between $250 and $400! I couldn’t believe it. I decided to go to my local hardware warehouse store and ask a few questions.
The first thing they said was that if I had a gas heater then they couldn’t help me because that had to be installed by a qualified installer, but since I had an electric water heater then all I needed was about $5 worth of PVP pipe and fittings plus a hacksaw and some pipe preparation and PVP glue. I was total amazed and I must admit a little skeptical about my ability to make this repair without flooding my house.
But since I was going to save a great deal of money I decided to up the gallon capacity of my water heater so that I could later put in a hot tub. After about an hour of work (most of which was spent removing the old water heater and putting the new one in place) the new, larger heater was in place without some much as a drop of water spilled!
Electrical
Who hasn’t had thoughts of someone coming in and find your charred body lying on the floor clutching the end of a wire that you decided to put in yourself? It is this fear that keeps most people far away from any electrical improvements and the electricians well paid.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m by no means advocating rewiring your entire house by yourself or messing around with the circuit box. Those things are best left to the experts.
But if it is putting in a new bathroom light fixture or replacing the heating element in your water heater for $15 (instead of $300 for a new one), then it is foolish not to make these improvements yourself. Make sure that you follow all of the instructions that come with your new fixture and pay close attention to how the old appliance was installed.
Yes it can be scary at first doing minor plumbing and electrical home improvement s or repairs but if you just ask at your local hardware store they can tell you if what it is you wish to do is doable or should be left to a professional.
Watch the video related to home improvement tips
When re-caulking a bathtub, remove old caulk first with a removal tool and then place a thin bead of caulk across the tub. Reseal a bathtub properly by cutting the caulking tube at a small 45-degree angle with tips from ahome repair specialist and remodeling contractor in this free video on home improvement. Expert: Tim Gipson Contact: www.inhisstepsremodeling.com Bio: Tim Gipson is a home repair specialist and remodeling contractor in Franklin, Tenn. Filmmaker: Tim Brown
Help answer the question about home improvement tips
Home improvement job?I just got hired at A&A Services. I have to walk around to people's houses & knock on their door, stuff like that. I've never had a job like this before. I know I have to bug the crap out of people but it's whatever. Anyone got some good tips I should keep in mind? Thanks!
Painting, as well as changing the rugs/ carpets and curtains are an easy way to change a rooms appearance.
Martha Stewart?
i’m guessing this guy does not do hvac work for a living.
Other comments aside, please be careful with your garden hose. The way he’s spraying the fins on the coil is right on the edge of dangerous.
The fins on the coil are thin, and can be bent into a solid mass by home water pressure. Then it’s a horrid job to get them separated again so air can flow through–which is the point of the coil in the first place.
@27mopar lol
Nice informative visuals..
thanks & love,
kris.
An "estimate" is not the same thing as a "contract." If your contract states "time and materials, not to exceed $33,000 without approval of the homeowner" then he should stop working at $33,000 until you approve additional work. Of course, none of this guarantees that your project will be FINISHED at $33k, just that you won't incur additional charges. If your contract is an open-ended T&M, then that's what you are stuck with. Unfortunately, "budgets" and "estimates" are meaningless. It is the CONTRACT that is enforceable.
If this guy is already that far over budget and isn't anywhere near completion, you should have him stop working ASAP, until you can get a reputable contractor in there to do an assessment, and a realistic estimate of what it would take to complete your project. Better yet, get 2 or three reputable contractors in there to do this; all of their estimates should be within the same ballpark. If one varies significantly, you need to examine further. If he botched your job, or ripped you off, you can go after his contractors bond (if you are in a state where contractors are licensed and post bonds).
I like to think that I'm storing up ideas and knowledge for when I buy a place in a few years (currently renting).
Same reason I always volunteer to help my friends with their home improvement projects. I'm pretty handy, but figure I can learn and make rookie mistakes on their houses so I'll get it right one day on mine.
Just be carefull with adhesive removers. Most will prevent paint from sticking to the concrete. The only way to get the glue up and still have the paint stick to the concrete is by scraping. Making your floor look like tile is very hard. It only looks easy on tv. Do you know there are carpets that can be cleaned with bleach. If you need more info post a reply
2 to 3K…and use good paint…its worth it in the long run. I ONLY use Dunn Edwards
if you dont know what you are doing you dont need to make a video watch dr.zarkloff he knows his stuff
get the roof fixed! that is the highest priority but the lowest quote for it so far was $15 000.
extend the back veranda as it can get quite hot in the kitchen due to the previous owners extending the kitchen all the way out.
re floor the lower storey- I'd like to put in bamboo or mahogany floorboards rather than the icky carpet.
put in a retaining wall between our house and the place next door, so that the next time it floods the water goes around the house rather than through it!
get the creek landscaped so that it both looks nice and is safer to have children around it- I've been told that there are a couple of vintage car bodies buried in the more inaccessible spots that I would like removed.
replace the missing crystals on the chandeliers and get new ones to replace the ones the previous owners removed from the entry hall.
replace the upstairs spa with a more efficient model, I want one that lights up with a built in radio like the one downstairs
Dont mean to sound stupid but did the handyman block something when he tied in the drain lines. In the event it is a vent problem have the handyman cut in an air admittance valve sometimes called an oatey vent.This can be placed in the line under the cabinet cut in a tee above the drain outlet and place the vent as close as possible to the top of the cabinet
thanks for the tips, I have always sprayed from the outside in. and can still see some of the dirt stuck at the edge of the fin. Next time, I will remoce my fan and do what you do. Thank you.
This very informative and useful video.
I will have to add it to my list of resources.
Thank you!
They are buying the materials at "contractor" price, which is much lower than what you can buy for. And, I'm sure they are using lower quality products and probably getting a huge discount for the "free advertising" the program gets the contractors.
Also, I just did what he suggested (take the fan top off to clean) with my old Carrier unit. Tops of fins are very close to the fan housing. I ended up cutting one of my fingers horribly when the fan housing slammed in place. Be careful around coils – they are fragile, and sharp!
Dr. Zarkloffs how to’s for HVAC maint. are must better.
Check out the Mighty Pump.