If you are a homeowner on a budget, it is important to have some basic DIY skills that will help you make your house beautiful without having to spend a fortune on skilled traders. Before Fixer Upper and HGTV, my husband and I were tackling DIY jobs and making our home dreams come true, but there was a lot of trial and error! As two young teachers on a budget with dreams of a beautiful home, DIY was the only way to make those dreams a reality. Neither one of us had very many handyman skills, but through trial and error and lots of practice we my husband has really has turned out to be a truly skilled DIYer.
Modifying your home can be stressful, even if you have the best contractors on hand to undertake the work. If you’re trying to live in the property at the same time and hold down a job or care for a family, just remember that it’s going to be even more chaotic. If you are wondering where to start, there are some basic skills that are easy to learn and will save you lots of money if you are willing to spend a little time learning and to put in some elbow grease. Here are five basic DIY skills that every homeowner should have.*This post contains affiliate links.
Painting
Invariably DIY will create plenty of mess for you to clear away after the fact. Fortunately, you can significantly reduce the amount of cleaning work you will have to do by considering how to protect your home from dust and dirt beforehand. This is especially true for painting. Be sure to cover floors and furniture with plastic cloth or painter’s drop cloth to protect them from paint drips and spills.
Hiring a painter and decorator for a day can cost you hundreds of dollars. If you tackle this basic skill yourself, you can save and fortune by only having to pay for rollers and paint. If you pay attention to detail, especially around trim and molding, you can do a “professional” job yourself. If you are dealing with lead paint, use safety gear like goggles, a mask, and gloves. Ventilate rooms when painting or using other substances and wear a mask to protect yourself from harmful fumes too.
You can find plenty of tutorial DIY videos on how to make your paint even and avoid dripping. From repainting your doors to giving your living room a new look, there are several ways you can transform your house on a budget if you know how to paint. It’s also smart to have supplies for cleaning paint brushes and rollers close by if you’re painting. Being able to clean up as you go will mean less mess to clean up later.
Wallpapering
While you might be scared of putting wallpaper up the first time, you will only get better with practice. You will need to learn how to use a spirit level, and how much gap you will need between the wallpaper lengths to make it look professional. With some basic tools and DIY books, you can create a feature wall, or redecorate an entire guest room to give it a whole new look. Just be absolutely certain it is a pattern you want to live with for a while, as removing it can be a hassle. Been there, done that.
There is nothing more frustrating than running out of wallpaper! With that in mind, it’s essential to accurately estimate using a project calculator. This tool help you figure out exactly the amount of materials you will need for any DIY project.
Grouting
Instead of changing your bathroom tiles every time they start looking dirty and stained, you can learn how to refill the gaps between them and revive your grouts. Our bathroom grout is seriously needing a makeover, so I have been researching the types of materials and tools to use, and I have also been trying to decide on a color. I had no idea fixing dirty grout was so easy! Fixing missing and stained grout can make your bathroom and kitchen look brand new.
Below is an amazing DIY tutuorial for grout by Carrie This Home.Now you can even use simple paint pens to refresh your grout!
Floor Work
Installing carpet will only take professionals a couple of hours, but it can be pricey. If you would rather go at your own pace and do it yourself, all you need is a good measure tape and cutting tools. Of course a couple of friendly helping hands would be useful too! Most companies use either staple guns or carpet glue spray to attach your underlay to the floor and the carpet to the underlay. You can get these at your local DIY relatively inexpensively, or hire your tools for a few days.
Better yet, remove the carpet and refinish the hardwood flooring yourself! This is a huge DIY project that we hope to accomplish this summer, so be watching for those posts sometime in July. If you decide to install new hardwood flooring, be sure to make the job easier on yourself by investing in a high quality nail gun and air compressor. To find the best air compressor read more. In addition, you can also install laminate flooring rather quickly.
Dealing with Small Plumbing Issues
There is nothing more annoying and disturbing than a blocked drain or a dripping faucet. You don’t normally have to be an expert, and you can learn from books and online videos how to fix a leaky faucet or unblock your drain pipe. You can save a lot of money if you don’t need to call the plumber for minor problems.
When you’re renovating a property, making changes to its structure, adding extra rooms or rewiring it is probably going to be a major expense, therefore having some DIY skills can really save you so money. Just remember for the bigger jobs to hire the best general contractor within your budget. With the right professional, you can ensure that your home renovations are completed quickly, safely and cost-effectively.
The right tools are essential for any DIY job. The good news is that there are also plenty of informative posts like this one on the Cutech jointer planer that will explain the uses of critical items of equipment. Something that can help you make the right equipment choices to ensure your project succeeds.
As you start to do more DIY, you might build up a collection of useful tools that are there for you whenever you need them. Quality tools can last you a long time. Some hand tools could even last you a lifetime. When you’re looking for good power tools, visit website reviews to find the best options for drills and other electric tools.
Whether you are a beginner at DIY or have tried and failed, just remember the saying “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again!” Having these five basic skills will help you save money on home maintenance and improvements, which in turn will leave more in your budget for the “fun” stuff like furnishings and decorative accessories. By acquiring these skills, you can keep your home renovation project costs and achieve your home goals little by little.
Thanks for stopping by today! If you love DIY stories, be sure to subscribe by email. I have many projects and makovers I will be sharing on the blog in the upcoming months.
Happy DIY-ing!
Amber
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