Home Repair

kav122 · 01-21-2008, 10:05 AM

My husband and I are both WILLING do-it-yourself-ers, but being first time home owners, there are some things that we don't know that we should be doing. Besides the obvious (fixing things that are broken, cleaning gutters, changing filter in furnace, etc) can you guys think of anything that we should be doing to keep our house in great running order? Also, we live in MN, so can you think of any good tricks for maintenance of a house in cold weather (besides turning off outside water, putting plastic over windows to keep in heat, etc)?

Thanks in advance for your knowledge!

lucille · 01-21-2008, 12:30 PM

They say your supposed to drain your water heater every year. There are instructions online how to do it properly and your supposed to change the rod in it ever so many years too. If your in an area with lots of sediment in your water it is more important. We are going to do this maintenance on ours this spring.

I find lots of DIY instructions by doing a google for the project or looking on DIYnet or HGTV. This is how I found instructions on how to install a storm door we received for free off of Freecycle and a couple of other projects.

Our house was a project house (we got a deal on it) so we have all sorts of things that need to be redone. The Lowes here has clearance areas frequently. So I keep an eye out for things we need to replace whenever I am in there. I found a rather expensive set of bathroom hardware for a couple of dollars that was what we wanted for one of the bathrooms were trying to refinish properly. Habitat for Humanity re-store is also a great place to find things like paint, fixtures and all sorts of that kind of thing.

thebeckscr · 01-22-2008, 01:11 PM

I am a Realtor and find that people take great care of the inside of their home but forget the outside. The outside is the protection from the elements. Caulking the windows and gaps in the siding is good. Also making sure that basement windows are replaced at some point. They let in lots of heat and sometimes can leak water that can either come in or put pressure on your foundation. Also check your utitility company and ask for an energy audit...this might help pay for upgrades and educate you on saving money.

kav122 · 01-23-2008, 04:04 AM

Thanks, these are some great hints!

kav122 · 01-23-2008, 08:26 AM

we have stucco on the outside, but we are painting that this summer. Also, pressure washing and re-staining the deck. We are getting a rainbarrel to help keep rainwater away from a problem corner, and doing a complete check of the faschia (sp?) and gutters. I will check the basement windows, though, to see if they need to be replaced or at least re-caulked.

lucille · 01-23-2008, 10:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kav122

we have stucco on the outside, but we are painting that this summer. Also, pressure washing and re-staining the deck. We are getting a rainbarrel to help keep rainwater away from a problem corner, and doing a complete check of the faschia (sp?) and gutters. I will check the basement windows, though, to see if they need to be replaced or at least re-caulked.

If your basement windows are older replacing them will give you a big boost in heating & cooling savings. The basement windows in our old house were single pane very cheap ones the contractor put in. We had planned to replace those with some really good insulated ones before we ended up moving with short notice. Also, some home loan programs like VA have rules and old windows is a sticking point for some home purchases. I think basement windows were also fairly cheap by comparison to larger windows.
When we were house shopping the last time one of the homes we looked at (built in the late 70's) was a really nice house with lots of great features. But the basement windows were all in disrepair or in need of replacing. Had we followed through on making an offer on it either a cash discount equal to the cost of new windows or replacement would have been part of that offer.
It's always the boring parts that become a big deal when you sell.

kav122 · 01-23-2008, 11:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lucille

If your basement windows are older replacing them will give you a big boost in heating & cooling savings. The basement windows in our old house were single pane very cheap ones the contractor put in. We had planned to replace those with some really good insulated ones before we ended up moving with short notice. Also, some home loan programs like VA have rules and old windows is a sticking point for some home purchases. I think basement windows were also fairly cheap by comparison to larger windows.
When we were house shopping the last time one of the homes we looked at (built in the late 70's) was a really nice house with lots of great features. But the basement windows were all in disrepair or in need of replacing. Had we followed through on making an offer on it either a cash discount equal to the cost of new windows or replacement would have been part of that offer.
It's always the boring parts that become a big deal when you sell.

thanks so much! I will definitely keep that in mind! In the meantime, I think I will get my husband to plastic-wrap the windows....we do that upstairs even though the windows are nice, just to save on the c-c-cold MN winters. Now that I think about it, our basement windows ARE single pane! Thanks!

kav122 · 01-23-2008, 02:16 PM

I take that back...the basement windows are double paned, and I don't feel any drafts or disrepair. Thanks!

purplefdu · 01-24-2008, 07:29 AM

If you have ceiling fans in any of the rooms you can reverse the blades to help distribute the heat instead of cooling the rooms. Its the one thing we do yearly to help with the cold. Also make sure to check furnace filters if you have forced hot air. A clogged filter can cause issues (no filter causes tons of dust).

72Tiger · 01-27-2008, 11:57 AM

A couple of appliance things you can do:

Once a year, unplug the clothes dryer, pull it away from the wall, take the back off, and clean all the lint out. Lint buildup can cause the heating element or the thermister to burn up. Also clean the duct out - you will be surprised how much lint can accumulate there. Partially clogged ducts make the machine work harder (contributing to it wearing out earlier), and waste energy.

Check the rubber water supply line hoses to your clothes washer for brittleness or cracks. A rule of thumb for replacement is every 5 years +/-. If you have ever come home to a flooded house, you will know how important this is.

01-21-2008, 10:05 AM	#1
kav122 Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Minneapolis, MN Posts: 418 Reputation: (176)	Home Repair My husband and I are both WILLING do-it-yourself-ers, but being first time home owners, there are some things that we don't know that we should be doing. Besides the obvious (fixing things that are broken, cleaning gutters, changing filter in furnace, etc) can you guys think of anything that we should be doing to keep our house in great running order? Also, we live in MN, so can you think of any good tricks for maintenance of a house in cold weather (besides turning off outside water, putting plastic over windows to keep in heat, etc)? Thanks in advance for your knowledge!

01-24-2008, 07:29 AM	#9
purplefdu Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Eliot, ME USA Posts: 430 Reputation: (27)	If you have ceiling fans in any of the rooms you can reverse the blades to help distribute the heat instead of cooling the rooms. Its the one thing we do yearly to help with the cold. Also make sure to check furnace filters if you have forced hot air. A clogged filter can cause issues (no filter causes tons of dust). __________________ Homeward Bound Puppy Blog&Shades of Purple Blog best general coupon site & organic grocery coupon help

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
hair colour at home	flibberty jibbit	Frugal Living	15	01-14-2008 06:38 PM

01-21-2008, 12:30 PM	#2
lucille Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 408 Reputation: (24)	They say your supposed to drain your water heater every year. There are instructions online how to do it properly and your supposed to change the rod in it ever so many years too. If your in an area with lots of sediment in your water it is more important. We are going to do this maintenance on ours this spring. I find lots of DIY instructions by doing a google for the project or looking on DIYnet or HGTV. This is how I found instructions on how to install a storm door we received for free off of Freecycle and a couple of other projects. Our house was a project house (we got a deal on it) so we have all sorts of things that need to be redone. The Lowes here has clearance areas frequently. So I keep an eye out for things we need to replace whenever I am in there. I found a rather expensive set of bathroom hardware for a couple of dollars that was what we wanted for one of the bathrooms were trying to refinish properly. Habitat for Humanity re-store is also a great place to find things like paint, fixtures and all sorts of that kind of thing.

01-22-2008, 01:11 PM	#3
thebeckscr Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 3 Reputation: (11)	I am a Realtor and find that people take great care of the inside of their home but forget the outside. The outside is the protection from the elements. Caulking the windows and gaps in the siding is good. Also making sure that basement windows are replaced at some point. They let in lots of heat and sometimes can leak water that can either come in or put pressure on your foundation. Also check your utitility company and ask for an energy audit...this might help pay for upgrades and educate you on saving money.

01-23-2008, 04:04 AM	#4
kav122 Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Minneapolis, MN Posts: 418 Reputation: (176)	Thanks, these are some great hints!

01-23-2008, 08:26 AM	#5
kav122 Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Minneapolis, MN Posts: 418 Reputation: (176)	we have stucco on the outside, but we are painting that this summer. Also, pressure washing and re-staining the deck. We are getting a rainbarrel to help keep rainwater away from a problem corner, and doing a complete check of the faschia (sp?) and gutters. I will check the basement windows, though, to see if they need to be replaced or at least re-caulked.

01-23-2008, 02:16 PM	#8
kav122 Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Minneapolis, MN Posts: 418 Reputation: (176)	I take that back...the basement windows are double paned, and I don't feel any drafts or disrepair. Thanks!

01-27-2008, 11:57 AM	#10
72Tiger Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Knoxville, TN Posts: 268 Reputation: (33)	A couple of appliance things you can do: Once a year, unplug the clothes dryer, pull it away from the wall, take the back off, and clean all the lint out. Lint buildup can cause the heating element or the thermister to burn up. Also clean the duct out - you will be surprised how much lint can accumulate there. Partially clogged ducts make the machine work harder (contributing to it wearing out earlier), and waste energy. Check the rubber water supply line hoses to your clothes washer for brittleness or cracks. A rule of thumb for replacement is every 5 years +/-. If you have ever come home to a flooded house, you will know how important this is.