tschmidt
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Milford, NH
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| reply to dark_star
Re: Tasks the Average Homeowner Should Do
said by dark_star  :Regarding tools, I strongly advise buying a tool when you need it, and only when you need it. That is good advice, but what fun are home improvement projects if you cannot use it as an excuse to buy a new tool.
My wife and I built our home back in the early 1980's. It never ceases to amaze me that I have significantly more tools now then back then. 
Another general purpose tool I'd add to your list is an air compressor and a small portable air tank. Compressed air is incredibly useful.
/tom |
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tapeloop
1959. I try to kick the ball. I miss.
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join:2004-06-27
Airstrip One
| reply to drew
Great thread! As a n00b homeowner, I'm finding the information very handy.
Surprised no one has mentioned cleaning your refrigerator coils:
»Go clean your fridge's condenser coils
Also: with shop vacs, bigger is better when it comes to cleaning up the wet stuff. You don't want to keep emptying the thing every 2 minutes.
And a crowbar is handy to have around in case of zombie attack.
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Koil
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West Columbia, SC
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| said by tapeloop :And a crowbar is handy to have around in case of zombie attack. QFT! |
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Warzau
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Naperville, IL
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| reply to Jeffrey
said by Jeffrey :Every 2 weeks or so I do a walk around the house - inside and out - to notice any changes. I do this when I mow the lawn and shovel snow. Plus I take a look at the house when driving to and from. BUT always do a walk around after a severe storm, especially the roof for blow offs. |
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drew
Reformation
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join:2002-07-10
Port Orchard, WA
clubs: | reply to tschmidt
I have a small (1 gal?) air compressor that tops out at 100PSI in the tank attached to it. Got it for Christmas last year |
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Jeffrey
too dark too early
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Dix Hills,NY
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| reply to Warzau
said by Warzau :said by Jeffrey :Every 2 weeks or so I do a walk around the house - inside and out - to notice any changes. I do this when I mow the lawn and shovel snow. Plus I take a look at the house when driving to and from. BUT always do a walk around after a severe storm, especially the roof for blow offs. Yep, that's pretty much when I look as well. The weekly mow in the summer and the bi-monthly mowing in the beginning/end of the season are all good times to look.
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Warzau
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join:2000-10-26
Naperville, IL
clubs: | Especially for them nasty Wasp/Yellow jackets trying to make nest under the eaves. |
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drew
Reformation
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Port Orchard, WA
clubs: | I hate them. |
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tapeloop
1959. I try to kick the ball. I miss.
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Airstrip One
1 edit | reply to Warzau
I wish I only had yellowjackets. Instead I have these mutant mosquitoes that are either coming from a neighbor's yard or from the back alley. It was 40°F the other night, and yet I'm still swatting the damn things whenever I go to rake leaves... |
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i1me2ao
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TEXAS
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| we got them too now after every rain. these little asses get in my ears and bite eyeballs. i thought the marsh mosquito's were bad..
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nunya
SEE ROCK CITY 475 MILES
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O Fallon, MO
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| reply to drew
What I'd love to see from the very knowledgeable here is a compendium of tasks that every homeowner should do on a regular basis, and even some that only need to happen every X number of years. I think we can leave stuff out like "mow the lawn" or "trim the hedges" but everything else is fair game (I'm thinking gutters on up).
The first thing every homeowner should do is realize when a project is over their heads. Know that it IS o.k. to call a professional.
I've seen people really screw up their homes by trying to do plumbing, electrical, and HVAC on their own.
I know enough about plumbing to get water from point A to point B. Sometimes it doesn't leak. I know if I call my plumber, it's not my problem. It will get done right, and I don't have to worry.
Routine maintenance is about all you really need to know to keep your house livable. General cleaning is a big chunk of it. Just inspecting the premise or appliances every once in a while is a good start.
Being able to paint, change a light switch, repair a toilet valve, etc... are all nice. But, just being able to spot a problem and get it addressed before it becomes a bigger problem is priceless.
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bent
not broken
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Loveland, CO
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3 edits | reply to drew
Clean your roof gutters.
Even if you don't have any trees that dump leaves in them, grit and stuff builds up in them. It may be as easy as hosing them out once or twice a year or actually having to scoop a grip of leaves out by hand. Unfortunately I ended up with the later and had to spend all afternoon today doing it. It actually looked like it hadn't been done for a few years. Not my fault: I just bought this, my first house, in July. I won't let them get that bad.
That also brings up ladders. You should have a 6' A ladder and a 16' extension ladder. They are both indispensable.
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drew
Reformation
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join:2002-07-10
Port Orchard, WA
clubs: | I have neither and it's a pain! |
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tapeloop
1959. I try to kick the ball. I miss.
Premium
join:2004-06-27
Airstrip One | reply to drew
My house isn't big enough to keep a 16'+ ladder around...how easy would it be to rent one, if at all possible? Could I grab one from Lowe's or Home Depot? |
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Warzau
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join:2000-10-26
Naperville, IL
clubs:
| reply to nunya
said by nunya :The first thing every homeowner should do is realize when a project is over their heads. Know that it IS o.k. to call a professional.
I do that, adding a branch to my garage. Especially with my cities codes, cheaper in the long run to hire someone plus I know squat about that. |
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scooper
join:2000-07-11
Youngsville, NC | reply to tapeloop
Surely you can find a Little Giant at Lowes / Home Depot ? My 24 footer is not much longer than 6 feet when it is all ready for stowage... |
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Zen6
@rr.com | reply to drew
A person can learn quite a bit from the how to classes at Home Depot. |
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JoeG4
join:2001-12-16
945941
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| reply to drew
My rules:
1. Pretty much everything will not last more than 20 years.
2. Electricity and heat don't mix with furry things, fuzzy things or furniture.
3. Check that plugs aren't just sticking out of outlets loosely.. do that often
4. If you have a stove with pilot lights check that sucker all the time. I hate mine, I check it every night.
5. Change alarm batteries, they have a habit of dying without warning (!)
6. Channel adjustable wrenches fix almost everything
7. The proper sized flathead fixes anything else.
8. Don't use stuff for stuff it wasn't meant for. Don't use aluminum foil to fix stuff, or newspaper as insulation XD
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bent
not broken
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Loveland, CO
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| reply to tapeloop
said by tapeloop :My house isn't big enough to keep a 16'+ ladder around...how easy would it be to rent one, if at all possible? Could I grab one from Lowe's or Home Depot? A 16' extension ladder is only 8' by 8" when you collapse it for storage. I don't know if rental places rent them out or not. I just bought one at Home depot for $130, but they have a cheaper one (less weight rating) for $69.
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tapeloop
1959. I try to kick the ball. I miss.
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join:2004-06-27
Airstrip One
| said by scooper :Surely you can find a Little Giant at Lowes / Home Depot ? My 24 footer is not much longer than 6 feet when it is all ready for stowage... said by bent :A 16' extension ladder is only 8' by 8" when you collapse it for storage. I don't know if rental places rent them out or not. I just bought one at Home depot for $130, but they have a cheaper one (less weight rating) for $69. The only problem is getting it into my basement: around a corner, down a flight of stairs and around another corner.
So I could easily fit a ~8' ladder in my house...if I stored it in my living room. (No outdoor storage to speak of.)
I suppose I could grab some 2"x4"s and twist and turn them to see if a ladder would fit down there. Or just knock out a couple of walls. (Hey, a project!)
I found these at Lowes:
»www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=p···age=none
»www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=p···age=none
--
"I love mankind. It's people I can't stand."
--L. van Pelt |
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