Depending on where you live, national averages can seem like a steal. Rene Artale’s four-bedroom house near Newcastle, in Westchester County, N.Y., suffered some damage during a storm last winter. A tree fell in the yard, damaging her fence, arbor and retaining wall. And heavy snow caused her roof to leak. The repair bills just kept piling up. Removing the tree, $3,800. Repairing the wall, $4,000. Fixing the roof, $3,800. Fixing the picket fence, $2,800. “It’s obscene,” Ms. Artale, 47, said.
Risk: If your house was built
before 1994 and still has the original plumbing fixtures, you’re using
30 to 40 percent more water than
a comparable new home. Because about 70 percent of the water flowing through the showerhead is hot,
that means higher heating bills too. A basic showerhead can cost just $15 and could pay for itself in reduced water and heating costs after just one month. Calculate your
savings at epa.gov/watersense/watersense-calculator. 
How to DIY it: A simple cleaning often solves the problem. Start by pulling out the lower dish rack. Remove the spray arm and use a thin piece of wire to clean out the holes where water sprays through. Scoop or vacuum out any leftover food particles from the filter area, then remove the filter screen (above), if possible, and give it a good rinse.
While you’re at it: Any appliance that uses water has a shutoff valve. But when valves go untouched for years, mineral deposits can make them impossible to close. Before that happens, locate the valves for your washer, ice maker, water heater, etc., and turn the handle (clockwise, about a quarter turn) every year or so (more often if your water is very hard), and then turn it back. Here are some ten-minute maintenance tasks you didn’t know you needed.
In addition to the major tasks like painting, renovations, and replacements, we also do little jobs. Some of these include doorknob repair, bookshelves and built-ins, and hanging pictures and curtains. Other companies won’t perform this work, but we’re happy to do it all for you at a price you can afford. Our services are so inclusive that we’ll be the only ones you need to call whenever something goes amiss in your house.
recently, had anything home repairs both redesign & construct a new bathroom in our home. this requi...red our bathroom to be fully gutted for the purpose of the reconstruction. we are overwhelmingly pleased with the results. this bathroom is now a virtual show place in our home. our contractor , scott was extremely knowledgable & carefully as well as caringly assisted us in the purchases of a new floor, vanity, sink, cabinets, toilet, tub, tiling as well as all plumbing fixtures. the quality of the work is frankly, perfect. when the job was completed , the cleanup provided by anything home repairs left our newly renovated bathroom spotless . an all thunbs up recommendation for anything home repairs for those in need of high quality & honest home construction &/or repairs. See More
If a screw turns but doesn’t tighten, the screw hole is stripped. Here’s a quick remedy: Remove the screw and hardware. Dip toothpicks in glue, jam as many as you can into the hole and break them off. You don’t have to wait for the glue to dry or drill new screw holes; just go ahead and reinstall the hardware by driving screws right into the toothpicks.
Simple fixes for the four most common refrigerator problems: an ice-maker breakdown, water leaking onto the floor, a cooling failure and too much noise. Chances are, you can solve the problem yourself, save some money and avoid the expense and inconvenience of a service appointment. The following article will walk you through the simplest solutions to the most common fridge malfunctions. Learn how to repair a refrigerator here.
"I really appreciate Cinderella's help to clear out my garage and also my driveway. The city has not picked up my trash including card boards, packing palette, packing foams and all that moving related junks for 3 weeks. It was a tough time for my family. Cinderella her team came late in the evening because of her busy schedule and made two trips back and forth to clear my junks. They are very professional and fast. I am so happy I found them and felt like I got my life back after I had an empty garage! Thank you again and great job!"
Other competitors include online referral services.[10] In addition, some large home centers offer installation services for products such as cabinets and carpet installation.[16] Sometimes homeowners contact a professional service after trying, but failing, to do repair work themselves; in one instance, a Minneapolis homeowner attempted a project but called a technician to finish the project, and the overall cost was substantial.[19]
Sooner or later, every sprayed ceiling is going to get a water stain or a scrape. Spray texture in a can won’t perfectly match every ceiling texture, but it’s usually close, and a lot easier than respraying a whole ceiling. Before spraying, seal the patch with a stain-blocking primer, cover the floor and furniture, and practice your technique on scrap plywood or cardboard. Buy ceiling texture on Amazon now.
A handyman is not the best option for a large or complicated project that could take a long time to complete and requires the help of multiple workers. You shouldn't turn to a handyman either if you need an emergency service for plumbing, electrical or appliance work, unless the handyman is licensed in that trade. If an unlicensed person does plumbing or electrical work, you have no guarantee that the work has been done to code, which could affect your homeowners insurance policy or any claim related to the work. Use a contractor or specialist for remodeling work, room additions and projects that require heavy-duty equipment or licensed professionals like electricians.
Other competitors include online referral services.[10] In addition, some large home centers offer installation services for products such as cabinets and carpet installation.[16] Sometimes homeowners contact a professional service after trying, but failing, to do repair work themselves; in one instance, a Minneapolis homeowner attempted a project but called a technician to finish the project, and the overall cost was substantial.[19]
How to DIY it: Coils are located on the back of the refrigerator or across the bottom. Pull the fridge away from the wall. (Hint: Grab the sides and pull from the bottom. You may want to lay cardboard on the floor first to prevent scratching.) Clean coils with a coil-cleaning brush (about $10 at home centers), then vacuum. Do this every six months or so.
We pride ourselves on offering some of the most versatile home repair services in the area. Our crews are skilled enough to fix or improve almost anything in your house, outside and inside. Considering our services include roofs and gutters, floors and walls, and woodwork too, we can honestly say that we fix up your house from top to bottom. Each aspect is completely customized to your tastes, because we want you to enjoy every single part of your living space.
Ms. Artale in Westchester has a plan to fix the problem. Neither she nor her husband, Andy, 41, a program analyst, may ever learn how to repair a fence. But that won’t be the case with their 9-year-old son, Matteo. “When my son gets a little older, I’m going to apprentice him out to someone — for real,” she said. “It’s ridiculous that my husband and I don’t know how to do anything.”
Simple fixes for the four most common refrigerator problems: an ice-maker breakdown, water leaking onto the floor, a cooling failure and too much noise. Chances are, you can solve the problem yourself, save some money and avoid the expense and inconvenience of a service appointment. The following article will walk you through the simplest solutions to the most common fridge malfunctions. Learn how to repair a refrigerator here.
In Need of Residential / Commercial Handyman Services? We Have the Solution For You! Our Services include the following: .•All about electricity, installations, maintenance and repairs •General building work and repairs •General handyman work and repairs •Home maintenance and repairs •Installation of bathroom accessories •Sliding glass door installation •Sliding glass door rollers replacement •Sk ...
Carefully screened by Grandma herself before being hired, every handyman employed by Grandma’s has passed a national background check. Grandma's Handyman Service, Inc. is also fully insured and bonded. This means that our customers and our employees are protected. We’re also a member of the Better Business Bureau, which is your assurance of our good business practices. Our Denver handyman service is covered by liability insurance, worker’s compensation insurance and a surety bond. Our handymen are direct employees, not subcontractors or a referral service. Our Denver handyman service works because all our handymen have to answer to directly to Grandma!
If you can’t see any telltale flow marks, and since the stain is fairly small, look at the underside of the roof for ‘shiners.’ A shiner is a nail that missed the framing member, in this case when the carpenter nailed the roof sheathing to the rafters. Moisture that escapes into the cold attic from the rooms below often condenses on cold nails. Sometimes you can spot this if you climb up into your attic on a cold night. The nails will look white because they’re frosted. When the attic heats up a bit during the day, the frost melts and drips, then the nails frost up at night again and so on. The solution is to simply clip the nail with a side-cutting pliers.
If you are willing to buy and pick up the materials yourself, you avoid paying for shopping and pick-up time. But you may find it inconvenient, strenuous, and time-consuming to pick up a load of bricks, a few large sheets of plywood, or similar items. If the company will be doing the shopping and buying, get the company to commit to the time and cost for that task; some will agree that there will be no extra charge.
Every home improvement job requires a special tool. We'll introduce you to the important construction tools including woodworking tools, hand tools and drywall tools. Now, with all these building materials, you might just need special tool boxes to store them. And, hey, if you feel like a pro, ever think about wearing those tool belts? See All Home Repair & Tools
In Need of Residential / Commercial Handyman Services? We Have the Solution For You! Our Services include the following: .•All about electricity, installations, maintenance and repairs •General building work and repairs •General handyman work and repairs •Home maintenance and repairs •Installation of bathroom accessories •Sliding glass door installation •Sliding glass door rollers replacement •Sk ...
Two-part epoxy glue is rock-hard, fills huge gaps, bonds to almost anything and dries very quickly. Some brands now come with an applicator tip that automatically mixes the two parts so you can spread it like a regular glue, without mixing. It’s perfect for gluing irregular shapes and dissimilar materials to each other. Most epoxies set in five minutes, but you can buy quicker-setting types that allow you to just hold pieces in place for a minute, without any clamping. Pick up some epoxy glue on Amazon today.
How well do the franchise chains perform? One Wall Street Journal reporting team did an informal assessment by hiring handymen all over the United States and asking them to fix a wide range of problems, from a relatively routine leaky faucet to a sticky door.[12] The reporter concluded that "with few licensing requirements and standards for the industry, prices are all over the board."[12] One quote was ten times as large as another.[12] Further, the reporter concluded "A big corporate name is no guarantee of quality or speedy service."[12] One corporate firm took three weeks to fix a stuck door.[12] Service varied from spotty to good, with complaints about unreturned phone calls, service people standing on dining room chairs, leaving holes between wood planking, but liked getting multiple jobs done instead of just one.[12] Customers liked handymen wearing hospital booties (to avoid tracking dirt in houses).[12] The reporter chronicled one experience with repairing a water-damaged ceiling. A franchise firm fixed it for $1,530; a second (non-franchise local handyman) fixed a similar ceiling for $125.[12] The reporter preferred the second worker, despite the fact that he "doesn't have a fancy van -- or carry proof of insurance".[12] Tips for selecting a good handyman include: ask questions, get written estimates on company stationery, make sure handymen guarantee their work, pay with credit cards or checks because this provides an additional record of each transaction, check references and licenses,[20] review feedback about the contractors from Internet sites. To find a competent worker, one can seek referrals from local sources such as a school or church or office park, to see if a staff handyman does projects on the side, as well as ask friends for referrals; a general contractor might have workers who do projects on the side as well.[20] Further, one can try out a new handyman with easy projects such as cleaning gutters to see how well they perform.[20]
Any property repair services are only as good as the people and the tools behind them. That’s why we use only the latest repair and maintenance equipment on every job, no matter how small. Part of our job is to ensure your house is up-to-date and looking its best, so we use only the best resources available in order to make that happen. We offer a variety of handyman services throughout the DC area, including all of the following:
Every remodeling job starts off with home building plans including detailed floor plans. Next comes the demolition (and a great opportunity to vent off some steam). We can offer you advice on all home renovation jobs big and small, from building modular homes to log homes and from home theater design to closet design. See All Building & Home Improvement
If you can say the same, that’s great! But be sure to take steps to replenish the funds quickly. Unfortunately, repairs can come at any time—even one right after another. So you’ll want to be ready. If you are thinking about doing other renovations in addition to your emergency repairs, use SoFi’s Home Project Value Estimator to find out the resale value of your project.
Plumbing vent boots can be all plastic, plastic and metal, or even two-piece metal units. Check plastic bases for cracks and metal bases for broken seams. Then examine the rubber boot surrounding the pipe. That can be rotted away or torn, allowing water to work its way into the house along the pipe. With any of these problems, you should buy a new vent boot to replace the old one. But if the nails at the base are missing or pulled free and the boot is in good shape, replace them with the rubber-washered screws used for metal roofing systems. You’ll find them at any home center with the rest of the screws. You’ll have to work neighboring shingles free on both sides. If you don’t have extra shingles, be careful when you remove shingles so they can be reused. Use a flat bar to separate the sealant between the layers. Then you’ll be able to drive the flat bar under the nail heads to pop out the nails.
Intimidated by this seemingly daunting project? Don’t be. If you have the will and a whole day (or two) to yourself, you can refinish the hardwood floors in the major areas of your home. You don’t necessarily need to sand, but if the floor is damaged enough to warrant buffing, check out your local hardware store and rent the equipment for anywhere from 4-48 hours. Here’s how to refinish your hardwood floors.
Generally the job of paid handyman is low status, a semi-skilled labor job. It's a less prestigious occupation than a specialist such as a plumber, electrician, or carpenter. With the emergence of large national chains, an effort is being made to change that perception, by emphasizing professionalism and the fact that a handyman is actually a technician with multiple skills and a wide range of knowledge. At the same time, unpaid homeowners skilled at repairs are valued for saving money. And handyman tools sometimes become useful in different places: for example, when a proper neurological drill was not available, an Australian doctor used a handyman's drill in 2009 to open a hole in the head of a 13-year-old boy to relieve pressure after a brain injury; the boy's life was saved.[11]
In 2009, there were national handyman service firms which handle such nationwide tasks as public relations, marketing, advertising, and signage, but sell specific territories to franchise owners. A franchise contract typically gives a franchise owner the exclusive right to take service calls within a given geographical area. The websites of these firms put possible customers in touch with local owners, which have handymen and trucks. Customers call the local numbers. Typically these firms charge around $100/hour, although fees vary by locality and time of year. In many parts of the world, there are professional handyman firms that do small home or commercial projects which claim possible advantages such as having workers who are insured and licensed. Their branch offices schedule service appointments for full-time and part-time handymen to visit and make repairs, and sometimes coordinate with sub-contractors.
