When To DIY And When To Call A Professional

When To DIY And When To Call A Professional

It’s always better to be safe than sorry, as the old saying goes. Well, it most certainly is far better to be safe than unexpectedly struck by a catastrophe when it comes to our homes and their perimeter – small house-related problems left unattended may soon turn into full-scale disasters unless you take proper care of them on time. Still, there’s only so much a man can do when it comes to crafts, DIY projects and everyday tinkering, and we may not always be able to sort out the issues on our own. That’s why we have compiled a few important tips to help you carry out home repair tasks with minimum time and effort and whether you should DIY or call a professional. So keep reading if you want to keep your house in optimal state in the long run.

How to fix broken pipes on your own

Nothing lasts forever, especially not in bitter cold temperatures, which is why most old and frail pipes around our home tend to go to shambles in wintertime. To fix a frozen pipe liable to breaks, bursts and leaks, you should first shut off the water supply and open some faucets to let the water stream out as the pipe begins to thaw gradually by exposure to heating fans, hairdryers or hot water. As the pipe thaws off, let all the water stuck inside run out and then replace the old pipe with a new one or put in an inner tube and some hose clamps if you need just an emergency solution and not a thorough pipe replacement. Don’t worry, this problem can be easily sorted out if you have the right tools for it. If you don’t have the proper tools, you can always get yourself some tools online. Final verdict? Though replacing the pipes isn’t that difficult, perhaps it’s better to leave it to a professional if you are not completely knowledgeable of what you’re doing.

Fixing Broken Pipes

Roof leaks and how to remedy them DIY

In seasons of heavy rain and melting snow, your attic or ceiling may become all moldy, moist and drippy, and the most frequent cause of this sort of problems is a common roof leak. In order to fix a dripping roof, you should try and identify the leak source above the moldy or wet area. Check the roof points directly above or in the vicinity of the damp spots and locate the water entry point. Once you’ve successfully established the position of the leak source, grab a couple of new shingles or tiles to replace the broken or damaged ones. In case all the roof covering is strong and in shape, it may be enough just to rearrange the tiles and tuck the leak source a bit with some plastic sheets or similar water-repellent materials to prevent future drips at the leaky spot. Final verdict? Roof leaks are relatively easy to fix and you should be able to carry out the task on your own.

Remedy Roof Leaks

Thermal insulation and how to install it

If your home has a tendency to release instead of preserve heat, odds are your walls may need fresh thermal insulation. Most commonly used insulating materials include glass wool, rock wool, cellulose, vermiculite, perlite, cork, polystyrene and urethane foam. When installing your new heat isolation, you should try and ensure adequate thermal bridging and vapor barriers and leave some ventilation spots and air gaps to increase the effectiveness of heat transfer reduction while still preserving adequate fresh air supply and air conditioning. Final verdict? For this kind of a project, you’ll probably need more than just your everyday handyman knowledge so perhaps it would be a good idea to hire the professionals to do the work for you.

Installing Thermal Insulation

Keeping your home safe, dry and well-protected from the elements is not an easy task, but it’s not all that demanding either. All it takes to deal away with leaks, broken pipes and optimal heat preservation is awareness of the existing problem and timely response, some reliable tools, a bit of good will and a dash of manual labor – and sometimes a hand from the repair experts may come in useful too.