Doing small, maintenance tasks at home for yourself can save you money on hiring tradesmen and it can also keep your home in good, working order – and looking great! If you’ve got the time, the skills and the patience, here are some simple DIY tasks and tips that can save you lots of dosh:

Painting

Painting is one of the easiest DIY jobs around and not only will it save you money on hiring painters, it’ll also give your home a makeover! If you’ve never painted before, ensure you speak to a paint consultant at your local hardware store. They will be able to tell you how to prep and clean your surface properly and will be able to help you choose the correct undercoat and topcoat for whatever material you’re painting.

Basic Appliance Repairs

Having a go at some basic appliance repairs will also save you some money. This might be entail something like replacing the spray arm in the dishwasher, fixing the door gasket on a fridge or troubleshooting a problem with the air conditioner. Whatever you do, remember to ensure that all electricity and/or water is turned off before you start playing around. If in doubt or if you sense a bigger repair job is needed, make sure you call a professional.

Bathroom Repairs

Like painting, doing some simple repairs about the bathroom are also quite easy, like replacing a washer or tap or installing a new showerhead. If you’ve got the skills, you can also look into replacing a few tiles in your bathroom or even retiling it completely. While this can be tricky if you’ve never tiled before, doing it yourself can save you lots and means you skip the cost of hiring a builder.

Drains

Generally speaking, you should check your drains around once a year to make sure they are clear and unblocked. Leaving drains blocked for longer periods of time means consulting a professional, but if you notice a small block, this can usually be unclogged by using a plunger or drain rod.

Flooring

Are your floors looking old and worn? If so, reflooring your home can give it a brand new look and feel and depending on what materials you choose, it can be easy to DIY. Things like tiles, laminate, floating floorboards, carpet and cork can be easy to DIY if you follow the rules. Other options like hardwood, bamboo, marble, polished concrete and stone might be a little more difficult, depending on your skills, but could still be DIY-ed if you’re confident at flooring.

Cars

It’s something people often overlook, but DIY-ing basic repairs on your vehicles can also save on the mechanic bills. Simple jobs like repairing windscreen wipers, replacing oil and coolants, checking air filters and replacing tyres and replacing spark plugs are generally quite basic and easy. Furthermore, these often are quite inexpensive to buy.

Tools

Of course, DIY-ing around the home and garden also means that you’ll need to have the right tools on hand. If you find that purchasing the tools you require is going to be too expensive, you can look into renting tool instead, which is also a cost-saving option. Alternatively, if you’ve got a handy friend or neighbour, you can also consider borrowing tools for free.

DIY and Insurance Implications – What Shouldn’t You DIY?

As with all repairs relating to your home and vehicles, there are just some things you shouldn’t DIY. Generally speaking, stay clear of any major home repairs that require extensive knowledge of electricity or plumbing and drainage – these need to be completed by a certified electrician or plumber and DIY-ing them is often illegal. It also may mean you endanger yourself, your home and that any future home or contents insurance claims arising from faults may be void.

The same thing will apply to any car repairs that you do. Major car issues (especially when you don’t know exactly what’s wrong) should be handled by a licenced mechanic and  any major mods you make to your car that don’t conform with its make and model or with road regulations should be communicated to your car insurance provider. Otherwise, if you end up in an accident and your provider isn’t aware of the changes you’ve made, you’ll probably find your insurance claims rejected.