IntroductionIntroduction
Whenever something went wrong in Louis XIV's gigantic home Versailles, he just called on one of his minions to fix it. Of course, this was a man who didn't dress himself in the morning—he stood there with his limbs about him and had other people do it for him.
You and I are not so fortunate. We dress ourselves, and when something goes wrong in our homes, we either bend our own backs to the work or face an expensive bill from a professional.
There's not much satisfaction writing a big check to a house-calling plumber or electrician, but there can be a lot of satisfaction in looking back on a job you've done, knowing it has been done properly and thinking about the money you're not forking over to a person who charges a lot for what you have just finished yourself.
Yes, two facts are certain in this world: Things will go wrong in your home, and people will charge you money to fix them. But you can do many of the fixes yourself if you know how to do the work properly.
That is where Repair Your Home in No Time comes in. It gives you information you need to make repairs and fixes quickly and effectively, saving you hundreds—even thousands—of dollars.
Who This Book Is Written for
This book is for persons who don't have a lot of free time, who don't really want to create a home workshop in the basement, or who don't devote large chunks of a weekend to home improvements. Rather, we have written this book for busy persons, ones who want to get the job done and then get on with their lives.
This book is also written for persons who do not have a lot of experience in home repairs, who do not have chests full of expensive tools, and who do not have bodybuilder-type sons waiting around for home-style challenges.
This book is for persons who need to make fixes with a minimum of fuss, help, time, and expense.
What This Book Will Do for You
We don't pretend that home repairs are fun or easy for everyone, although some people do find at least some of them fun and some of them easy. But everyone should understand that home repairs not only save you money, aggravation, and time, but also make your home more valuable. A new chandelier, tongue-and-groove flooring, or a new faucet makes your home more convenient, enjoyable, and attractive for you, but it also makes it more attractive to others at the time when you eventually might want to sell your home.
My own experience with home repairs has taught me this: One of the highest hurdles—often the highest hurdle—is right at the beginning: fear of the unknown and fear of failing. After you get over these fears, you discover that much of the work is rather easy and that after you have done a repair once, you'll have the confidence to do it again.
Let me give you an example. You might have a faucet leaking at the spout. If you look at that faucet and have no idea how it works or what might be the source of the leak, you can imagine all sorts of watery and cut-finger disasters if you plunge in taking the faucet apart. But if you understand how the faucet works, disassembling and reassembling it is rather fun, sort of like playing with puzzles when you were a kid.
If the faucet is a stem faucet, the basic fix is merely replacing a washer that is held in by a screw. When you have done that once, you'll feel it's so easy that you'll think of going around and replacing all the washers in all your stem faucets.
And here's another thing that will motivate you. The washer you put in and that stops the drip might cost all of 20 cents, and the repair might take just 5 minutes. If you were to succumb to the rather defeatist attitude that the faucet is too bewildering or that you do not have the proper tools, your recourse is to call a plumber. He's going to charge heaven knows what just to drive to your home and walk through the door. He could be gone in minutes but still charge you $35. So, there you have it: 20 cents and 5 minutes or $35, plus the 5 minutes it takes to greet the plumber at the door, walk him to the problem faucet, and write him the check.
Avoiding the plumber and making an effective repair yourself is really a matter of understanding how the faucet goes together, what goes wrong, and how to fix the problem.
Our job is to move you from someone who does not understand a system to having the confidence to fix problems in that system.
How to Use This Book
You'll get the most out of this book if you follow a couple simple suggestions. Read all of Part I, "Home Repair Basics." It contains material on what every home should have by way of tools and materials. It also discusses a maintenance plan. This part is important because, if you take some regular maintenance steps, you'll avoid the breakdowns that are more costly and complicated to put right.
You can use Part II, "Essential Home Repairs, Area by Area," more as a reference book. It is the heart of this volume and describes repairs that are commonly needed around the home. When something needs attending, merely find a reference to the problem in the index and go to the indicated page to read about the solution. It would be a good idea, however, to read the introductory material of a chapter in which the pages on the solution are found. The introductory material generally discusses how the system of the problem area works (the water supply system in Chapter 5, "Plumbing," for example, or electric circuits in Chapter 6, "Simple Electrical Repairs") and what sorts of tools and materials are needed for most fix-it work.
How the Book Is Organized
As mentioned, this book is organized into two parts. The first part reviews the basic tools and materials that everyone should have around the home, the ones that everyone is going to use eventually, which is why you should have them on hand and not have to run out to the store when their use is urgently needed. This part also reviews the kinds of stores where you can purchase tools, supplies, and materials; how to shop effectively in those stores; and how to get your questions answered.
Part I includes a section on keeping home repairs to a minimum. This, of course, means doing the small chores around the home so problems don't crop up in the first place—as they so often do at the worst possible times. Many people shy away from maintenance not because they don't like work, but because they do not have confidence that they can perform what is called for either efficiently or correctly. This section assures you that you can do much of what must be done to prevent problems in the first place.
Part II is the core of the book. It addresses repairs and maintenance by house system (plumbing, electrical, and so on) or by location (outdoors, for example). You do not have to read it straight through, and you do not have to read all of it. Rather, you can treat it as a reference. When you have a lamp to rewire, just find the section on rewiring lamps. Follow the step-by-step instructions and—voilà—a repaired lamp.
Every home needs the kind of repairs that are covered in this section. You will end up using it a lot.
We have placed information about the kind of work around the home that is less frequently needed—or not needed at all—but which can make your home less expensive to maintain (for example, by adding attic insulation), better looking (upgrading the door and window trim), and more amenable (adding a patio) on our website.
One chapter is filled with ideas about saving energy. Another provides step-by-step instructions for carrying out some home improvement projects that are not particularly difficult but which can make your home both more enjoyable and worth more in the marketplace. The two online chapters, "Saving Energy" and "Simple Home Improvements," can be accessed by going to http://www.quepublishing.com. Enter this book's ISBN (without the hyphens) in the Sear...
