Things to fix in new house no idea of cost help

mazy_m

Hi all,

So we had tinted glasses and thought there wasn't much silly bits that needed doing when we got the house but since then there's loads of things we never thought about that needs doing.

The problem is I don't know where to begin or if there's any of it I should be calling someone in to do or if my OH can do. I suppose I'm just asking for a bit of advice on what people tend to do and what they would call someone in for and how much they would expect to pay if so.

The fizzing light and the broken shower switch are being done by an electrician as although he said he'd feel fine doing them I just feel that ya don't mess with electrics.

The other bits are

cleaning the guttering

Fixing the lock on UPVC door as although the lock turns and sounds like it's working the door won't open.

Actually that's not lots but I'm sure there are a few things I've forgotten .

Thanks so much

HappyMJ

Cleaning the guttering is free if you don't mind climbing a ladder to do it.

Or...about £60 for someone else to climb a ladder to do it for you.

dominoman

I know how daunting it is. When we bought our house we knew there were lots of jobs that needed doing, some of them quite major. But I never guessed it would take so long. Two years in I feel I have barely started!

Try and do as much as you can yourself. It is the best way to learn about your house and gain some new skills.

Even if you give up in frustration it means you have a good sense of what is needed when you call a tradesman in, so you are far less likely to overpay.

If you don't have any DIY skills then it really isn't a problem. YouTube will get you a long long way. Also, it's worth having a book to refer to. Collins DIY is excellent. Have a look: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Collins-Complete-Manual-Albert-Jackson/dp/0007425953?

Ebe_Scrooge

mazy_m wrote: »

The fizzing light and the broken shower switch are being done by an electrician as although he said he'd feel fine doing them I just feel that ya don't mess with electrics. There's no need to be afraid of electrics as long as you're sensible. Obviously turn off the power at the mains before you do anything. If you're flicking a single circuit-breaker, rather than killing the power to the whole house, make ABSOLUTELY sure you've killed the correct circuit, don't just rely on the label that says "Upstairs lights" or whatever. "Fizzing light" - might just be a loose wire in the fitting, easy to check. Broken switch - dead easy to buy a replacement from any DIY shed and do a straight swap. Yes, some jobs will be out of the scope of a DIY-er, but basic fault-finding ( e.g. loose connections ) and replacing damaged switches, sockets etc. is not difficult.

The other bits are

cleaning the guttering Easy to do yourself with a ladder, or else many window-cleaners will do this for you for not much - especially if you're paying them to clean the windows anyway.

Fixing the lock on UPVC door as although the lock turns and sounds like it's working the door won't open. Difficult to diagnose without seeing it, but quite often it'll just need a spot of lubrication with graphite and/or a bit of minor adjustment to the spindle or latch.

Actually that's not lots but I'm sure there are a few things I've forgotten .

Thanks so much

My thoughts above. Owning a house is a great way of developing your DIY skills, as if you're anything like me you can't afford to be paying a tradesman to fix every little thing. The more you do the more you'll be able to tackle as your experience grows. And you'll quickly get a feel for what is within your scope, or when you need to call someone in to help. Good luck :T

TheCyclingProgrammer

If you're not confident with heights or don't own a ladder and can't borrow one, find a good local window cleaner - you'll probably want one to clean your windows anyway - and see what they charge to clear the guttering. It probably won't cost too much.

More information needed regarding the door as it might be a simple fix. Failing that a local "window doctor" company or independent door fitter might be able to help you out for a small charge.

There's nothing wrong with DIY electrics IF you know what you're doing and know how to work safely but if you're not sure or not confident you are right to get an electrician in.

Procrastinator333

I would be inclined to replace either the handle or lock rather than any sort of repair. Even the locking mechanism wont be that expensive:

http://www.screwfix.com/p/yale-adjustable-replacement-upvc-door-lock-35mm/74544

If you own a house you really need to start having a go at DIY. If you dont, you either end up paying a fortune over you life for every little thing that breaks. Or you end up in a broken shithole because you cant do it and cant afford to get it done.

Yes you will make mistakes. But you will learn and get better. Google can tell you how to do anything these days. Then just need to have tools and willingness to give it a go.

Good luck!

Ebe_Scrooge

Procrastinator333 wrote: »

Yes you will make mistakes. But you will learn and get better. Google can tell you how to do anything these days. Then just need to have tools and willingness to give it a go.

Good luck!

Excellent advice. And on the tools front - a good idea is to start off with a small basic toolkit, then buy tools as and when you need them to do a specific job. Things like an electric drill, for instance, will get used loads if you're doing any amount of DIY. But if you find you're tackling a job and need a specific tool, buy it, and odds on it'll get used plenty of times from then on. If you buy decent quality tools they'll last a lifetime - many of mine were inherited from my grandad, and they're still going strong. Using this method you'll slowly build up a comprehensive kit over the course of a few years, without having a massive outlay all at once.

mazy_m

Thank you all so much for your replies. They're all so positive and are making me feel confident we can tackle this costing as little as possible!! I think you're all so right in saying that the only way to learn is to do it!!


Happy MJ- I completely agree!! That does sound a bit nuts when we could just borrow a ladder and do that ourselves. My OH was happy to go up but as he works in Health and Safety he was talking about me holding the ladder properly. I'm sure if he's up there I can handle holding the ladder.


dominoman- Yes I think it's a bit overwhelming. I think we'll be the same as you in two years. These bits will be done but no doubt more and more bits with surface or crop up!grrrr!!Always been a tenant so never had to worry about these things before. Thanks so much for the link!! We'll have a look at that. Been doing this with gardening too I realised I was pulling flowers out and not weeds so onto youtube and hopefully I might have a bit of an idea lol!!


Ebe Scrooge- thanks so much that's put my mind at rest about the electrics. The Electrician did say it was a quick and simple job to do those two. He quoted £50 so I was happy with that. Plus it means I can have a shower before the OH would get round to doing it!! lol! (love baths but it's so hard trying to get hair washed!!) Thanks for the ideas about the lock. I'll get OH to look into that one as he would understand how it would work and go together.


TheCyclingProgrammer- I never thought of that. If my ladder holding skills aren't on par I'll speak to our window cleaner and ask if they do anything like that. Although they never seen to have ladders. Yes I think for the electrics until he's worked a bit more with things like that I'd be worried he'd blown himself up. It's not him. It's me!! I switch everything off before bed and when I go out!!


Procrastinator333- Thanks so much for the link. That's not bad at all. I was a bit worried it would be a lot more than that. At the moment it's not too bad as it's double doors so at least one opens but when the weather is better I want to be able to have both open! Yes completely agree I should start as I mean to go on. If we get used to having to shell our for things as we're scared to tackle them we could have have saved enough for an extension or conservatory in the years we intend on being here!!


Thanks so much again all of you.


Maz

mazy_m

Yes you will make mistakes. But you will learn and get better. Google can tell you how to do anything these days. Then just need to have tools and willingness to give it a go.

Good luck![/QUOTE]


This reminded me of Dr Seuss!!

mazy_m

Ebe_Scrooge wrote: »

Excellent advice. And on the tools front - a good idea is to start off with a small basic toolkit, then buy tools as and when you need them to do a specific job. Things like an electric drill, for instance, will get used loads if you're doing any amount of DIY. But if you find you're tackling a job and need a specific tool, buy it, and odds on it'll get used plenty of times from then on. If you buy decent quality tools they'll last a lifetime - many of mine were inherited from my grandad, and they're still going strong. Using this method you'll slowly build up a comprehensive kit over the course of a few years, without having a massive outlay all at once.

Brilliant advice. We've already got a few bits from when we first moved in but agree with buying decent quality so that there's no need to replace!!

jakemillspaek

For non mechanical gear a Car boot sale is wonderful.You can pick up decent tools for a pittance....obviously avoid the modern imported tat.
Items such as ladders buy new BS (kite marked) items ditto electrical tools.
Also a wallpaper stripper,I must of spent 1,000 wasted fishing hours until I bought one....and don't forget a power breaker.