Fixing Stuff Around the House

HSpencer · Post by **HSpencer** » Mon Aug 23, 2010 12:02 am

I can't (or can't stand) to afford a plumber. They cost about $65.00 an hour, walk in your house with muddy boots, and don't care how much terror they cause in fixing your problem. Therefore, I have become my own plumber. I can do almost anything myself. I have the tools.

However, our guest bathtub was dripping water out the spout. I finally looked at it after much pressure from spouse, and decided to fix it (myself as usual). It was a single handle tub and shower faucet, with cartridge, in brass finish. I pulled out my trusty "Maintenance USA" catalog and found and ordered the cartridge for it. I then watched a video on the internet about how to fix it. Problem is when you finally get down to the cartridge, you pull a clip, and you are faced with a cartridge that is stuck up tight in the valve and will not come out. So you want to get the vicegrip pliers. Not good.

When you finally wrestle the cartridge out, it falls apart. You look at it, and it is scored and the valve is also scored inside. Moral of story, it is unfixable in that manner.

So I was going out of town and I called my plumber, Gary, that I used in the apartment complexes. I told him what I needed and he said ok and would get one. To make a long story short, the new faucet was $310.00 and Gary's labor to install it was $150.00. I wrote him a check for $460.00. Ouch!!

Some things you go to fix are just not fixable!!!

The only credit I can claim here is that I did try everything before calling the buttcrack guy!

Robert Muir · Post by **Robert Muir** » Mon Aug 23, 2010 12:20 am

Kudos for taking the bull by the horns and doing your own plumbing! Pirsig in "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" talks about our reluctance to perform maintenance ourselves. We're intimidated by arcane parts and tools and we become stuck because we don't immediately see what the next step is. One of his pieces of advice is pretty cool - basically just sit and stare at the problem without doing anything and contemplate it. He has an entire chapter devoted to what he calls gumption traps. One of the best chapters in the book.
It may not be the best method financially, but I collected three separate tool boxes. One is devoted to plumbing repairs with pipe wrenches, screw drivers, propane torch etc., another is devoted to electrical repairs, with screw drivers, electrical tape, wire strippers, etc., and the third is devoted to wallboard and general repairs. True, I could save money by having one toolbox with common tools and three other small ones with specific tools, but I find it to be pleasurable to just grab a single box with everything I need for the specific task.
So far I've rewired my entire house and re-plumbed most of it. My next goal is to do some hardwood flooring myself. The last couple of renovations, I hired someone to do the flooring. Time for me to use the nail gun.
Out of curiosity, when you identified that the whole faucet needed replacing, why didn't you purchase one at Lowes/Depot and replace it yourself?

JohnnyH · Post by **JohnnyH** » Mon Aug 23, 2010 1:12 am

I find that you can do almost anything yourself! But is it always worth it?
Many times I'll start a project thinking (this is analogy) all I have to do is fix the Lightning rod on top of a tower, but before I can even start on that I had to look at the floor below, then the floor below that and so on... The before you know it your 12 floors from the lightning rod task learning Delphi script, or how to rebuild choke coils.
If time and money was infinite personal I'd follow many more tasks down the tower than I do now. I want to retire so I have the resources to pursue more.
It's true what Jacob says, most people throw money at problems and are at a loss otherwise... It's knowing when to throw in the hat and throw money at it that is tricky.

HSpencer · Post by **HSpencer** » Mon Aug 23, 2010 1:22 am

@Robert Muir
We were going out of town to a funeral the next day, and when we returned, we were having a house guest. Otherwise I would have done the new install myself. Also wife was walking on the ceiling about having it fixed post haste! The high price of the new faucet was that it was the "pressure balanced, anti- scald' type and was a kit with new shower head and Tub spout all in polished brass, and brass is hard to find these days.

Robert Muir · Post by **Robert Muir** » Mon Aug 23, 2010 1:40 am

Ah, that makes perfect sense. When I was renovating our bath, we had to go three days without a tub. Fortunately, we didn't have visitors during that period.

Robert Muir · Post by **Robert Muir** » Mon Aug 23, 2010 1:42 am

JohnnyH, you're absolutely right. There are lots of things that I decide not to do myself; either because of a lack of time or desire. That will certainly change after I wrap up my business and fire my clients.

Kevin M · Post by **Kevin M** » Tue Aug 24, 2010 8:38 pm

I usually try to fix things myself around our house. I have a pretty good idea how most things work and what tools I need though. In the past year I've: installed a dishwasher (electrical and plumbing), laid 500 sq ft of ceramic tile, installed wainscoting in our kitchen, put in a new sink and toilet and painted a few rooms. It is satisfying to say "I did that", not to mention the savings on labor and challenge of doing something new.

S · Post by S » Tue Aug 24, 2010 9:27 pm

I loved fixing things in my house. I remodeled my kitchen by myself (ripped out everything but the plumbing and electric) over 3 months of evenings and weekends. I didn't mind the inconvenience of not having a sink or stove for a while in exchange for getting to do it just like I wanted and not having to pay anyone for labor. I learned how to patch drywall, lay laminate flooring, hook up a sink, and install a tile backsplash. Later, DH and I rebuilt our front porch over a few weeks after it got attacked by carpenter ants. That time I learned about framing and how to shingle a roof.
I'm shocked at how shocked my friends are that I did this stuff myself.

HSpencer · Post by **HSpencer** » Tue Aug 24, 2010 10:10 pm

Having the apartments for seven years, I would call the plumber, and as he did his thing, I would watch, take mental notes, and go buy the tools he used. Next time I could do it. Same with the electrician. I learned a lot that way. I asked questions, and learned as I watched them repair things. Soon, I did not need them anymore. My dad taught me most all the woodworking stuff.

I can do most all of it from the dirt to the roof.

Now, you can watch a you tube of most anything.

Checking Carly · Post by **Checking Carly** » Wed Aug 25, 2010 6:40 pm

House remodeling and work is expensive, even when you do the labor yourself. And it is possible to attempt to fix something simple and create such a mess that the cost to professionally fix it becomes astronomically higher. There are some fixes I would attempt myself and some I would leave to others, especially depending on how much help I can wrangle from friends.

HSpencer · Post by **HSpencer** » Wed Aug 25, 2010 7:28 pm

I will have to say the plumbing supplies are getting out of hand, and I think that is due to the brass and copper costs. Since I needed a new water line into the house, my plumber suggested using the new PEX pipe and fittings. This IS the way to go. The PEX comes in rolls, sizes that you need, and is not cheap, but not too bad either. You add up costs in the fittings. There are great differences and there are inroads that have been made on valves. In the 80's and 90's we were using cheap shut off valves from China. With the PEX, you can get high quality lever type shut off valves made in the USA. You pay up front higher costs, but these last a lifetime. I am a big fan of the PEX pipe systems. Red=hot Blue=cold. You run the supply line to a manifold that is labeled with each fixture. Then to the fixture itself. Sorry to rattle about the PEX system, but it is the best thing since sliced bread!

csdx · Post by **csdx** » Wed Aug 25, 2010 7:31 pm

Most of my DIY instinct comes from wanting to know how something works. Plus I agree, it is quite satisfying when you know you've done it yourself. It's really impressive at how simple some things are once you peel back the fancy covering and take a peek at the insides. Also even when things you need to call the experts, knowing something will save you money. It's takes a lot more time if you tell the plumber "help my water won't run", rather than, "can you replace X part in this location".

Kevin M · Post by **Kevin M** » Wed Aug 25, 2010 7:52 pm

@HSpencer - I can appreciate your love for PEX. No personal experience with it, but I was bragging to anyone who would listen when I found a push-on (no solder) shut-off valve for our copper toilet supply a few months ago. Pretty cool.

JohnnyH · Post by **JohnnyH** » Wed Aug 25, 2010 8:05 pm

Hm... haven't heard of PEX, I'll keep it in mind.
You know what else is a great product? Great Stuff expanding insulator foam, really seals houses up well... But don't get it on your hands, that is very unpleasant!

HSpencer · Post by **HSpencer** » Wed Aug 25, 2010 8:20 pm

@JohnnyH
I learned the hard way on Great Stuff. Seems there is a "super" expanding model and a "lesser" expanding model. You can use the less expanding for sealing windows and doors. It only fills the gap and does not bulge out. The "super" expanding model is for large spaces you actually want it to expand to fill up. I put the "super" in a window casing and had such a mess I had to pull and reinstall the window!!