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Not every home repair needs a professional. In fact, the five most common household repairs are simple enough that any dad can knock them out in an afternoon — and save hundreds of dollars a year in service calls. I've done every one of these myself, and trust me, if I can do it, you can do it.
A running toilet wastes up to 200 gallons of water per day. The fix takes 15 minutes and it's almost always one of two parts: the flapper or the fill valve.
Doorknobs, rough-housing kids, and "I was just trying to hang a shelf" situations — they all create drywall holes. Small holes up to 4 inches are a straightforward fix.
Pro tip: buy a small pre-mixed tub of joint compound. You'll use it again. Guaranteed.
Chemical drain cleaners are hard on your pipes and bad for the environment. For most clogs, you need exactly two tools: a flat-bottom sink plunger and a hand-crank drain snake.
When outlets in your bathroom, kitchen, or garage suddenly stop working, don't call an electrician yet. Check for a tripped GFCI outlet first — this one fix has saved me two unnecessary service calls.
Sticking doors are usually caused by one of three things: loose hinge screws, humidity-swollen wood, or a house that has settled slightly. All three are fixable without calling anyone.
These five repairs cover the vast majority of the "honey, something's broken" calls you'll get on a Saturday morning. I've tested every one of them. Between fixing a running toilet and clearing a clogged drain alone, I've saved over $300 in service calls this year. The tools you need are cheap, the skills take one afternoon to learn, and the dad credibility? That's priceless.
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