Sometimes you just want to do it yourself. It might be because you simply don’t have the funds to pay someone at the moment. There’s a lot of DIY being done, with many having to stay at home due to the coronavirus. Moreover, a lot of people might be doing it simply out of boredom. If you’ve got the time, you might as well do it yourself. However there are some who don’t know what to do. They want to do something, but what exactly? Here are some DIY projects you can do yourself, which doesn’t require huge levels of skill. They take varying amounts of time, so it just depends how much you want to put into the project in terms of time actually completing it, or time researching what you need to do. The tools are a factor too of course, and it comes down to whether you’d want to purchase them.

Repointing The Brickwork

The cement or mortar between brickwork can degrade overtime. If you have a wooden home you don’t need to worry about this, but if it’s brick, and the house is pretty old, you might need to repoint. It sounds like quite a bit of work, but if you only need to repoint a smaller area it’s certainly something you can do yourself. There are huge benefits to repointing. It can stop you having to contact 1-800 Water Damage and stop ingress. It can also save you some money on your central heating as you’re potentially sealing up holes which provide the cold a route into your house, and heat a route out.

You just need to mix up a bit of cement to the right consistency to fill the holes in. You won’t need anything like a cement mixer unless you’re doing a significant part of the wall. Remember, pointing can be done on the inside too, usually using caulk instead of cement. Check for any cracks or splits around the window or the frames. Cracks around the cornering and edges of the home can also be filled using this or sealant. Don’t worry if it looks a little shoddy too because you can always sand it down so that it looks smooth and professional. 

Clear Those Gutters

Clearing the gutters is certainly something you can do yourself, so long as you have a good ladder and someone to hold it at the bottom. They can quite easily get clogged up, especially if you have trees in the garden and around your home. Clogged gutters can cause many issues. Water needs to run off properly or it will pool and potentially cause problems. It also needs to run off your roof otherwise it could cause water ingress from up top. All you need is a good pair of gloves to scoop the leaves out. If you have windows above the gutters, you can have a quick look beforehand to see where the blockage lies.

If your have a multiple story house that’s just too high, don’t risk it. You could end up hurting yourself. While you’re at it, check for the gutters outlets. They usually run off into drains around your property. These can get clogged too but you might not notice from first glance. Remove the covering and look down the pipe and you might find more leaves there too. If the gutter is clear, but this is clogged, you’ll still have puddling issues around your property. 

Painting

Painting is one of the easiest things you can do and many people choose to do it themselves rather than pay a painter and decorator. People tend to fall down in the wall preparation part of the work. It’s easy just to slap the paint on, but if the wall isn’t right it won’t stick properly and you’ll end up having to stick too many coats on. Sand it a little first, and always wipe it down so you rid it of dust and anything else sticking to the wall.

Then, make sure the first coat dries before you go in with the second, because the roller or brush will just take the first coat off. If you prepare properly you should have no trouble at all. Use masking tape, or painters tape to cover the areas you want left well alone and ensure you use proper coverings for furniture or flooring. If you’re painting the outside of your home, you may need more than you realize too, so make sure you set your budget right.