DIY Projects – Fixing Stuff Around The House

Over the past several weeks, I’ve spent my evenings and weekends working on various projects around the house:

I replaced our dishwasher.  Our house is ten years old.  We have lived in it for five of those years.  Several months ago, our dishwasher stopped working properly.  I repaired it twice – changing out its pump and replacing the drain hose – but two weeks ago – it just died.  So, we purchased a newer, more energy efficient dishwasher.  We love the new one!  It’s much quieter and does a MUCH better job of washing the dishes.  This was a bit of a budget hit – thank goodness for the emergency fund!

While we are on the subject of appliances – I removed and replaced the heating element in our clothes dryer.  Over the past few years, we have had trouble with our dryer.  I’ve replaced the dryer belt – twice – and the pulley.  Last week, it stopped getting warm – and when I opened it up – the heating element was broken.  The heater duct assembly for the dryer was relatively inexpensive and the actual repair only took a few minutes.  Hopefully, the new element – and the dryer – will last for years.

I built a ramp for the kids’ playhouse.  Our kids are getting older – and rarely use the playhouse as a “play” house.  Instead, we use it as a place to store their bikes and other toys.  Adding the ramp makes it easier to get the stuff in and out of the playhouse.  For about $30, the ramp was more than worth it.

I changed out the locks and doorknobs for our exterior doors.  It was time.  The deadbolts were difficult to activate – even after lubrication – and the handles were scuffed.  Changing out the locks was a relatively simple process – but I DID have some trouble removing the old deadbolts.  They required a small hex wrench – in a size that I just didn’t have.  After a quick internet video search, I managed to find a way to remove the locks, without the hex wrench.

I pressure-washed the siding on our house.  Two sides of our house are in the shade, even during winter.  If I don’t routinely spray down the siding, mildew (mold?) will form on the vinyl siding.  So, when the first semi-warm day hit last week, I jumped at the chance to pressure-wash.  Once I have all of the necessary pressure-washing stuff dragged out – pressure washer, hose, pump sprayer, bleach, long-handled brush, safety glasses, etc. – I actually enjoy pressure washing.  While I was at it, I cleaned out the garage and pressure washed its walls and concrete.

By doing these projects myself, I hope I saved some money, and I know I’ve felt a sense of accomplishment.  As we move into spring, I’ll turn my focus to our lawn, our small garden, and other outside projects.  Blessings!