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With their household budgets stretched thin by job
losses and the slowing economy, many consumers are looking for ways
to save. To cut the cost of repair and improvement projects, more
and more people are picking up screwdrivers and joining the ranks
of do-it-yourselfers.
The Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Web site RemodelOrMove.com says in its remodeling forecast for spring that 67 percent of homeowners who are considering home-improvement projects plan to do some of the work themselves. That's up from 60 percent in 2005.
Taking a DIY approach doesn't mean you're on your own. You can tap countless sources for step-by-step advice, from the pros conducting in-store workshops to sales representatives in parts stores to how-to guides on the Internet.
You also can save hundreds or even thousands of dollars by adopting a DIY mentality. All you need are the right tools and a problem-solving approach, and Bankrate can help. Read our tips box on where to go for help and our "difficulty rating" on each project before forging ahead (1 for easy to 5 for difficult).
Ready to get started? Here's a look at eight projects that have saved money for DIYers.
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| 8 do-it-yourself projects in the home |
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1. Repairing a dishwasher
Bob Sisson's dishwasher stopped draining on a Saturday, leaving
him with the prospect of going without one for at least a few days.
Instead of waiting, Sisson, a home inspector who lives in Gaithersburg,
Md., decided to see if he could fix it himself.
After typing "dishwasher not emptying" into Google's search engine along with the brand name, he combed through a few pages of results and found a possible reason for the glitch on Page 4: a clogged drain line.
Sisson unscrewed the drain cover and felt around to check for an obstruction. He found a few chicken bone pieces lodged in the drain tube. Once he removed them, the dishwasher worked perfectly again.
Total cost: $0
Savings: $80-$140 diagnostic fee and labor
Difficulty rating: 1 out of 5
2. Fixing a freezer
When his mother's freezer quit cooling, Herb Singleton of Springfield, Mass., stepped in to help. He searched various online appliance repair sites, like RepairClinic.com and FixItNow.com, to read about other freezers with the same problem and find the common causes.
Based on what he read, Singleton determined that the freezer's fan was probably broken, and he ordered a replacement part from the manufacturer. Once it arrived, Singleton removed the access panel and swapped out the freezer's fan, a 10-minute repair that solved the problem.
"If we'd actually called somebody to come and fix it and they had charged a couple hundred dollars to look at it plus $150 for the part, it may have been cheaper to just get a new freezer," Singleton says.
It also saved them the hassle of removing and disposing of the old freezer.
Total cost: $150 fan
Savings: $100-$150 diagnostic fee and labor
Difficulty rating: 2 out of 5
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