8 ways to DIY and save money
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6. Installing a new floor
Although Mike Musall of Fishers, Ind., hired a contractor to build
an addition onto his family room, he tackled the carpet removal
and laminate floor installation on his own. Musall opted for snap-joint
laminate flooring, and after asking the salesperson and other DIYers
for installation tips, he got to work.
The family worked together to pull out the old carpet and remove the staples. After the space was prepped, Musall planned out every detail of the new floor. To make it look realistic, Musall laid out the pieces carefully, taking care to stagger the seams, vary the hardwood images and eliminate short pieces from the design.
"Cutting the planks was very time consuming," Musall says. "It has to be so precise, and the blade has to be sharp. You really do have to use the measure-twice, cut-once philosophy. It took several days after work, but it went great."
Hint: To protect the finish and minimize chipping, use a fine-tooth blade and cut the flooring finish-side up with a handsaw or finish-side down with a circular saw or jigsaw.
Total cost: $3,000 flooring and padding
Savings: $3,000 installation
Difficulty rating: 5 out of 5
7. Fixing a computer
When Mark Firehammer's computer died, he activated the diagnostic
tool for the disk operating system that runs the computer. He confirmed
that his hard drive, where all his data is stored, had failed, and
he bought a new one.
After discharging any static electricity, which is held naturally in the human body and can be potentially damaging to computer circuitry, he popped out the old hard drive and reversed the steps to put in the new one.
Since Firehammer, who lives in East Canton, Mass., already had his hard drive backed up, he simply transferred the saved data he stored on an external hard drive to the computer's new internal hard drive, and the machine was up and running again 20 minutes later.
Firehammer, who holds a job in tech support, says changing out computer components is easier than it seems. He learned long ago that "a computer was a collection of pieces that snap together like a child's toy."
"The only thing you need to do is buy the right piece and snap it in. It's literally that simple," Firehammer says.
Hint: If your computer slows to a crawl, it may not have enough memory, which helps the system run multiple software applications at once or browse graphics-intensive Web sites. For around $50, you can buy more memory and install it yourself, an easy fix that's often all you need to speed up your computer. After discharging any static electricity, unscrew the case, release the flaps holding the existing memory card in place, pop out the old one and snap in the new one.
Total cost: $75 hard drive
Savings: $100 to 160 per hour. The process can take several hours, especially if the user didn't back up the data prior to the crash or save the system-restore disk.
Difficulty rating: 2 out of 5 with a recently backed-up drive, 4 out of 5 without
8. Repairing a laser printer
For Singleton, who's self-employed, fixing his laser printer was
a necessity when he was just starting out. Given the choice between
buying a part and investing some time in a repair or paying $1,000
for a new laser printer, the cheaper route won out.
When a black mess spilled from his printer instead of a printed page, Singleton researched the problem online at FixYourOwnPrinter.com and discovered that the fuser, which bonds the dry ink onto the paper, had died.
After ordering a new part, Singleton logged on to
Apple's Web site and downloaded the official instructions. Using
the illustrations as a guide, Singleton located the fuser, unscrewed
and removed the broken part. Then he replaced it with a refurbished
one, bringing the machine back to life for a few more years.
Total cost: $50 fuser
Savings: $100-$160/hour for diagnostics and repair
Difficulty rating: 1 out of 5
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