My wife and I bought a house a year and a half ago and since then we have taken on a variety of home projects. While we have learned a lot, it can get expensive improving your home, even if you Do-It-Yourself (DIY) instead of hiring out contractors.
One other thing we’ve had to deal with is home maintenance. This is inevitable when you purchase a home; you can no longer call up maintenance when you have a problem and your apartment manager isn’t laying down salt every time it get’s icy out. Even if you buy a home that is “turn-key” you will have to deal with home maintenance.
Money spent on home maintenance is money well-spent. It helps avoid costly repairs and replacements. If you’re like me, though, you want to save as much money as possible so you can use it for things like travelling, saving up for a new car, and other things that are actually fun.
I have 5 tips to share with you about maintaining a home on a budget:
1) Buy Tools and Equipment during the “Off Season”
The value of buying tools and equipment during the off-season can’t be stressed enough. It’s simple supply and demand; if Spring rolls around and you don’t have a lawn mower yet, you are going to pay more than if you bought a lawn mower in late Fall when retailers are trying to unload their lawn mower inventory. Sometimes it’s not possible to plan this far ahead, such as if you bought your first home in the Spring and need supplies ASAP, but whenever you can you should consider purchasing home-related supplies in the off-season.
Last Fall my wife and I scored a ton of landscaping tools when we shopped at a retailer that was trying to clear it’s shelves for Christmas decorations (You know Christmas starts in October now, right?). We spent $75 but if we had bought the same products in the Spring we would have spent more than $200. Like I said: it pays to plan ahead.
2) Always Look for Coupons and Deals
I’m sure you’ve seen coupons and deals related to home maintenance before, but have you taken advantage of them? A little time searching for coupons and deals could save you money on things that you already plan on buying. Beyond that, a lot of companies such as carpet cleaning or gutter-cleaning companies oftentimes offer discounts and coupons. Checking the weekly Sunday ads in the newspaper can go a long way towards saving you money. Home Depot, Menards, and Ace Hardware all have quite a few coupons and promotions going on at any given time.
3) Read Reviews before Hiring Contractors
Last year we had a very unfortunate and unexpected home maintenance repair when part of our sewer drain-out failed. I will spare you most of the details and just say this: using Angie’s List to find a contractor saved us thousands of dollars. If you need to hire a contractor for anything I would highly recommend you check out a review site like Angie’s List to see what past customers have to say.
If you owned a small business you wouldn’t hire a new employee without first checking with past employers, so why should hiring a contractor be any different?
4) Keep a List of Maintenance Tasks
First I will say this: I’m a hypocrite because I don’t actually do this, though I should. Keeping a checklist of all the home maintenance you need to do in Spring, Summer, etc. or even by month can save you money down the road. It’s easy to forget about some maintenance-related items, such as re-caulking the bath tub, that can cause major (expensive) issues down the road. If you have these tasks organized in a calendar-type setup you’ll be less likely to forget.
Here’s a printable Home Maintenance Checklist that you can use as a guide.
5) Learn and Do-It-Yourself When Possible
If you’re on a budget you may not have a choice whether the maintenance you do is hired out or done by yourself; you simply may not have room in your budget to hire out the work to someone else. The good news is that if you do home maintenance yourself you not only learn more about your house, but also about home maintenance in general. This will save you money down the road. Imagine being able to fix leaks on your own instead of calling in a plumber, who typically charge anywhere from $50-$200 an hour.
Make sure you plan ahead and set aside plenty of time whenever taking on a bigger Do-It-Yourself task. Things can go differently than planned when you are doing home-related work, especially things you aren’t too familiar with. Don’t be afraid to call in a professional if you get stuck or are unsure of what to do next.
Photo by zzpza
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I think your last tip, to learn and do it yourself, can be huge! It depends on what it is, but the hubs and I try to do this. We taught ourselves to lay tile a few years ago and saved a bundle on tiling the laundry room floor. We do all of our own painting and we’ve gotten pretty good at it.
These are some great tips, David. Some of my advice would be to try and plan ahead for what maintenance you know you will have to address in the coming year. Kind of helps you prepare for the upcoming costs. In addition, like you mentioned shop off season and always look for sales/promos. Maintaining a house was a lot more expensive than I originally thought it would be.
We try to do things ourselves if we can. For example, we’re getting ready to order mulch and freshen up some of our landscaping. We always call in professionals for the big stuff though!
Holly at ClubThrifty We plan on doing the same thing landscape-wise. I do plan on some bigger projects this Summer, but I will take off work to do them and plan well in advance. I will also call in a pro if I run into issues I can’t figure out myself.
We try and do as much as we can ourselves. We knew next to nothing when we bought our house and have taught ourselves a number of things. It may not always be cheaper in the short term, it will be in the long run…not to mention the satisfaction of accomplishing it on your own.
As much as we can we first try to do it ourselves but when we can’t, then that’s the time that we need to call help. I have an Uncle here that he knows everything, he doesn’t charge that expensive but a reasonable price.
I’m a huge fan of the DIY….not only is it a great way to learn new skills, but can also save a ton of money. BUT, you have to know your limitations….I get a bit cautious if I’m doing something new that could a.) cause great bodily harm or b.) cause more damage than what I’m trying to fix. :)
These are great tips! I am actually blogging next week about DIY projects because that has been a big way we have saved money as home owners. There seems to be a never-ending list of projects to be done around the home, and we prioritize them and then my hubby figures out what he can and can’t do and we start with those. For stuff that we can’t do, we love Angie’s List for finding great contractors, we have used them many times and not been disappointed.
I don’t really do a prevention list but have one of small fixes I see around the house, so when there is idle time I know what to do.
colormefrugal My wife and I have done a lot of painting over the past two years and I have tos ay we’ve gotten pretty good at it as well! I think it’s *almost* always worth it to give DIY a shot before hiring a professional.
BudgetforMore I agree with your tip of planning ahead for expected expenses. If you know you’ll need a new roof within a few years, it’s time to start setting aside money specifically for that.
FrugalRules It’s too bad that it’s so difficult to learn things, or have the motivation to learn things, before you own a home. I’ve learned a ridiculous amount the past year and a half and even if it has meant hours of frustration, overall I’m glad I spent the time trying to learn myself.
Clarisse @ Make Money Your Way Can your uncle come help me out for a couple weeks? Haha just kidding, there’s always a time to do it yourself and a time to call in the professionals.
DebtChronicles It’s always important to use caution. Even if I spent a lot of time learning about electrical hookups and whatnot, I’d still want to call in a professional if I was going to install a new outlet or anything along those lines. I don’t like messing around when it comes to electrical or plumbing, but I do like to learn so that I can understand things better.
SavvyScot1 That’s a great idea, especially for someone who really likes to-do lists. There’s so many small maintenance things I want to do around the house I hardly ever get around to even half of them.
blonde_finance I have found multiple awesome contractors through Angie’s List. I even found our vet on there who we absolutely love.
I’d like to make you jealous, but aside from the major repairs, my landlord never does anything cosmetic (the paint is peeling big time in the bathroom), and anything minor (like getting rid of ants) I had to spend money on doing myself. :( I’d push the issue further, but he hasn’t raised my rent the entire time I was there, so that’s why I try to not rock to boat too much. :)
Good list DC! I like to have my own tools, so I buy them in the off-season or I get them off Craigslist. Either way, having tools is the best way to handle repairs. That coupled with learning how to do a lot of stuff on your own.
These are great tips! It is really a huge shocker to no longer have a maintenance man on call. Not having a “home repair” savings account was also a huge mistake I made. Something will always come up.
We will be doing our own yard work this year. But since we had a landscaper last year we need to buy a lawn mower now. I should have bought the lawn mower in the fall but I wasn’t sure then if I would use the landscaper again. I’ll be searching for a snow blower too. Though after the winter we had I don’t think there are many left over. My neighbor said I could probably get a good deal in the summer. I usually call a family member to help me out with plumbing issues and small projects around the house. I’ve learned how to caulk and use plaster to cover holes in the wall. But for major projects will call the pros. I really need a maintenance calendar too.
I’ve started keeping a list of everything that needs to be done. Helps me not forget what I’ve been requested to do. Plus I can plan my time to get things done based on the size of the project. Nothing is worse for me than starting a project, realizing I underestimated its size, then not having the time (or money) to get it done properly.
I’m a renter…lucky for me because I’m not handy at all, though I’d like to improve that skill! I’d like to be a homeowner in the future so I better get started. My co-workers recently found a contractor on Angie’s List and they had a great experience.
Beachbudget I hear you. One thing we hated about our last apartment was that we thought we were paying a reasonable amount, if not higher than market, and there was no repairs/changes that were being considered. They also raised our rates each year, though. I hear you about not complaining if you are getting a good rate and they are not increasing the amount. Can you paint yourself? We did that in our apartment.
DebtRoundUp Thanks! I like to have my own tools as well. I bought so many when we first moved in and now I’m slowly getting more specialized ones as needed.
Catina I hear you. Our garage door springs broke last Fall and it was a $500 repair, on a Sunday of all days too. The maintenance were always good at our apartment but there definitely were not many upgrades happening.
Raquel@Practical Cents I also ended up buying a lawn mower in the Spring last year as I hadn’t needed one before that. They were still reasonably priced. I mean, you might save $50 by waiting for Fall but there isn’t always a HUGE discount since many manufacturers seem to get better and better at controlling their supplies.
Brian @ Luke1428 Pretty much every project I’ve done I’ve underestimated the time needed. That’s why I’m taking a week off to get a retaining wall done – hopefully it’s enough time!
Andrew LivingRichCheaply I think it’s hard to gain the skills until you actually need them. I knew little to nothing about even small projects around the house. I love Angie’s List and swear by it!
Thanks so much for that printable list, David. I don’t keep a regular list either (mostly because that means I’ll have to eventually do the things on the stupid list). But I should…
I rent, but my landlord didn’t shovel or put anything out when it was icy! They’re slow to fix things, too. In any case, I know it’s cheaper. My parents were unfortunately in debt to the point where they neglected maintenance. Then major things would break and they would go further into debt. I’m glad that’s over with! Whenever we get a house maintenance will be a priority.
We handle the simple projects but I admit we call in the pro’s for the big jobs. In part because time is our biggest factor and we both have limited free time. When it makes sense, I’d rather pay someone to do it so I can instead use that time to be with my family. Of course, calling in the pro’s can sometimes be an even bigger pain. LOL!
We try to do anything that doesn’t involve leaky water or electrocution. DIY is kind of like working out, not particularly fun in the middle, but very rewarding when it’s all over.
I love the tip to do DIY stuff when you can.. Sometimes all it takes is a quick google search and you’ll find a youtube video showing you how to do exactly what you need to do. I’ve done that and have been able to fix my own washing machine, AC unit and build my own patio. You can save a ton doing it yourself!
DonebyForty No problem, though I can’t take too much credit since I just linked to someone else’s instead of creating one from scratch : )
JourneytoSaving Ah sorry to hear about your landlord, and that’s too bad about your parents. One reason I want a large emergency fund is so that I can cover those emergency home repairs.
ShannonRyan Haha yes I hear you about pros being a bigger pain sometimes, but that’s why I love Angie’s List. Using highly rated contractors has worked out well for us. I think time always has to be taken into consideration and if I didn’t have 4+ weeks of PTO I wouldn’t do quite as much as I plan on doing.
Eyesonthedollar Great analogy, Kim!
moneymatters Nice, I plan on replacing/expanding a retaining wall as well as adding a patio space this Summer. I’ve consulted books and websites so far and next thing will be Youtube videos.
DIY is so important when you can, but tough with a full time job. We are lucky enough to have a great general contractor for when we need it. It’s good to have someone you trust.
These are great tips! I’m looking to purchasing my first home soon and these are great to consider. I really like the suggestion of keeping a calendar of maintenance projects by season.
I’m a renter and maintenance is still an issue. Landlords aren’t always super helpful or responsive when there’s an issue- I think they know how hard it is to find a great NYC apartment.
Green Money Stream Send your general contractor my way! Haha just kidding – kind of. I get 4 weeks of PTO so I try to use some of that to get a few bigger projects done. Like you said, it’s tough with a full-time job. You have the weekend but how often are weekends free? And is it really a break from work when you are working on projects all weekend?
LifeDollarSense Thanks! Like I said, I haven’t actually followed a calendar but the benefits would be huge if I did.
brokeandbeau When I was renting everything got fixed quickly, which was one of the perks of being at a bigger complex with three full-time maintenance staff. I think apartments could do a lot more as far as upgrading, though, to avoid future problems.
Awesome tips, DC. Rick is really great about learning to DIY whenever he can. Forums and the Internet help SO much in this area, and we’ve saved thousands of dollars this way.
Laurie TheFrugalFarmerThe internet has really empowered ‘regular folk’ to the point where you can tackle more projects than, say, 50 years ago when information was more limited. I’m really hopeful that through books, the internet, and proper planning I can save a few grand by building my retaining wall on my own.
I’m all about the DIY route. If I ever have a problem, google will be the first place I go. You can find what you need, how to do it, and how to do it on a budget. Home ownership takes a lot more work than renting, I will say.
ImpersonalFinance I’m definitely loving all the resources on Google. I watched some youtube videos about putting in a patio yesterday. It’s amazing the wealth of resources out there, all for free.