Three Easy Do-It-Yourself Home Repairs

More and more women are donning a tool belt and trying to do more home improvement projects on their own before calling a handyman. More women are becoming first-time homebuyers and enjoy doing the projects themselves, which saves them time and money, and increases the equity in their home. Before you call a handyman, contractor, or electrician, research how to do the repairs yourself. Here we will talk about a few simple repairs that can be done with just time and hard work.

If you need to replace a light fixture, you will first need to shop for a new fixture that has a base the same width or wider than your old one to prevent repairing the ceiling after replacing the fixture. If the new fixture is heavier than the old one or you are replacing it with a ceiling fan, make sure that the electrical box is equipped to support it. Usually an electrical box with No. 10-24 sized screws will be fine to accommodate a fan or heavy chandelier. Make sure to always turn off the switch and circuit breaker to the light that you are replacing, and test the wires from the wall or ceiling with an electrical tester. To replace the fixture, use a wire stripper to remove about half an inch of the protective insulation from the wire ends of the new fixture. Unscrew the light bulb and the old light fixture, and lower it so you can reach the wires. Without letting the wires touch, unscrew the wire nuts connecting them. Usually there will be a black (hot), white (neutral) and green (or bare copper) wire. Follow the manufacturer's instructions for installing the fixture which will usually only involve twisting the matching colored copper fibers of the new wire ends with those from the ceiling or wall. Twist on the wire nuts tight enough so they don't fall off. Fold up the wires and push them back into the ceiling box. Screw your new fixture into place.