Saving Money on Home Repairs
Welcome to Saving Money with Andrew!
Keeping our home in good condition is expensive. Basic maintenance runs us thousands of dollars each year, and we typically have at least one major repair each year that can cost several thousands more.
Since buying our home about four years ago, we’ve had to:
Remediate three flooding incidents, waterproof our basement, and replace ruined flooring
Replace our furnace, water heater, refrigerator, washer/dryer, and a bathroom fan
Fix outdated wiring and replace an old fuse box
Do extensive work on our roof and chimney
Call plumbers several times to deal with random issues throughout the house
Just having a professional come to the house usually costs >$100 around here, so whenever we start to have a problem, I follow a few steps:
Is Repair Necessary?
Everyone has a different threshold, but I tend to focus on whether it’s really unsightly (I can ignore small cosmetic issues, but not a hole in a wall) and whether the issue could turn into a much more expensive repair if I ignore it.
Assess The Issue (Can I Fix This?)
Sometimes the issue is an easy fix (you’d be surprised at how many things just require quick tightening with a screwdriver). And sometimes it’s obvious a professional is needed, particularly when major plumbing or any electricity are involved.
For everything in between, I consult a few resources after Googling the issue:
YouTube has excellent videos for most common home repairs. Usually watching a professional fix something gives me a good sense of whether I can do it on my own.
DIY StackExchange is an excellent forum where you can quickly get answers to most home improvement questions. I can post a photo and a quick question, and typically get a response within a few hours.
AI tools can be surprisingly useful as well - both ChatGPT and Gemini allow you to upload photos with your question. Sometimes their answers make no sense, but sometimes they are surprisingly helpful.
I generally keep all my manuals in a bin in my office closet, and have found How Your House Works to be a great reference.
Finding The Right Professional
Assuming I can’t fix the issue myself, I consult the Google Spreadsheet I keep of every home professional we’ve ever used (with comments about pricing and our experiences). I also ask friends for referrals, and if I still can’t find someone I’ll ask for recommendations on our town’s Facebook group. I also look at Google and Yelp reviews, but place little weight on them unless they are extreme.
If possible, I try to get multiple quotes for anything significant (more than a few hundred dollars), unless I strongly trust the pro from prior experience. It’s very tempting in the moment to just go ahead and take care of the issue, but I’ve gotten quotes from reputable professionals that differed by thousands of dollars.
Do you have any useful tips for saving money on home repairs? Or a good money-saving story? I’d love to hear from you.
And now, Andrew’s pick(s) of the week:
From The Guru Who Says He Can Get Your 11-Year-Old Into Harvard:
This year, Beaton’s clients made up nearly 2% of students admitted to the undergraduate class of 2028 at several elite schools including Brown, Columbia, Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania. Among his clients, 24 earned admission to Yale, 34 to Stanford and 48 to Cornell.
Also:
Does Everything in Your Blue Bin Really Get Recycled? You Would Be Surprised
It Takes a Billion Dollars to Get Us to Buy Lottery Tickets Now
I Don't Drink (via The Browser)
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