Where to find good DIY advice online
Even if you have few home-repair skills, you can take on simple projects with the help of tutorials and videos online.
I’ve never considered myself much of a do-it-yourself homeowner, though I can use a plunger, fix the garbage disposal with an Allen wrench, paint a room and refinish furniture.
When I was learning those skills, I turned to the most common learning method of the time: I called my father.
In these digital times, calling fathers or mothers is still a good place to start. But the proliferation of instructional sites on the Internet makes it easier than ever to learn how to do simple home repairs.
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We have some DIY instructions at MSN Real Estate, in our Home and Garden section. A recent article about when you should and shouldn’t DIY quotes Katie Hamilton, who with her husband, Gene, operates the website DIY or Not. Their site includes step-by-step instructions for projects, as well as guidance on how to hire pros.
When you’re trying to figure out how to fix something, the first place to start, of course, is with a simple website search: “How do you …” Often, you can find easy instructions and sometimes video. But some of the instructions are better than others.
If you’d like to learn in person, Home Depot offers free workshops, including a series of workshops for women. Check also for free workshops offered by county extension offices, hardware stores and landscape centers.
Lowe’s has an online section for DIY projects plus tutorials on some common home-repair tasks. Home Depot also has project instructions online.
This Old House has a big collection of online repair guides and videos, as do Family Handyman and HGTV’s DIY Network.
If you’re looking for more DYI websites, you can check out Mainstreet’s recommendations or recommended sites from the Frugal Dad.
What are your favorite sources of DIY advice and inspiration?
| Tags: | maintenanceremodeling |
About Teresa Mears
Teresa Mears is a veteran journalist who has been interested in houses since her father took her to tax auctions to carry the cash at age 10. A former editor of The Miami Herald's Home & Design section, she lives in South Florida where, in addition to writing about real estate, she publishes Miami on the Cheap to help her neighbors adjust to the loss of 60% of their property value.
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