Photo: KraftMaster Renovations

While it’s a great idea to do plumbing work on your own, there’re several mistakes may arise, especially among inexperienced homeowners. It’ll help to know the plumbing mistakes you should avoid so as to keep your plumbing system and home safe. 

Mistake #1: Forgetting to Shut Off the Main Water Supply

It’s important to shut off the main water supply when doing most plumbing projects. Forgetting to do so before working on a plumbing repair or installation may lead to water wastage and flooding.

For minor repairs, you can simply shut off the valve that stops water flow to that fixture or pipe. For major projects, or when you can find a valve to a specific repair area, then shut off the main water valve.

Mistake #2: Connecting Copper Pipes to Galvanized Pipes

Corrosion is inevitable when a copper pipe and a galvanized pipe touch each other. Most homeowners don’t know this fact. They rush to repair their old galvanized pipes with new copper pipes. To connect a copper pipe to a galvanized pipe the right way, you’ll need to use a special connector known as a dielectric joint/union. This joint comprises of a rubber washer and plastic sleeve that prevent the copper pipes and galvanized pipes from connecting to each other directly.

Photo: LA Design Build

Mistake #3: Doing Unpermitted Work

You can devalue your home by doing major plumbing changes without seeking the necessary permits from your local authorities. A home that undergoes unpermitted plumbing work might take more time to find a buyer and even sell at a lower rate. Some states demand that contractors have to get permits to do major plumbing changes while others allow property owners to get permits themselves.

Whichever way, you should ensure that you get the required permits when doing major plumbing work such as re-piping or remodelling a bathroom or even bathroom floor. Permits allow local construction officials to oversight a home improvement project. By so doing, local authorities ensure that the project is done according to the set plumbing standards and codes. Although it might cost you some money to get a permit upfront, it’ll keep you protected from fines related to doing major plumbing work without a permit. The permit will also ensure that your project is done the right way. 

Photo: Kenowa Builders

Mistake #4: Using Chemicals to Clear a Blocked Drain

Most homeowners view liquid based drain cleaners as miracle products. You only need a little amount of a drain cleaner chemical to unclog your drain or sewer line. However, using chemicals to clean the drain comes with bad effects on galvanized pipes. Using chemicals on galvanized pipes can lead to leakage and corrosion.

There’re many effective ways of clearing clogs without using toxic chemicals. For example, if you have a clogged drain, you can solve this unpleasant situation quickly. You can use alternative drain cleaning products such as:

• Natural products- You can clear a slowly flowing drain using baking soda, vinegar, and hot water. You’ll simply sprinkle some baking soda into the drain, then pour some vinegar into the drain and allow the solution to settle for some hours. Then flush the drain with some hot water.
• Plumbing auger– An auger is operated manually. It cleans most clogs without using chemicals. You can use it yourself without hiring a plumber.

In case no unclogging option works for you, then contact your local plumber. A reputable plumber will clear the clog without using any harsh chemical that can result in damaging your plumbing system.

Photo: North Star Kitchens

Mistake #5: Plumbing Without Proper Skills

Some homeowners attempt doing challenging plumbing tasks without insurance and licensing, something that most professional plumbers can offer.

The professionals know everything about plumbing. They undergo thorough training and learn how to use the best plumbing tools and equipment. Moreover, they under apprenticeship for some years before doing an exam to get a license. As such, professionals ensure you get high-quality results and keep your home safe.

Doing a major plumbing project without the necessary skills and tools can result in costly damages to your property. Doing plumbing work yourself without the required skills might cost you more money when you make damages. You might end up paying a plumber to redo the work.

Nevertheless, it can be challenging to determine when a plumbing task is not ideal for DIY. You can find out by consulting with some plumbers before starting the project.

Ask them questions about what it involves to complete the project and how it should be done. Talking to the experts will assist you in gauging the complexity level of the project and whether it’s possible to do it yourself.

Photo: Indulgy

Feeling pleased with the way that your home appears is important in life. When you find that your house no longer captures the right look, it can cause additional stress in your life. No one wants to come home after a long day of work to a home that simply creates more frustration. You want to be able to relax when you’ve come home. To make this possible, it can be a good idea to think about ways to make improvements. Contacting painting experts for a new coat of paint can be a great start.

Outside of having your home painted using Pantone’s color of the year, there are many other manageable tasks that you can attempt yourself. While it is best to leave jobs like painting to the professionals, you will find that you can do wonders for your home by looking over a couple of easy maintenance tips. Explore some of these ways to breathe new life into your home and you will start to discover plenty of exciting methods that will work for your needs.

Starting Fresh

It can be hard to imagine a future for your home when you can’t see past the present. Houses have a way of collecting junk over the years. The longer that you live in your home, the more useless clutter has found its way into closets, basements, and attics. Whether you live in a gigantic space or a tiny house, you can benefit from living a bit more simply. If you feel like you can’t deal with the way that you home currently looks, you may want to begin fixing the issue by cleaning.

Photo: Cre8tive Designs Inc

Clearing out old junk is a surefire way to feel motivation over your current situation. The idea of changing up your home can seem overwhelming because many homeowners do not know where to begin the process. By sticking to some basic home maintenance tips like going through every corner of your home and throwing out the old junk that has collected over the years, you will be giving yourself a fresh start. Go through all storage spaces and make piles of what you’d like to keep, what should be donated, and what needs to hit the trash. This can be a great way to begin the process.

Exploring a Plan

As you begin to clear out all of the old junk in your home, you may start to think about what the next step is for your home’s future. While taking action and cleaning your home is an excellent first step, you can benefit greatly by slowing down for your next point. Having a precise plan for what you hope to achieve with your home’s future look is important. This means that you are going to want to sit down with a pen and paper and start coming up with ideas for the future.

Photo: Domino Magazine

If, for example, you want to have your home repainted, you can benefit by looking at color swatches or exploring images on the internet for inspiration. Simply contacting the painting experts is not going to be enough. Have a clear vision of how you would like your home to look after the work has been done. This will let you come up with an easy way of executing the plan and seeing the best possible results. Painting is one example but you can benefit by having a plan for most of the goals you hope to achieve with your home.

Relax

Your home is a spot where you should be able to go to for a bit of relaxation. While this might not always be possible, it is important to learn to breathe. Come up with a surefire plan for how you can change the way that your home decor looks and try not to stress. The more clear your head, the easier it will be for you to find a way to breathe new life into your home.

Photo: Todd Richesin Interiors

Renovating your bathroom is a fun and exciting project, from choosing the latest bathtub styles to beautiful floor tiles; it can really make your bathroom dreams finally come true. In order for the renovation to run smoothly and for the project to stay on track, consider some of these tips we’ve learned from the pros:

First Set a Budget

You must set a budget and sketch an idea or guideline of how to spend on your bathroom renovation. Make a decision which fixtures you will buy, the tiles, and extras. Included in your budget, find out how much time it will take to renovate, since time equals money. Set a time limit to what date you would like your reno to be completed.

Working Sequence

There is a specific sequence when it comes to the bathroom renovation includes a lot of mistakes and clean up time. Always start from the top of the room, whether you want a simple repainting or demolishing sheetrock. To avoid and prevent the damage to your components, follow the work sequence by remodeling the ceiling first, then walls second and the floors to be the third.

Photo: Favreau Design

Take Measurements

There is a major limitation with respect to the size in the bathroom renovation: (1) the location of the electrical wiring and plumbing pipe (2) The overall size of your bathroom at home and (3) the standard dimension of your bathroom fixtures. Therefore, make sure that you may have an accurate measurement and specifications when you go out shopping.

Hire a Professional

Renovating a bathroom isn’t as easy as it may look, so to avoid any difficulties and complexities, consider hiring a professional contractor. Tiling, electrical, plumbing, and so much more is involved in a bathroom reno, so make sure to do it right the first time.

Photo: Houzz

Install The Right Lighting

Having great lighting in your bathroom can actually make or break your newly renovated space. Placing not enough lighting, can make your bathroom look small, placing dim lights can even make your bathroom look dirty. Make sure to choose warm, neutral lighting, or you even may consider to install a led lighted bathroom mirror that could be functional and create an atmosphere. The maximum amount of natural light should be planned first, then add on with artificial lights like – LED mirror lights with, at least, 4 watts of incandescent lighting per square foot.

Keep Ventilation in Mind

Ventilation needs good planning – like the installation of the exhaust fan in the right position with a good deal of electric wiring. If the ventilation is poor, it could leave your bathroom damp, which is not good for your health. Continuous airflow is very important to prevent decay of fixtures or wooden trims as well it avoid the saturation of the building insulation.

Photo: Interior Desires UK