Almost any odd work around the house may now be hired thanks to the development of contemporary technologies. However, hiring someone might not always be the best course of action for handling everything in your life. Spending money on everything not only adds up over time, but it also keeps you from developing new talents. You can manage the responsibilities yourself in some situations if you have the time, patience, and willingness to learn. You shouldn’t hire someone just because you have the option to. You will not only save a significant amount of money, but you will also gain numerous important character traits. You should have a basic set of handyman skills to help you out in a tricky situation.
The Skills you should have
While we’re not neanderthal enough to imply that a guy should only be judged by his manual dexterity, especially in this day and age, we’re also not naive enough to believe that blue- collar proficiency isn’t of immeasurable importance. After all, something always needs to be fixed. And while hiring a skilled craftsman for all of your required house maintenance and repairs would be totally acceptable, it can also grow rather expensive and might not always be essential. Here is a list of handyman abilities any man ought to possess.
1. Carpentry
No, you don’t need to know how to build a house from scratch to make basic DIY carpentry repairs. Woodworking tips and tricks can be useful. Basic carpentry skills might be useful for sanding down existing furniture to paint or varnish it or creating side tables or chairs. Measure twice, cut once. This is one of the best recommendations you can follow.
2. Tires
This ability may seem evident. Whether obvious or not, it’s an essential talent since you won’t realise how terrible the situation is until it’s too late. Bad weather or no reception can make being stranded worse. If you change your tyre but install the spare tyre incorrectly, you could endanger yourself, your passengers, and other drivers. It could potentially be lethal. Smaller annoyances include discovering on the side of the road that you have wheel locks. If you have a driver’s licence, learn tyre-changing skills. It is an essential handyman skill.
3. Repairs
We don’t recommend becoming a full-fledged electrician to use this ability. However, knowing the basics might save you money on minor fixes. This can be as simple as installing a dimmer switch. Troubleshooting strategies might help you find problems and decide if you need an electrician. It’s easy to accidently shock oneself when working with power.
4. Electronics setup and troubleshooting
We’d argue that the above skill and this one is different. This one is about learning how to correctly set up your modern gadgets, such as a surround-sound system, Bluetooth connectivity issues, managing your smart hub and its devices, and connecting your turntable to an amplifier and speaker arrangement. This doesn’t require electrical understanding, so you won’t be pulling wires or worrying about grounding, but it’s still beneficial if you live with non-tech-savvy people.
5. Leak-Fixing
You may want to repair your bathroom sink or faucet, or you may have observed that your shower or sink pipes are dripping. Knowing how to do that without your money would be helpful. Sometimes the answer is as simple as tightening a nut, but sometimes the pipe must be replaced, which is not always difficult. Tape the nut and it’s connector to stop a leak. By using these tips and tricks, you may save money and feel accomplished.
6. Painting Walls
You can paint a wall with a paintbrush, right? Wrong. You need additional skills to make your walls seem good. This includes knowing how to properly tape off corners and borders (to avoid sloppy lines and stray paint spots on other surfaces), remembering consistent strokes to get the right/intended texture, and knowing which types of tape will work for masking and which will leave you with a big mess to deal with. House painting is one of the basic handyman skills that any man should know.
7. Stain Removing
As people, we’re not perfect. No matter how careful you are, you could spill coffee, wine, food, etc. on your clothes, furniture, rugs, carpet, or other surfaces. Knowing how to clean up spills on different surfaces can be the difference between a simple fix and a replacement. If you spill red wine on a white carpet, dabbing it may make the stain worse. Dish soap and hydrogen peroxide erase stains. A carpet cleaner will work if you’re prepared.
8. Light Bulbs
Although conceptually simple, changing a lightbulb can sometimes be difficult. Certain fittings only accept certain bulb kinds and voltages. Other lighting fixtures may need you to remove panels, parts, or other components to access the lightbulb. Having this knowledge is also helpful if you decide to replace your lighting with energy-efficient, environmentally friendly bulbs or, if you want to go fancy, smart bulbs with hundreds of colour variations via a companion app.
Know when you need help
It is crucial to know when you can do it yourself, and when you need help. Respect all craftsmen. We’re not saying a plumber, carpenter, or other expert is unimportant. Many repairs require professional help. There are, however, many minor difficulties that can be addressed by a skilled resident, such as the homeowner, for far less money than an in-call. Assessing your knowledge, confidence, tactile skills, and risk mindset is key. Keep in mind your handyman skills. Before buying the necessary parts, be sure you can handle the problem (perhaps with the help of internet step-by-step guidelines or YouTube videos). If you doubt your capacity to complete the job correctly, get a pro. You can always use web research to judge the difficulty of a work. Never allow your ego control your activities. If you think you might damage yourself or someone else, stop what you’re doing and call an expert. Careless and uneducated behaviour might multiply a tiny problem, costing you much more.
Conclusion
Having a good set of handyman skills can only prove of benefit to you. It could be useful in case you’re in a situation where you’re unable ton contact anyone for help. It is important to remember when you should do it yourself and when you should call help. IF not equipped well for a situation it could cause harm. On the other hand, if you’re always reached out for help instead of doing even the basics yourself, it is not smart. Read through the guide above, and familiarise yourself with the list you should know. Impress yourself and other around you with it.