Recommended DIY Resources

May 17, 2014

Through the process of renovating our house we find ourselves doing a LOT of research online. Whether it is articles published by experts, posts on other blogs, “how-to” video tutorials on YouTube, useful apps, lists of where to find the “best _”, you name it we’ve probably searched online for it. Our collection of these “notable” resources is growing so we thought it would be a good idea to share some. We will try to post a recommended DIY resources list a few times a year. Please feel free to comment or suggest other links that you’ve found useful! We are always on the lookout to add more resources to our DIY arsenal. So here goes…

1. Bob Vila’s Toolbox App – $1.99

We’ve only just downloaded this app so haven’t been able to fully explore its features, but so far so good. There are detailed explanations of what various hand and power tools do, how to use them and video demonstrations.

2. MagicPlan Floor Plan Creator App – Free, with additional features at a cost

For anyone looking to renovate a space or make changes to a room’s layout where you need a floor plan this is a fantastic (and FREE) app. You can read our full review of it here.

3. How to level and seed your lawn

Last summer we tried to re-seed the lawn and while the grass did grow, when it came back this year after all the snow melted we noticed just how uneven the level of the lawn was and there were a few bare patches where the grass hadn’t come back. We used the video in the link above as a starting point to fix these problems. We’ll post a full report on the lawn after it has a few weeks to grow in!

4. Replacing a p-trap in a bathroom sink

Our bathroom sink is draining slowly and the cause is likely the improper installation of a flexible rubber p-trap by the previous owners. We aren’t plumbers but have started to gain some experience in this area after dealing with our burst pipes over the past winter. Chris has been researching how to replace this rubber p-trap and the video above is one of the resources we found helpful.

5. Homestars

When we have a job that’s more than our DIY capabilities can handle we need to outsource to professionals. Our first go-to source to find someone would be a recommendation from a family member or close friend, but if we can’t find a suitable professional then we will check Homestars. You can read reviews and ratings from past customers which can help in narrowing down a list to a few that you want to quote on your job.