YouTube - My DIY Best Friends
My DIY Best Friends
Hi Everybody, FB Hubby again, as I have apparently taken over Shannon's blog for the week. Don't worry, I will not quit my day job. She will be back with her awesome financial advice. Today I want to tell you about my DIY best friend, YouTube. As I talked about on Monday, I have saved thousands of dollars over the years by doing it myself. There are many things that I can do, such has putting up a ceiling fan, light fixture, or changing outlets, that do not require that I seek help from another source. However, thanks to the joys of home ownership, there often comes a time when a problem arises that is outside anything I have done. As I said on Monday's post, before I start thinking about calling in a professional, I head right to the internet. I tend to start with a general Google search of the problem just to see what is written and if there are others who have had the same issue, or what parts I may need in the process. Many of these searches lead to a company advertising their services. These tend to be limited just enough in there information as to not provide the full solution. Sometimes I think they want you to try enough to screw up and then have to call them. However, I have found that by going to YouTube, there are a variety of people who not only have encountered the same issue, but have fixed it themselves. Quite often they are professional handy people who have created their own videos showing exactly what to do. This is unbelievably helpful to actually watch someone do the job. Also, I can play it from my iPad as I work, rewind, and zoom in.
Some of my YouTube Best Friends
So today I thought I would share some of the videos I have used to guide me in some projects. Several of these people have their own YouTube Channel with videos for different repairs.
Tiling a Floor
This video by Josh Temple went through all the steps and scenarios. I like that he showed both a wet saw and a snap cutter. As my job was a small one, I used the snap cutter. Josh was correct that by using the snap cutter for the first time, you are likely to break several tiles. If I ever do a larger job, I will rent the wet saw.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XooWh_1U9Ew
Garage Door Repairs
I had two issues occur with my garage door, including the safety cable breaking. There are several videos done by this guy from ddmgaragedoors.com. Each video was clear and easy to follow.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzsQuFj5ygU
Heating and Plumbing
We were having trouble with our heat not working in the upstairs of our house. Our house is set up as a two-zone heating system. This means that there is a thermostat that controls heat to the upstairs and a separate one that controls the downstairs. I had noticed that when we turned on the heat upstairs, that it made some banging noises. Then it seems to not work. The downstairs worked fine and both came from the same boiler. Some research told me I probably had air in the system. This video from TheOldkid888 (not sure his name) was really helpful. Once I followed it and purged the air, the heat worked fine. I have used some of his others for some plumbing as he is easy to follow and understand/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuf8A7D64YU
Install Garbage Disposal
You have to love Home Depot and Home Depot Videos. Not only do they have just about everything you may need to do things yourself, but these series of videos help with many of these projects. It is also nice that there is always a Home Depot close to just about anywhere. After purchasing my garbage disposal at Home Depot, when I was reading the instructions, some parts were confusing, but this video helped a lot. I have used some of their other videos to help with installing other things in the house.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6PZVEz_o-g
Install a Ceiling Fan
OK, I know that I already know how to do this, but if you are looking for a good instructional video, this one is really good.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQC8c6kEGIw
Replacing a Toilet
I know someone who paid a plumber $900 for the purchase and installation of three toilets. I have replaced two of ours and it cost me $250, most of which was the price of the toilets themselves. Sometimes it helps to go right to the source. This video by the makers of American Standard toilets does require you watch some product pitches, but you can fast forward. Basically all toilets are pretty much the same to install.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvlP8Fm_DIIHave you ever used YouTube to help with DIY projects? If so, what did they help you with. If not, what else works for you?*Image Source