Baltimore HUD Homes Blog

Home Improvement involves working on your home for remodeling, repairing and decorating. There are so many places and things one can work upon inside and outside the house.

The list could be endless and can be broadly classified as under:

ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS: Circuit Breakers, Cords and Plugs, Lamps, Light Fixtures, Receptacles, Wall Switches

KITCHEN: Installing a Kitchen Sink, Installing a kitchen faucet, Adding Task Lighting, Tiling a Kitchen Countertop, Kitchen Cabinets

KITCHEN APPLIANCES: Dishwashers, Garbage Disposals, Dryers, Ranges, Refrigerators, Washers, Water Filters

BATHROOM: Installing a Bathroom Sink, Mounting a Faucet, Setting a Toilet, Installing a Vanity Light, Installing a Bath Fan, Setting Cabinets, Hanging Accessories

SAFETY: Childproofing Your Home

PLUMBING: Drains, Faucets, Pop-ups, Supply Pipes, Toilets, Water Heaters, Septic Tank Care

HOME CLIMATE: Humidifiers, Dehumidifiers, Central Air Conditioning, Forded-air Heating, Room Air Conditioning, Thermostats, Installing a Radiant Floor Heating System

WALLS: Drywall, Paneling, Plaster, Tile Walls, Wallpaper, Stucco Walls, Fixing Wallboard

WINDOWS: Window Frames, Glazing, Window Screens, Weather Stripping, Replacing a Window Pane

DOORS: Hinged Doors, Sliding Doors, Screen Doors, Garage Doors, Locksets, Framing a Doorway

FLOORING: Carpet, Resilient Flooring, Stairs, Tiled Flooring, Wood Floors, Floating, Laminate Floors, A Base for Flooring, Quieting a Squeaky Floor, Installing a Radiant Floor Heating System

SIDING: Brick Siding, Stucco Siding, Vinyl Siding, Wood Siding, Exterior Paint
ROOFING: Asphalt Roofing, Built-up Roofing, Shingle Roofing, Chimneys, Gutters, Flashing

The type of home improvement you are planning upon depends on the need at that moment. You may not overhaul or repair the entire house but look into one that requires immediate attention.

There are a lot of DIY ? Do It Yourself books and magazines available, which can provide you with a lot of tips and also explain in detail how to go about fixing a particular problem. Even recorded CD?s and DVD?s by professionals on home improvement are also readily available on specific topics. You can also get online help from select chat groups or dedicates forums.

Choosing the right tool for the job is as important as doing it rightly. Some of the basic & must tools are:
? A set of minimum 3 different sizes of flat blade screwdrivers and two #1 & #2 Phillips drivers
? An ordinary 16oz claw hammer,
? 1? wide, 25? measuring tape,
? utility or box knife with a retractable blade,
? razor blade holder/scraper,
? a 12? flat jaw, arc jaw plier,
? a drain or toilet plunger,
? hand saws,
? scratch awl,
? a 7? scrip joint pliers,
? cordless electric drill,
? a 10? curved jaw, locking plier,
? wire stripper or cutter,
? a non contact electric tester,
? crescent type wrench and pipe wrenches,
? combination square,
? needle nose pliers

Depending on the type of the work taken up various raw materials are required.