Toilet Fix Part #2

So after the guy got done with the toilet wax ring install yesterday (basically pick up the toilet and take the old wax ring off then replace it with a new wax ring, reset the toilet over the drain, then screw it back into the flange x 3), the installer told me the innards of the toilets should be replaced as well (the really hard water in our area makes the plastic parts inside the toilet get crunchy after a while, and these parts have been in the toilets for years).  This part we could do, so hubby an I ran to the hardware store and bought three sets of toilet innards (flapper and flush assembly set for $10 each), then set to work fixing the toilets.  After watching a couple YouTube videos, reading the instructions (who knew the flush assembly had changed so much over the years, there isn't even a floaty ball part anymore!), and having a minor water mess (put a BIG bowl under the flush assembly!), we easily replaced the innards of all three toilets thus saving a bit of extra money over having the job done by someone else.  These days if the work is heavy (like lifting an entire toilet) or dangerous (climbing up the the second story roof) we hire it done.  Simple jobs, however, we are still happy to do ourselves!

Paying for Home Repairs

This morning we had a guy come over to replace all of the wax rings around the toilets in our house as they have probably been there since the house was built and one toilet was feeling a bit unstable so it was time to get this done.  Now any other time, the hubby and I would have just done the work ourselves but we are getting old, hubby has a bad back, and with his recent heart surgery, any heavy work is a definite no way (on my part, his doctor says he is fine now but still).  So instead of the job costing $10 for us to do it ourselves, we are paying $40 per toilet (x 3) to have a professional do it.  The price is not bad as one plumber said it would cost $200 per toilet (??!!!) so finding someone to do the job for a total of $120 is definitely a good deal but this is just one more thing that you have to account for as you age--needing to pay people to do things that in your younger days you would have just done yourself!

5 Home Improvement Items I Want for Our House

I seem to be on a home improvement kick lately.  In fact, I spent over an hour today browsing through home depot while visions of home improvement tasks danced in my head.  Here's my short list of home improvement tasks I want to accomplish this year:

1. I would absolutely love to have a tankless water heater.  These are supposed to save a lot of money over the cost of your standard hot water tank that keeps gallons and gallons of water hot 24/7.  Plus, our gas utility will give us a $350 rebate if we buy such a hot water heater.  I'm hoping I can squeeze some money out of my summer work to buy one of these.
2. A new washer and dryer.  This purchase is one of my goals for the year.  Our current set was bought super cheap from a cousin when we bought our house in Las Vegas and while the set is OK it isn't great and I don't think is is very water/gas/power saving.  I want to get a high efficiency washer and dryer set but it doesn't need to be a super fancy $1500 per unit kind of set, something basic will do fine.  I also think we can get some sort of utility rebate when we buy these items plus my BIL works at Sears and can get us even more discounts on appliances. 
3. We need an electric garage door opener.  Our house didn't come with one so we need to open the door manual and while this isn't a big problem because we don't park in the garage it would be nice to have.  I checked the price at Home Depot today but I think I can get a new unit for about half the price on Amazon.
4. A new refrigerator is also on our goal list for this year.  Again, we bought a super cheap refrigerator, along with the washer and dryer, from the cousin when we moved into our house.  It is basic and nothing fancy and not even a side-by-side model.  So I definitely want to get a new side-by-side refrigerator with a water filtration system (our tap water is just horrible in Las Vegas).
5. New flooring, while not necessary, is something I definitely want to get.  Our house had brand new carpet when we moved in but it was cheap and it was carpet.  In colder climates I love wall to wall carpet but in the hot, sandy, desert, I would like a laminate wood floor or tile for our house.  As it is, there is so much dust in the air that it settles in the carpet and makes it kind of yucky even if I vacuum a couple times a week.  Also, tile seems to keep the house cooler which is a plus in Las Vegas.  So we hope to get new flooring which will probably end up being a combination of wood floor/tile and carpet (apparently putting wood floor or tile on the stairs is super expensive so many people put carpet on the stairs).

Daily update

• Walk: 2 miles.  Hubby is doing marathon poker this weekend so I ran over to the park and did my two mile walk (dodging soccer balls as there are four soccer fields inside of the walking path.  Eeekkk). Only 942 more miles to go!
• No spend: $7.32.  We had lunch at the casino which was free with hubby's comps but we did leave a $4 tip.  I almost forget, I got a Baskin Robbins Blast today as well.
• Update this blog: yep
• Update client blog: yep
• Photo: yep
• Genealogy: Another half hour of FamilySearch.  I simply click on a family file and try to fill in more and more blanks.  
• Writing: I was very productive on my trusty talbet as hubby played poker.  Yeah productivity!

Home Repairs: A Quick Money and Time-Saving Tip

Our house is now sparkly clean and ready for guests.  Starting next week we will have one SIL here for a week then the BIL will be here for three months, and in June, another SIL will bring her grandkids and stay for a month.  Needless to say our house is going to be crazy busy.  To get ready for everyone's arrival we did a couple of updates that we felt were important (replace the leaky kitchen faucet and install shower doors in two bathrooms, getting rid of the icky shower curtains) as well as scrubbed everything clean and made sure the guest rooms were neat and tidy.  So I think we are now ready for the onslaught.  Yesterday as we finished installing the second shower door we realized one very important thing about doing home improvement projects:  if possible, do the upgrades in multiples.  Here's some examples:

• When we bought our house, all of the smoke alarms were missing so we went to the home store and bought five of the exact same smoke alarms to install.  This saved money because we were able to buy a contractor pack of five which was cheaper than buying them individually.  
• After we moved into our house we realized that all of the bedrooms really needed ceiling fans.  We bought three identical fans then set to work installing them.  The first one took a while to figure out.  The second one was easier to install.  By the third one, we could have installed it blindfolded.
• A while back, I noticed that the on-off valve in my shower was dripping.  We replaced it (a traumatic event related somewhere in this blog...sorry couldn't find it to link to it) but we didn't replace the on-off valve in the other shower which we should have done because now it has a slow drip.  Following the rule of 'always do things in multiples if possible' we would have saved time (after the first one, the second one is easier because you already know what you are doing) and effort (we already had the tools and after two trips to the home store, finally got the correct replacement cartridge).  So....lesson learned there.  
• Finally, we installed two shower doors in the bathrooms over the past few days.  The first door install four hours over two days and was a pain in the a**.  We installed the bottom sill then screwed in the side frame pieces then noticed that the side frame was too tall to hold the doors correctly so had to unscrew the side frame pieces and cut them to size and somewhere in there had to stop and run to the home store to get a better hacksaw blade and...well there was a lot of confusion (plus we had already caulked the side frame pieces in place then had to remove them and the caulk DID NOT WANT TO LET GO).  Ayayay  we should have made a YouTube video.  Then we installed the second shower door which took a grand total one one hour since we had already figured out what to do and how to do it well and quickly.  There was also a screw missing in the little parts set that came with the first door so we simply borrowed the needed piece from the second door set which was good because we didn't have to stop mid-project and run to the store for the missing piece (later we picked up the needed screw but at least we didn't have to stop--yet again--when working on the first door).

Bottom line: it pays to do repair/upgrade things in multiples to save both time and money (and your sanity!).