Around the Home — Home Improvement
Why DIY Isn’t as Scary as You Think by Krista Olsen
—Resident Submission I used to be against DIY home repairs. If I could afford to hire a professional, I’d save time and they’d do a better job, right? Well, that’s not always the case. Not only are home repairs often expensive, many professionals have a long wait list (a problem Covid has exacerbated). Additionally, you care more about your house more, and consequently will take extra care in your work. We recently had an unfortunate side effect that comes from owning a 50 year-old house. The steel pipes had rusted away from the inside and slowly leaked all over our basement wall, causing extensive water damage. It wasn’t enough damage for our homeowner’s insurance to cover, so we went into a small amount of debt to get our house repiped. Eventually we decided to get our house refinanced and put that money into fixing up the damaged basement. I was ready to hire out - that’s why we got the money after all. But each person who gave us
Succulent Gardening
by Leyah Gammo, 11 years old —Resident Submission Succulents are one of my favorite plants — they’re cute and easy to take care of, even for kids! The first thing to know about succulents is they should not be watered very frequently. Even in their growing phase, when they need water the most, watering once a week is enough. A mature succulent only needs water about once per month. Generally, succulents are very forgiving. If you forget to water them for a couple of weeks (or even months),
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My Community - Spanish Fork
a bid became unresponsive. Covid had increased renovation demand and our project wasn’t big enough to be worth their work. So we reluctantly decided to roll up our sleeves and see how much we could do ourselves. How did we do it? Since the only big tool we own is a planer, we borrowed or rented most of the tools. We also used the internet. After that, we invested some time.
Painted. Painters tape is the most helpful tool here. If you’re replacing flooring, paint beforehand so you don’t have to worry about dripping onto your new floor.
What we hired out: Plumbing. This is not one to do yourself and have things go wrong. Trust me. Drywall. This isn’t that hard, and we probably could have done it, but having done it before, it’s not the most fun. So we splurged on this one. Shower installation. You can find generic showers at Home Depot to install yourself, but we had a weird space to fill, and had to go custom.
What we did: Demolition. This part is something anyone can do because the whole point is to break stuff. Installed LVP. You’ll need a miter saw and a mallet. There are also other install-friendly flooring available that connect together. Built Cabinets. These aren’t as scary or hard as you think, but they do require a bit more research. they are usually just fine. In such cases, just resume watering as usual. A good way to tell whether it needs water is to stick your finger down between the pot and the soil a little ways. If it’s moist and damp, you don’t need to water. But, if it’s dry, you’ll need to water it again. Always water the succulent just a little over the top of the soil level and let it soak in. Extra rainy or extremely hot seasons will affect your watering accordingly. The main lesson is: don’t overdo it! I recommend keeping track of your watering schedule as well as the weather in a notebook or on a calendar. Second, it’s important they have a well-draining pot, like terracotta. Also be sure to use a well-draining soil mix.
So if you’re looking to do some home repairs, but the waitlist for professionals is giving you a headache, try Googling some DIY instructions. It will not only save you money, but you can learn new skills. I feel more pride in my home because we put the work in ourselves. When the next thing in your house breaks down, give fixing it yourself a shot. Remember, it’s already broken, so don’t stress too much over it. Write an article for the magazine! See linktr.ee/mcusf for details. Third, if the temperature drops below 45 degrees fahrenheit, be sure to bring your succulents inside. The cold can kill them. Lastly, some succulents are toxic to pets, so if you have a pet, be sure to check the variety! Pet-friendly succulents include the beautiful Zebra Haworthia, or the very pretty Blue Echeveria. Search online to find many more pet-friendly succulents. If you don’t have a pet, Snake Plant is a pretty air purifier and Aloe Vera is a great healing plant. I hope you enjoyed learning about how to take proper care of a succulent; I also hope you enjoy keeping these pretty plants around your house!
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