While doing my monthly cleaning of the cabinet under the sink, I found that we had a water leak. Fortunately, I have a good mat under there to catch water just in case we have a leak.
Hubby checked and found that the sink strainer basket was leaking. He tightened it up because it seemed loose. Then he dried all of the pipes that were wet. I checked a few hours later to see if all the piping underneath the sink had stayed dry. Alas, it had not so Hubby said the sink strainer basket had to be replaced.
Rather than hire a plumber who would cost about $90. just to come out to the house and then pay for the parts and labor cost, Hubby said he could repair it himself. It would involve buying the parts and a special tool to be able to do it.
So Hubby ordered everything he thought he needed from Home Depot for curbside pickup. Within a few hours, the order was ready and Hubby went and picked it up. All of the items for the repair was just under $40. including the tool to make it easy to do.
Alas, he forgot to order the drain tailpiece that goes into the pipe under the sink. So I went to the hardware store and got one which added $ 6.25 to the cost.
This afternoon, Hubby and I made the repair. It was relatively easy and it saved us a fortune. It costs about $ 90. just for a plumber to come to the house here and then Hubby estimates the parts and labor would have pushed it to about $ 200. – $225. total.
So by doing the work ourselves, we saved anywhere from $153. – $ 178. Plus the satisfaction we got from being able to do it was priceless!
There are a lot of things that we hire out now because as we get older we can’t do them anymore. But the things we can do, we continue to do.
Doing it yourself will save you thousands of dollars over your lifetime. I know it has for us.
Being able to watch a you tube video on how to repair or replace almost anything is priceless too.
Fortunately, Hubby has done so much plumbing work over the years that it is second nature to him.
Do you repair your own things around your home? Please feel free to share with us in the comments.