20 step-by-step guides covering plumbing, electrical, doors, appliances and more — with tools, materials and DIY vs tradie costs.
A dripping tap is almost always a worn washer or O-ring. Shut the water off at the isolation valve under the sink, dismantle the tap, and replace the rubber seals. A 10-minute job that can save thousands of litres a year.
A toilet that runs constantly is wasting water and money. The culprit is usually the flapper valve or fill valve inside the cistern. Both are cheap, drop-in replacements available at any hardware store.
Slow-draining sinks are usually a hair and grease clog in the P-trap. Start with a plunger, then try a drain snake. Avoid caustic drain cleaners — they damage older pipework.
A squeak means dry metal-on-metal contact in the hinge. Lift each hinge pin, wipe it down, and apply a thin coat of lithium grease or silicone spray. WD-40 works short-term but evaporates.
Small holes (under 50mm) take a self-adhesive mesh patch and two coats of joint compound. Larger holes need a plaster offcut backed by a wood batten. Sand smooth, prime, then paint.
Swapping a ceiling light is straightforward, but in Australia all fixed wiring must be done by a licensed electrician. You can replace the globe and shade yourself, but rewiring the fitting is illegal DIY.
A tripped RCD usually means a faulty appliance. Unplug everything on the affected circuit, reset the switch, then plug items back in one at a time until it trips again — that's your culprit.
Shower drains clog with hair and soap scum. Lift the grate, pull out the visible gunk with needle-nose pliers or a hair-snake tool, then flush with hot water and bicarb.
Cracked or mouldy grout lets water into the substrate. Rake out the old grout 2-3mm deep, vacuum the dust, mix new grout, and work it in diagonally with a rubber float. Wipe with a damp sponge before it sets.
Mouldy or peeling silicone needs to come out completely. Score both edges with a sharp blade, pull out the bead, clean with mineral spirits, then apply fresh mould-resistant silicone in one smooth pass.
A torn flyscreen is a 20-minute fix. Pull out the old spline cord, lay new mesh over the frame with a 25mm overhang, then roll the spline back into the channel with a screen roller.
Doors stick from humidity swelling the timber or hinges sagging. Check the hinges first — tightening loose screws often solves it. If the door still binds, mark the rub line with chalk and plane 1-2mm off the edge.
Standing water in the bottom means a clogged filter or kinked drain hose. Pull out the filter at the base of the tub, rinse it under hot water, and check the hose behind the unit for crimps.
That 3am chirp is a low battery warning. Twist the alarm off its base, swap the 9V battery, and test with the button. Replace the whole unit every 10 years — check the date on the back.
Blocked gutters cause overflow and rot the fascia. Scoop out leaves with a gutter scoop, then flush with a hose. Check that downpipes flow freely — a tennis ball in the outlet shows blockages quickly.
Pull the old paling with a wrecking bar — work the nails out from behind. Cut a treated pine replacement to length, butt it tight against the next board, and nail with two galvanised nails per rail.
If the unit hums but doesn't spin, something is jamming the impeller. Switch it off at the wall, insert the hex key into the bottom port, and rotate to free the blades. Press the red reset button before retrying.
Cut a clean square around the damage with a sharp knife, then take a matching patch from a wardrobe offcut. Apply double-sided carpet tape underneath and press the patch in, aligning the pile direction.
Squeaks come from boards rubbing against joists or each other. From below (subfloor access), screw the board into the joist. From above, drive a finishing screw through the board into the joist and cover the head with matching filler.
A grinding garage door usually just needs lubrication. Spray silicone or white lithium on the rollers, hinges, and springs — never WD-40, which strips lubricant. Wipe excess and run the door through one cycle.
A dripping showerhead is almost always a worn O-ring or built-up limescale in the swivel. Unscrew the head, soak it in white vinegar for an hour, replace the O-ring and re-wrap the thread with plumber's tape.
A cracked or loose toilet seat is a five-minute swap. Lift the bolt caps at the back of the pan, undo the two plastic nuts from underneath, lift the old seat off and fit the new one in reverse.
If only one tap has weak flow, the aerator is almost certainly clogged with sediment. Unscrew it from the spout, soak in vinegar, brush out the mesh and refit. Whole-house pressure issues are a different job — call a plumber.
Bathroom sinks block with toothpaste, hair and soap. Remove the pop-up plug, fish out the hair with a drain snake, then flush with hot water and bicarb followed by vinegar.
If a mixer tap drips or feels stiff, the ceramic cartridge inside has failed. Shut off the under-sink isolators, lever the handle cap, undo the grub screw and gland nut, lift the cartridge out and replace like for like.
In Australia, only the decorative outer face plate of a power point may be swapped DIY — and only if it is a clip-on cover. Any work past the cover (terminals, wiring, the mech) must be done by a licensed electrician.
Replacing a screw-in or bayonet LED globe is one of the few electrical jobs Australians can legally DIY. Switch the light off, let the old globe cool, and swap like for like — match the cap (E27, B22, GU10), wattage equivalent and colour temperature.
A breaker trips when a circuit is overloaded or shorted. Open the switchboard, find the switch sitting between ON and OFF, push it fully OFF then back ON. If it trips again straight away, unplug everything on the circuit and call an electrician.
Decorative clip-on cover plates are the only part of a switch a homeowner can legally swap. The mech behind it stays in place. Always isolate the circuit first and never remove the screws that hold the actual switch mech.
Test smoke alarms monthly by pressing the test button until they beep. Once a year, vacuum the unit through the slots with a brush attachment to clear dust and insects that cause false alarms.
Press lightweight spackle into the hole with a flexible putty knife, scrape flush, let dry 30 minutes, then lightly sand. One coat is enough for pinholes; picture-hook holes usually need two.
Match the existing paint, decant a small amount, and dab — don't brush — with a small foam roller or sponge. Feather the edges and apply two thin coats rather than one thick one for a seamless finish.
Peeling means moisture or poor adhesion. Scrape back to a sound edge, sand the feather line, spot-prime with a stain-blocking primer, then repaint two thin top coats.
Hairline cracks at the wall-ceiling join open and close with seasonal movement. Rake the crack out slightly with a utility knife, fill with flexible decorator's caulk, and smooth with a wet finger before painting.
Most black shoe and furniture marks lift with a melamine sponge (Magic Eraser) and a tiny bit of water. Work in light circles — too much pressure burnishes the paint sheen.
Most door handles loosen because the small grub screw on the spindle has backed out. Locate the screw on the underside of the handle base, tighten with an allen key, and apply a drop of threadlocker if it keeps loosening.
If the latch doesn't catch, the strike plate has shifted or the door has dropped. Mark where the latch hits, file the strike opening a millimetre or two with a small file, or unscrew and reseat the plate.
Sliding windows seize when the tracks are full of dirt. Vacuum the channel, scrub with a brush and warm soapy water, dry, then apply a silicone lubricant — never WD-40 or oil, which attracts more grit.
Perished bottom-door seals let in draughts, bugs and water. Unscrew or peel off the old seal, measure the door width, cut the new seal 5mm short, and screw or stick it on with the brush touching the threshold.
When the handle turns freely but the door won't release, the tubular latch has failed inside the door. Remove the two screws on the edge of the door, slide the old latch out, and drop the new one in — match the backset (60mm or 70mm).
Rake out the grout around the broken tile with a grout saw, score the tile in an X with an angle grinder, chip it out with a cold chisel, scrape the bed clean, then bed and grout a matching replacement tile.
Locate the joist with a stud finder, then drive a countersunk screw through the loose board into the joist. Fill the head with matching coloured filler and wipe the excess before it skins over.
Blot — never rub — with cold water first to lift as much pigment as possible. Then dab a 50/50 mix of white vinegar and warm water with a clean white cloth, blot dry, and finish with a sprinkle of bicarb vacuumed up the next day.
Vinyl edges lift when the adhesive lets go or moisture gets underneath. Gently flex the plank back, scrape the old glue, run a bead of vinyl flooring adhesive, press flat and weight overnight with books.
Surface scratches that haven't gone through the finish can be hidden with a matching wax stick rubbed along the grain, buffed with a soft cloth, then sealed with a thin coat of timber floor polish.
Dig around the base of the post, push it back to vertical with a spirit level, then pour a fresh bag of rapid-set concrete around it and brace until set. Don't try to lift the whole panel — work one post at a time.
Brush out loose material from the crack, hose clean, let dry, then gun in a flexible concrete crack filler. For wider cracks (>5mm), mix a sand-and-cement slurry and trowel it in flush.
Sun-bombed plastic flaps and rusted hinges are the usual failures. Unscrew the old plate or replace the whole insert. For brick letterboxes, drill new fixing holes with a masonry bit and use plastic plugs.
Sweep loose debris, then apply a diluted moss-killer or 1:4 bleach solution with a watering can. Leave for 20 minutes, scrub with a stiff broom, and rinse with a hose or pressure washer.
Shut the water off at the main, undo the bonnet with a spanner, lift the spindle and swap the rubber washer at the base. A drip from the spindle (not the spout) usually means the O-ring above the thread, not the washer.
Front loaders have a lint filter behind a small panel at the bottom front. Place a shallow tray underneath, slowly unscrew the filter cap, drain the water, pull out the trapped coins, hair clips and lint, then refit.
Most fridge noises come from the back. Pull the fridge out, vacuum the condenser coils, check the fridge is sitting level on its feet, and confirm the fan at the back isn't blocked by a bottle or box. New compressors are an appliance tech's job.
Oven bulbs are special heat-resistant E14 globes (usually 25W or 40W). Switch the oven off at the wall, let it cool, unscrew the glass cover inside the oven, swap the globe, and refit the cover.
Lint clogs reduce drying performance and are a fire risk. Pull the lint filter every load, and once a year disconnect the rear vent hose and clear it with a dryer brush kit. Vacuum the dryer's lint cavity at the same time.
Fill the kettle half with water and half with white vinegar (or use a citric acid descaler), boil, leave 20 minutes, pour out, then boil two more rinses of clean water before reuse.
Open the front panel of the indoor unit, slide the mesh filters out, vacuum then rinse under warm water, dry fully and refit. Do this every 3 months — clean filters save up to 15% on running costs.
Slide the metal mesh filter out from under the hood and soak in a sink of hot water with a heaped tablespoon of bicarb and a squirt of dishwashing liquid for 20 minutes. Scrub with a soft brush, rinse, dry, refit.
Run a stick of incense around the closed window on a windy day to find gaps. Apply self-adhesive foam tape to the frame where the sash closes, and gun a thin bead of clear sealant along any cracked exterior glazing.
Twist or unscrew the bell unit off its mount, swap the battery (usually an A23 12V or CR2032), and re-pair if the chime asks for it. Wired bell transformers must be serviced by a licensed electrician.
Switch the circuit off at the switchboard, gently pull the cover down (it usually hangs on two springs), unclip and wash the cover in warm soapy water, vacuum the dust off the motor and blades, and refit.