DIY Projects on a very strict budget

[Martivir]

So DH is unemployed and driving me nuts. He's looking and has been on a few interviews so he's not just sitting around the house contributing to the mess our toddler makes. But since he's home I'm trying to make the best of it and want to get some projects done around the house. We have a ton of little things that need to get done and I want to make the most out of my $75 Home Depot gift card. So here's a list of things the need to get done and I want to get done.

Recaulk the bathtub
Tape up the leaky heating ducts( when my heat kicks you can feel the breeze around the joints)
Move the electrical outlet in the garage
Fix the loose tiles in the bathroom floor
Fix the front and back door( they are hard to close and we don't use the front door because you need to ram it with your shoulder to get it to close all the way)
Weatherstrip doors
Caulk the windows

I'm not sure I can do all of those with the gift card but which ones would be worth the money?

[Deleted]

You should be able to get all of those done with $75.

[swamp]

The only one that could cost a significant amount of money is fixing the doors. Caulk, tape and weatherstripping are relatively cheap.

[8 Bit WWBG]

I mostly agree with swamp. Several of your jobs require caulk (a few dollars per tube, and one or two tubes should handle the tub and windows).

What does "fix the doors" mean? Sometimes its a matter of simply screwing the hinges in tighter. I got some slightly thicker and longer screws and used those where the hinge connects to the frame, and the problem was solved. If, however, your doors have swelled or your frames have shrunk perhaps due to the weather, and the doors need to be sanded more than a few fractions of an inch, that could be tougher.

The job I think will take a bit more expertise is moving the outlet. I refuse to deal with any repair that may result in death, and electricity is high up on my list. Will moving this outlet require cutting a new hole and moving wire, and covering the old hole with a plate, or is the garage unfinished and the outlet could just be unscrewed and moved?

But yeah, I'd imagine $75 should cover all the necessary materials.

[Savoir Faire-Demogague in NJ]

Recaulk the bathtub- $3 tube of silicone caulking

Tape up the leaky heating ducts( when my heat kicks you can feel the breeze around the joints)
$5 roll of metal faced/backed tape especially for this... might cost mroe.

Move the electrical outlet in the garage
simple task, perhaps a few dollars.

Fix the loose tiles in the bathroom floor
$5 tile cement.

Fix the front and back door( they are hard to close and we don't use the front door because you need to ram it with your shoulder to get it to close all the way)
Tighten the screws on the hinges, plus can of silicone spray.

Weatherstrip doors
Caulk the windows
Under $20.

[Tiny]

I agree all the things on your list should be doable for $75.00 or less. Moving the electrical outlet might involve some bigger costs if you plan to buy a run of conduit, the thing that bends/cuts the conduit and a new outlet (especially if it needs to be a GFI kinda outlet because of water or placement - highly unlikely but it might be near a sink/washer/water heater in your garage). You might be able to ask for the conduit on Free cycle - I've got peices in various lengths (4 feet and under) in storage that I'd gladly give away if I knew someone needed it.

I'd guesstimate the doors will either be something easy(tightening screws) or something hard (you got an unnoticed water leak that caused the frame or sill to swell...) I'd definitely identify why the doors are so tight FIRST before going on to your other projects... fixing the doors may eat up alot of your $75.
I'd do your projects in order of "things that save you money in the long run" -- doors, heat ducts, weather stripping, caulk windows) to "cosmetic/convience" - tub caulk, move outlet, paint, etc...

(I've got some credentials - I bought a Fixer Upper and all of the things on your list were all on the "small secondary" llist of fix ups the fixer upper needed along with a dozen other things... I Love my fixed up Fixer Upper!)

[Martivir]

The doors are original to the house and it's settled somewhat. They swing freely it's just when you hit the frame that they don't want to close. Well the front door doesn't but that's because of the carpet. The house was built with hardwood and the door frame reflects that. The carpet is on the once we have more money list.

The outlet is going to be easy to move. It's out in the unfinished garage and it's going to be moving the outlet over two studs and up. DH is the electrical guy and he's done a fair bit of replacing outlets and light fixtures so far. All that has to be done is disconnect the outlet, move it over two studs and up, then reconnect.

It's nice to know I should be able to get all of this done.

[Tiny]

One last tip... keep the reciepts when you buy stuff to use in the Fix Ups... that way if you buy two tubes of caulk - but only use one, you can return the unused one to the store.

Just replaced the p-trap under the bathroom sink and after quantifying the problem (there's some creative plumbing going on under the sink!) I bought parts for both Plan A and Plan B to get it fixed... Plan A worked so I returned the Plan B parts...
You just need to make the effort to return the unused parts....

[Jake 48]

SF is right about the metal faced tape for the duct work, do not use duct tape

[oreo]

Depending on how much money this will all cost, some times you can get a cheap coupon on ebay for 10% off. If you can get it for around $2 or $3 it might be worth it. Then just buy everything at once and you'll save 10% on it all. I do that if I know I'm going to need a reasonable amount of stuff in 1 trip. Make sure the person has good feedback and that you can get a refund if the coupon doesn't work. I've NEVER had an issue using a coupon myself though.

[2kids10horses]

I don't understand the problem with the doors.

Are you saying that one of your doors brushes agains the carpeting as it swings, making it hard to close? The cure for that is to take the door off the hinges, cut the bottom of the door off with a circular saw, and replace the door. Assuming you have a circular saw, it costs zero.

If the doors are no longer hanging square, it could be a simple case of tightening screws on the hinges, or perhaps requiring a "shim" to be installed under the door hinge to make the door hang plumb. To install a shim, remove the screws of the hinge on the casing, cut a thin piece of cardboard to fit (cereal box cardboard is ideal) under the hinge, replace hinge over cardboard, and screw it back in. Test door. Repeat as necessary.

Usually this proceedure is done at either the top or bottom hinge (but not both) to get the door to hang straight.

If this doesn't work, extreme cases may require hand planing the strike edge of the door, and then repainting the door. But, if you require something like this, it indicates your foundation is failing, so you really have more than just a door issue!

[craig]

I would recommend using a higher dollar caulk for the bathroom. Some of the cheaper ones seem to invite mildew even though the tube says it is for bathroom use. As far as the outlet goes just leave the one where it is at and add the new one where you want it. You can never have enough outlets. I have no experience with tile and doors can be tricky, there are way too many variables to know what the exact problem is. Good luck and don't skimp by to save money on some of this stuff to only have to redo it later.

[Martivir]

We got the materials for most of the jobs today. With the extra stuff that caught my eye( you know for projects you "forgot" about till you see something) everything was $50. We did get the metal faced tape as recommended. Five minutes and we can already feel the difference. Already did the tub as well. That also took less time than I expected. Even with some user error in the beginning.