Read about ideas for your next project or study up on basics about how your home works, so that you can speak with a contractor about what you want done.

Owning a home can be a dream come true, but the world of home ownership is more than just relaxing weekends on the deck and intimate evenings in front of the fireplace. It requires a commitment to keeping your private oasis safe and running smoothly. Making occasional repairs is part of the bargain, and even if you aren’t a dedicated do-it-yourselfer (DIY), there are a few around-the-house fixes you should become familiar with.

Few things will sour a homeowner’s disposition faster than a stopped up toilet or runaway faucet drip, and that’s just bathroom and kitchen stuff.

Roll up your sleeves and take a few minutes to master five home repairs that you can do yourself without dangerous tools or complicated instructions. Even though spending a few hours regularly on DIY home maintenance and repairs may never become your hobby of choice, knowing how to perform a few simple fixes will keep your costs down and help get the work done on your schedule instead of your contractor’s.

Houses can take a beating with the heat and increased foot traffic of the summertime months. Once the weather starts to change and you take a look around, you may find walls need painting, tile needs grouting, and flagstone needs power-washing.

DIY vs Hiring a Contractor

Many home improvement and maintenance jobs are easy DIY projects; others, not so much. So which improvements can you handle yourself and which should you assign to a professional? Here are some of my suggestions:

Walls
DYI: If you’ve got a stepladder and a steady hand, you can probably tackle most painting chores. Remember, good prep will guarantee good results, so don’t skimp on filling nail holes with spackling paste. You should also blue-tape around baseboards, ceiling moldings, and window and door frames you don’t want covered with paint.

Call a Pro: For extensive wall repairs caused by structural or water damage, call a pro. You may have to demolish the existing wall, replace or repair framing, then install new drywall. It’s usually a two-person job, and not one for dabblers.

Floors
DIY: Clean and repair small nicks in floors yourself. A brown crayon can fill scratches in hardwood floors; adhesive and a heavy brick can repair vinyl seams that pop up.

Call a Pro: Consider hiring a professional to install and finish hardwood flooring; it’s tedious and messy work. Pre-finished flooring doesn’t require sanding and staining, but getting planks to line up with baseboards is a task best left to pros.

Windows
DIY: You should be able to wash windows, repair or replace wood sills, treat small rot spots on window frames, and — though it’s somewhat more difficult — even replace individual glass panes.

Call a Pro: When replacing entire windows and rebuilding frames, call a professional.

Masonry
DIY: Re-pointing brick or stone walls or walkways by removing and replacing old mortar are manageable tasks.

Call a Pro: Building a new stone wall or laying a stone walkway are jobs for true craftsmen.

Electrical Upgrades
DIY: You can easily replace outlet covers and switch plates on your own, and scrap energy-eating light bulbs in favor of energy-efficient CFLs or LEDs.

Call a Pro: For any job that requires direct contact with electricity — such as rewiring, adding power to places where there was none, or installing chandeliers or other heavy fixtures — call a pro. If you do decide to tackle these projects yourself, be sure to turn off power to your house before attempting any upgrade.

Plumbing
DIY: Simpler tasks include replacing a toilet flapper, fixing a drip by replacing a faucet washer (turn off water supply first), upgrading a showerhead, and unclogging a hair-plugged drain.

Call a Pro: Special skills and tools are required for moving or installing plumbing pipes and fixtures.

Tile
DIY: Install a simple backsplash and replace or repair old or gunky grout and cracked tile yourself.

Call a Pro: For big tiling jobs on the walls or floors, hire someone. Laying out, spacing and attaching tile to floors and walls is harder than it looks, especially when cutting tiles to fit small or unusual spaces.

Countertops
DIY: Cleaning, sealing, and caulking stone countertops can be accomplished on your own. So can sanding a butcher block and fixing small imperfections in laminate counters.

Call a Pro: Hire a professional to fabricate and install stone, composite, stainless steel, and wood counters. This is exacting and heavy work: One slip-up can wreck the counter and cost you big bucks.