· by Michael Blair, Nashville's Handyman Service
Most small jobs can wait. A handful cannot, because water and rot keep spreading while they sit, and a loose rail can give way under someone’s weight. This is how we sort a homeowner’s list before a visit for general repairs.
Anything involving water
A dripping tap is cosmetic; a leak under a sink is not. The EPA’s mold house tour points out that leaking pipes under a kitchen sink can lead to mold in the walls or cabinets, and the EPA’s brief guide to mold and moisture says wet materials dried within 24 to 48 hours usually will not grow it. A caulk line that has failed at a shower or tub can let water get behind the tile or into the wall, and our post on choosing the right caulk covers which kind belongs in a wet joint.
Outside, we put missing or damaged flashing, a blocked gutter and a downspout emptying at the foundation in the same group. The EPA guide says to clean and repair gutters regularly and keep the ground sloping away from the house, and the Department of Energy’s building science notes on gutters and downspouts call for downspouts that end at least 5 feet from the foundation, because roof water can quickly saturate the soil around a building.
Exterior wood
Peeling paint on trim, fascia or window sills matters for more than looks. The Forest Products Laboratory’s Wood Handbook chapter on finishing describes rain and dew getting into bare wood where old paint has peeled, especially at joints and end grain, and its chapter on biodeterioration explains that serious decay starts once wood is wetted by rain, condensation or wet ground, while wood kept air dry will not decay. Left long enough, the job stops being painting and becomes carpentry, which our post on rotted window trim and sills goes through.
Deck boards and rail posts where they sit on the ground have the same problem, since contact with wet ground is one of the ways the handbook says wood gets wet enough to rot. On an older house, check the paint before anyone scrapes it: the EPA’s page on sources of lead says a home built before 1978 is more likely to have lead-based paint and advises fixing small areas of damaged paint without sanding.
- Any leak, however small, under a sink or at a fixture
- Failed caulk at showers, baths and exterior joints
- Peeling paint exposing bare exterior wood
- Loose handrails, steps and guardrails
- Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms that fail the test button
- Doors and gates that no longer latch properly
Which safety repairs should go first?
Loose handrails and guardrails, wobbly steps, and any exterior stair that has no rail at all. We move these up the list because what goes wrong is a person falling rather than a bigger bill, and most of them are quick to fix.
Smoke and CO alarms are the other one. NFPA’s smoke alarm guidance says to test them every month and to replace every smoke alarm 10 years after its manufacturing date, so a fresh battery in an old unit does not make it current. On batteries, the CPSC’s smoke alarm booklet says to change them at least once a year, and the Tennessee State Fire Marshal’s Office recommends twice a year in smoke and CO alarms, apart from sealed ten-year units. For a CO alarm’s replacement date, go by what its maker says.
Which small repairs can safely wait?
Drywall dings with no stain around them, interior paint, sticky drawers, squeaky floors and slow interior doors. These are annoyances rather than damage. A stain is the exception, because the EPA notes mold can hide on the back side of drywall, so we find the water before we patch; our drywall patching page explains the patch itself.
Batch the rest for a single handyman visit rather than paying for callouts one at a time, and send us the list once it is long enough to fill a morning.
Sources
- US EPA, Text Version of the Mold House Tour — Leaking pipes under a kitchen sink can lead to mold in walls or cabinets
- US EPA, A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture, and Your Home — Fix leaks as soon as possible; dry within 24 to 48 hours; clean and repair gutters; slope ground away from the foundation; mold on the back side of drywall
- US Department of Energy, Building Science Education: Stormwater, Gutters, Downspouts — Downspouts ending at least 5 feet from the foundation; roof water saturating the soil around a building
- USDA Forest Products Laboratory, Wood Handbook ch. 15, Finishing of Wood (FPL-GTR-113, 1999) — Rain and dew penetrating bare wood where paint has peeled, especially at joints and end grain
- USDA Forest Products Laboratory, Wood Handbook ch. 14, Biodeterioration of Wood (FPL-GTR-190, 2010) — Serious decay needs wood wetted by rain, condensation or wet ground; air-dry wood does not decay
- US EPA, Protect Your Family from Sources of Lead — Homes built before 1978 more likely to have lead-based paint; fix small areas of damaged paint without sanding
- NFPA, Smoke alarms — Test monthly; replace 10 years after the manufacturing date; chirping after a new battery means end of life
- US CPSC, Smoke Alarms: Why, Where, and Which (Pub. 559, 2008) — Replace batteries at least annually; replace alarms more than 10 years old
- Tennessee State Fire Marshal’s Office, daylight saving time fire safety release (2019) — Batteries twice a year in smoke and CO alarms; sealed ten-year units; replace alarms over 10 years old
FAQ
Small Repairs That Get Expensive If You Wait — questions
Is a slow drip worth fixing straight away?
A tap dripping into a basin is cosmetic and wastes water. A drip under a sink or at a supply connection is urgent, because the water soaks into the cabinet instead of running down the drain. The EPA advises fixing plumbing leaks as soon as possible and drying wet materials within 24 to 48 hours, since in most cases mold will not grow if they dry in that window.
How often should smoke alarms be replaced?
Every ten years. NFPA says all smoke alarms must be replaced 10 years after their manufacturing date, and the CPSC and the Tennessee State Fire Marshal’s Office give the same ten years. Testing monthly and changing batteries keeps the alarm powered; it does not extend that ten-year life. Chirping that continues after a new battery means the alarm has reached the end of its life.
Should I batch small repairs or do them as they arise?
Batch anything cosmetic, since one handyman visit covering eight small jobs costs less than eight separate callouts. Do not batch anything involving water, rot or safety: those get worse or more dangerous while they wait, and the eventual repair grows with them.
How often should smoke detector batteries be changed?
At least once a year, per the CPSC, and the Tennessee State Fire Marshal’s Office recommends twice a year for smoke and CO alarms, except sealed ten-year units. A fresh battery does not make an old alarm current, though: NFPA says to replace every smoke alarm 10 years after its manufacturing date and to test them monthly.