Boss Dad Life · By the Boss Daddy Team

The Repairs That Separate DIY Dads from “Call the Guy” Dads

Not every home repair needs a professional. In fact, the five most common household repairs are simple enough that any dad can learn them in an afternoon — and save hundreds of dollars per year in service calls. Here are the essential repairs every Boss Dad should have in his skill set.

1. Fix a Running Toilet

A running toilet wastes up to 200 gallons of water per day and the fix takes 15 minutes. It’s almost always one of two parts: the flapper or the fill valve.

The flapper fix: Turn off the water supply valve behind the toilet. Flush to empty the tank. Remove the old flapper (it unclips from the overflow tube). Take it to the hardware store to match the size, install the new one, and turn the water back on. Total cost: about $5.

The fill valve fix: If the water level is wrong and adjusting the float doesn’t help, replace the entire fill valve. Universal kits cost $10-15 and come with instructions. It’s four steps: disconnect, remove, install, reconnect.

2. Patch a Drywall Hole

Doorknobs, rough play, and “I was just trying to hang a shelf” all create drywall holes. Small holes (up to 4 inches) are a simple patch.

The fix: Buy a self-adhesive drywall patch (mesh type). Stick it over the hole. Apply joint compound over the patch with a putty knife — thin coats, feathered at the edges. Let it dry, sand smooth, and repeat with a second thin coat. Sand again, prime, paint. Nobody will ever know. Total cost: $10-15.

3. Unclog a Drain (Without Chemicals)

Chemical drain cleaners are bad for your pipes and bad for the environment. For most clogs, you need two tools: a sink plunger (flat bottom, not the toilet kind) and a drain snake.

Bathroom sink/tub: Remove the drain cover/stopper, pull out any hair (gross but necessary), then use the drain snake to clear deeper clogs. A $15 hand-crank drain snake handles 95% of household clogs.

Kitchen sink: If it’s a double sink, plug the other drain and plunge the clogged side. Still blocked? Check the P-trap (the curved pipe under the sink) — put a bucket under it, unscrew the fittings, and clear the blockage manually.

4. Reset a Tripped GFCI Outlet

When outlets in your bathroom, kitchen, or garage stop working, check for a tripped GFCI before calling an electrician. GFCI outlets have “Test” and “Reset” buttons. When they trip (usually from moisture), they cut power to that outlet and sometimes to several downstream outlets.

The fix: Find the GFCI outlet (it might not be in the same room — bathroom GFCIs sometimes control garage outlets). Press the “Reset” button. If it trips again immediately, you may have a moisture issue or a faulty device on that circuit — that’s when you call an electrician.

5. Silence a Squeaky Door or Floor

Squeaky door hinge: Remove the hinge pin by tapping it out from below with a nail and hammer. Apply a drop of silicone lubricant or even cooking spray, then replace the pin. Squeak gone in 2 minutes.

Squeaky floor: From below (if accessible from a basement), have someone walk on the squeak while you watch from underneath. The squeak is usually a joist-subfloor gap. Drive a short screw from below into the subfloor (not through it!) to pull it tight to the joist. No basement access? Special screw kits let you fix it from above through carpet.

The Boss Dad Toolbox for Home Repairs

• Adjustable wrench
• Plunger (sink-style)
• Hand-crank drain snake ($15)
• Putty knife set
• Joint compound and sandpaper
• Silicone lubricant spray
• Universal flapper and fill valve kit

These five repairs cover the most common household issues and will save you hundreds in service calls over the years. More importantly, there’s a special satisfaction in fixing something yourself while your kid watches and learns. That’s legacy, Boss Dad style.