Having an Educated Real Estate Agent makes all the difference.

 

Bath-Vanity Revamp

Ugly bathroom got you down? Forget the wall-breaking, layout-rearranging bathroom renovation. Add both style and storage by focusing instead on the room's centerpiece: the sink area.

 

Nothing defines the look of a bath more than its vanity. Rather than a closed cabinet, chose open shelving to make a small room appear larger. Standard vanity depth is 21 inches, but lengths range to suit a wide variety of bathroom sizes.

 

The faucet is the jewel of your setup. Be sure the one you pick is sized for the predrilled holes in the counter or sink you plan to use. Choose among single-hole spouts with built-in controls and three-hole ones with a 4- or 8-inch spread between taps.

 

Flush-to-wall medicine cabinets-From contemporary to classic, mirrored cabinets provide a place to primp and space to stow toiletries. You can save valuable square footage by swapping a wall-mount cabinet for a new semirecessed one.

 

A new fixture brightens your bath in more ways than one, providing crucial task lighting for grooming and enhancing the look of the room. Choose overheads or sconces that cast evenly diffused light to prevent glare.

 

When Faucets Drip and Toilets Run

Compared with some of the headaches that go along with home ownership, a leaky kitchen faucet or toilet tank valve is a minor problem. Yet a steady trickle of water is a waste of both water and money, and eventually it will get on your nerves. Both of these problems can be fixed quickly, and unlike many more involved plumbing jobs, these repairs require only a few ordinary tools.

 

When water seems to trickle through a toilet long after it has been flushed, a worn rubber flapper valve at the bottom of the tank is probably to blame. When you flush the toilet, the flapper lifts, letting water flow into the bowl. As the tank empties, the flapper sinks to block the opening, which allows the tank to refill. Although durable, the flapper can wear out over time, providing a less-than-perfect seal. The result is an audible trickle, punctuated by an occasional surge of supply water topping off the tank. You might be able to get the trickle to stop by jiggling the handle, but eventually this trick stops working. A faulty flapper valve can drive up water costs, and if the supply line is plumbed with warm water to prevent condensation, heating costs will go up, too.

 

Changing an old flapper for a new one ($5 or less) is a quick job. Begin by closing the supply line to the tank. If the valve looks corroded or weak, Sorrel recommends turning off the water at the main, not at the tank.

 

There are many makes and models of toilet, but the flapper-valve assembly will look basically the same. Removing the rubber flapper from the assembly is easy. Some snap off and require no tools; others are held in place with a machine screw.

 

Although generic flappers are available, stick with the part made for your toilet--provided you can find a replacement. Note the brand of toilet, and take a look at the valve assembly before you shop. Better yet, take the flapper with you to be sure you get the right one. Plumbing jobs are famous for prompting repeated trips to the store for more parts. But there's no need to visit more often than you really have to. Time, use and water that is overly acidic or mineral-laden can wear out the type of single-lever valves now common on sink faucets and shower controls. When the lever is pushed all the way down and the faucet continues to drip, the culprit is a worn valve-stem assembly. You can swap this worn part for a new one in about 20 minutes, and without any under-the-sink gymnastics.

 

Actually, it could take you longer to find the right part than it does to make the repair. Most major faucet manufacturers make single-lever faucets, and replacement parts are widely available at home center and hardware stores, but the valve assemblies are not interchangeable. Even different faucet models from the same manufacturer are likely to require different valve replacement parts. It will be easier to get the right parts if you know the name of the manufacturer and the faucet model number. If you know the manufacturer but not the model, a local plumbing-supply house might be able to narrow the choices for you. If all else fails, pull the old part before buying a new one. That's not the most convenient option, Sorrell says, but at least it's foolproof.

 

We used a Moen faucet for the steps shown here. If your faucet is from a different manufacturer, the parts will look a little different. But, according to Sorrell, the procedure for replacing them is virtually the same. Replacement cartridges for this Moen faucet cost less than $20, and if your Moen faucet was made in 1996 or later, the company will send a new one to you for free. Cartridges are available in both plastic and brass; plastic cartridges work just as well as their brass counterparts, and they are a few dollars cheaper. If you have well water, Sorrell suggests the plastic model because it is less susceptible to damage from untreated water.

 

Your first step is to shut off both hot- and cold-water supply lines under the sink, and here Sorrell advises caution. Shutoff valves in older plumbing systems can be corroded, especially when connections are threaded instead of soldered. "I've had them crumble right in my hands," Sorrell says. An uncontrolled geyser under your sink is no way to get started, so if the shutoff is suspect, use the main shutoff valve, located where the waterline enters the house or at the pressure tank. Another preliminary step: Block off the sink drain with a rag so small parts don't disappear.

 

Clear That Clogged Drain!

All plumbing systems develop clogs—there's simply no way to avoid it. However, most stopped-up sinks and plugged toilets can be fixed without calling in a plumber. What you need to complete the job on your own are the right tools and a little determination.

 

Remember, if you can't clear a clog after a few attempts, turn the job over to a drain-cleaning service or licensed plumber. Exerting too much force can permanently damage a pipe or fixture.

 

The specialized plumbing tools used to combat clogs are affordable, and they're available at any hardware store or home center; you can even rent some.

 

The first tool to reach for when trouble arises is a plunger ($5 to $10). This plumber's friend clears clogs from most fixtures, including sinks, tubs and toilets. Every homeowner should keep one handy.

To dislodge clogs located farther down the drainpipe, use a cable auger, or plumber's snake, a long, flexible steel cable wound around a spool that's fitted with a hand crank. Cable augers are available in lengths up to 100 ft., though a 25-ft. model ($15 to $25) will suffice for most any household clog.

 

A closet auger ($15 to $40) is specifically made for snaking out toilets. It, too, is equipped with a hand crank, but instead of a spool, the cable is encased in a rigid shaft. The auger end is bent at a precise angle to fit through the tight curves of a toilet trap.

 

For a very large clog or one that's far from the fixture, rent an electric power auger ($15 to $30 per day). This machine—basically a large cable auger powered by an electric motor—is very effective at cutting through virtually any clog, even tangled tree roots. Before bringing home a power auger, be sure the rental agent shows you how to safely dispense and retrieve the cable.

 

Most minor sink clogs can be cleared with a plunger. Partially fill the sink with water, then start plunging. Vigorously work the plunger up and down several times before quickly pulling it off the drain opening. If it's a double-bowl kitchen sink, stuff a wet rag into one drain opening while you plunge the other one. If it's a bath sink, stuff the rag into the overflow hole. In both cases, the rag helps deliver the pressure directly to the clog.

 

If plunging doesn't work, grab the cable auger and go to work under the sink. Remove the sink trap with a pipe wrench. The large, threaded coupling on PVC plastic traps can often be unscrewed by hand. Empty the water from the trap into a bucket, then make sure the trap isn't clogged.

 

Remove the horizontal trap arm that protrudes from the stubout in the wall. Feed the cable into the stubout until you feel resistance. Pull out 18 in. of cable, then tighten the lock screw. Crank the handle in a clockwise direction and push forward at the same time to drive the cable farther into the pipe.

 

Pull out another 18 in. of cable and repeat the process until you break through the blockage. If the cable bogs down or catches on something, turn the crank counterclockwise and pull back on the auger. Once the cable is clear, crank and push forward again.

 

Retrieve the cable and replace the trap arm and trap. Turn on the hot-water faucet to see if the sink drains properly. If it doesn't, don't worry. Debris from the busted-up clog sometimes settles into a loose blockage. Partially fill the sink with hot water and use the plunger to clear the debris. Follow up with more hot water.

 

It's rare for a bathtub to suddenly become stopped up. A clog in the tub usually builds up over a period of several weeks, with the tub draining more and more slowly each day. We've all seen this happen.

 

As with a sink clog, start with the plunger. First, unscrew the screen from the tub drain and use a bent wire to fish out any hair and soap scum. If there's a pop-up drain on the tub, raise the lever to the open position, then grab the stopper and pull it from the drain hole. Clean it of all hair and soap. This will often take care of things.

 

If not, cover the holes on the underside of the overflow plate with a wet rag and start plunging. If that doesn't clear the clog, use the cable auger. Remove the overflow plate from the end of the tub; the stopper linkage will come out with it. Feed about 30 in. of cable down the overflow tube. Push forward while turning the hand crank. You'll feel resistance almost immediately, but keep cranking on the auger until the cable passes all the way through the P-trap that lies underneath the tub.

 

Retrieve the cable, then run several gallons of hot water down the drain. Finally, replace the overflow plate and screen or pop-up drain.