Several weeks ago, a reader - let's call him "Bob" - sent me an e-mail, complaining about the cost of re-pairing a bathroom faucet. It seems he used a plumbing contractor I'd written about, and he was amazed his final expense was $230.

While I agreed that the cost of the repair seemed high, I also pointed out that the contractor had to pay the average hourly rate for a plumber, about $125, and equip and insure a service van. And there's the rising cost of gasoline, once again more than $3 a gallon.

Finally, I scolded Bob because - after exchanging a few e-mails - he admitted to having the ability to re-pair or replace the faucet himself, but he lacked confidence and initiative.

"You're right," he replied. "I should be handier. I should have paid attention to watching my father do such projects when I was boy."

I'm going to share with you what I told Bob: If you want to save some money on small repairs, the information is available. Don't complain about a high repair bill. Roll up your sleeves and do something about it. On Web sites, in books, how-to TV - and, of course, through friendly newspaper columnists like me - home-owners have a stream of resources.

First, before tackling any repair, be reasonable and intelligent about your ability. Many of you can repair or replace a bathroom faucet. But I doubt you can install a new water heater or diagnose a larger plumbing problem. Know your limits. Even if you can't do the repair, however, a little research can save you money in the long run. Chances are, the homework will come in handy when speaking to the contractor about project specifics, especially price. The contractor will realize quickly that you know something about how and what needs to be done.

So, here are some ways to educate yourself:

Books and magazines: When I started expanding my own home-repair efforts about 30 years ago, my sainted mother bought me a full set of the Time-Life repair books. I remember Bob Vila pitched the series in TV commercials, and the first in the series was on plumbing. I still have the set. It's a bit dated, but lots of the information remains relevant.

Today's offerings are just as good, if not better. The Home Depot's 1-2-3 series, including books on plumbing and electrical wiring, is excellent. These books often rate a project in terms of difficulty and provide a list of tools and materials needed for completion. Taunton is another publisher that offers a series of how-to books, on specialties from masonry to windows and doors.

If committing to a series seems overwhelming, try repair and maintenance encyclopedias by Ortho, Black & Decker and Popular Mechanics.
Speaking of Popular Mechanics, that magazine, as well as Fine Homebuilding, another Taunton product, churns out excellent how-to articles monthly. Each ranks high on my list.

Web sites: If you can't find a home-repair Web site using any of the most popular search engines, you need a refresher course in PC basics. From Danny Lipford's Today's Homeowner to HGTV.com, the Web is loaded with how-to, when-to and why-to.

If you have an older home, what's more appropriate than ThisOldHouse.com?

These Web sites often review shows in which step-by-step repairs are made. In some cases, clips from old shows can be played or downloaded.

Try searching for a specific repair or project, and if the advice seems thorough, save the site among your collection of favorites.

TV shows: There are entire networks - DIY and HGTV - dedicated to home repair, which, by the way, also have their own Web sites. There's also public television. Gee, only food shows seem to outnumber home-repair shows on TV. (If I see one more show with Rachael Ray, I think I'm going to smash my set.)

Make a list of what you need done around the house, then visit the Web sites of these networks. Use one of their search engines to find when an upcoming episode will be dedicated to one of your repairs.

You'll find that many of the most common repairs, like replacing washers or stems in a faucet, are re-viewed often. If you're not home when the show airs, program the VCR. You can do that, right?

Sorry, don't mean to be flippant, but we have all this knowledge at our fingertips. Some large home cen-ters and hardware stores even stage instructional seminars on Saturday mornings, where you can learn how to install tile, paint, hang doors - the list goes on and on.

If you are unable to do something yourself because of physical limitations, then find a handyman (which I wrote about in last week's column). Finding a reliable do-it-all person for small projects might be as easy as asking your neighbors, family members and friends or looking over the classified ads in the newsletters published by your place of worship.

Try a little harder. That really was my message to Bob. He was pretty good about my scolding, too.

"Your reply didn't come off as heavy," Bob wrote in his e-mail. "I will be ordering some of the books you mentioned. I'll even read them, too."

Bob ended up telling me that advice from one of my old columns saved him about $750 in repairs, so he figured, in the long run, he was way ahead.

By the way, I told Bob that if he does get stuck, he's welcome to e-mail me before calling a repairman. You're welcome to do the same.

It's all part of the job.

AT THE WATER COOLER

Co-workers often quiz me about what to do for a household problem. As I tell them, I'm happy to help. With the weather starting to turn cold and home heating oil and natural gas prices near record highs, I get lots of questions about insulation and ways to reduce energy bills. Remember, upgrading insulation, over the long haul, is one of the least expensive and most effective ways to reduce household energy consumption.

One of the best sources for tips on saving energy is the Department of Energy, which has two excellent Web sites. Now's a good time to add attic insulation in older homes, or to learn about sealing gaps, cracks and crevices that let cold air indoors. Here are the sites:
energy.gov/insulation airsealing.htm
www1.eere.energy.gov/con sumer/tips/index.html

via Newsday
Syndicated with permission.