What are the 101s of basic home maintenance?
Moving into a home with zero prior repair or utility experience leaves new owners trying to figure out everything from scratch, including unfamiliar tasks like lawn care. Lacking these fundamental skills stops people from tackling major repairs independently and forces a steep learning curve right from the start.
What the numbers show
Counted from the threads quoted below. How we count
- People have been saying this in most months since September 2026.
- This comes up 19.9× more often in r/homeowners than across the site as a whole.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
What are the 101s of basic home maintenance?
- 1Asking online forums for introductory guides on basic repairs and utility operationsDid this help you?
- 2Doing extensive research and learning independentlyDid this help you?
- 3Consulting beginner guides and online communities like RedditDid this help you?
- 4Reading online advice listsDid this help you?
- 5Asking questions in online communitiesDid this help you?
- 6deciding as you goDid this help you?
- 7fixing and learning in the order it breaksDid this help you?
- 8using YouTube for guidanceDid this help you?
- 9Hiring a home inspector years after purchase to establish a baselineDid this help you?
- 10Watching instructional YouTube videos before attempting a fix.Did this help you?
- 11Buying tools one at a time as new projects arise.Did this help you?
- 12Practicing on things that do not matter if they break.Did this help you?
- 13Hiring professionals for high-risk jobs like main electrical lines or big plumbing.Did this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I literally don't know how to do anything related to home upkeep.”source ↗
“I recently moved back into my childhood home to spend more time with mom after dad recently passed. I realized that we're both pretty useless with more major home repairs, as dad was the fixer-upper growing up, and if I were to live here for an extended period it would be good to learn the 101's of home maintenance.”source ↗
“I'm not handy at all but it's high time I learned.”source ↗
“what are the 101's of basic home maintenance that every homeowner should know?”source ↗
“I didn't even know how to hang a picture when I first got my home. I didn't even know drywall was a thing.”source ↗
“New homeowner here and I had no idea anything about lawn care . Did lot of research and learning now here we are . Still some bare spot needs fixing but happy a lot with overall result .”source ↗
“still pretty much in the dark when it comes to basic maintenance...for example, when is my roof too old? How’s my AC unit doing? Is there any mold anywhere?”source ↗
“should I hire a contractor to do a home inspection if I haven’t done one since I initially bought the house, to reset and see what needs to be done?”source ↗
“What are 3 repairs or maintenance jobs you’d recommend learning first, and which ones should I definitely leave to a professional? Just moved out, so I’m pretty new to living alone.”source ↗
“I know nothing about my hot water heater or furnace. Very much a bought a condo, didn't know what we didn't know about house maintenance.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 15How to learn basic car maintenance with zero experience
- 3What power tools do I need for basic home repairs?
- 5Pro tips for using a steam cleaner effectively
- 5How do you get plumbing experience with no prior experience?
- 4How to coordinate home repairs when you are away
- 2Why do tiny household things keep coming loose?