ScoutHitch
Back to Hitch Guide

Home Repairs

Scouts BSA · Merit Badge · Trades

Printable worksheet (PDF)

Home Repairs is about learning practical skills to fix and maintain things around the house. You'll work on everything from painting to simple plumbing, always with safety first. These skills will save you money and help your family for years.

Why it's worth it

A dripping faucet, a wobbly chair, a hole in the wall: most people call someone and pay to fix these. After this badge, you'll know how to do it yourself, safely. You'll be the one in your family who knows where the water shutoff is when a pipe leaks, and you'll have skills you can use on service projects, for neighbors who need a hand, and someday in your own home. Some Scouts discover they love the trades and build a career on it.

Start this week

  1. Walk through your home with a parent and make a list of small things that need fixing, like a squeaky hinge, a loose knob, or a cracked caulk line.
  2. Ask your Scoutmaster for the name of a Home Repairs counselor, and send them a short message with a parent copied to set up a first meeting.
  3. With a parent, find your home's main water shutoff and the electrical panel, and label them if they aren't already.
  4. Gather the basic tools you have, like a screwdriver set, a hammer, pliers, and a tape measure, and check that you have safety glasses.

Stay safe

  • Work on anything electrical only with an experienced adult, with the breaker off and the power confirmed off with a tester.
  • Use ladders only with an adult holding or spotting them, and wear safety glasses for any cutting, drilling, or scraping.
  • In homes built before 1978, have an adult check for lead paint before you sand or scrape old paint.

Requirements · 7

Every official requirement and part, numbered to match Scouting America, in plain language. Sign off against the official wording (opens in a new tab) (updated 2025).

Note: A parent, guardian, or the counselor may supervise any of the repair work for this badge; requirements 2–6 must be done under that supervision

  1. Requirement 1

    Safety

    Tips for this section: Learn how to use tools safely, wear eye protection, and list the safe practices you'll follow on every job.

    Example for this section: Before any job, run through a quick checklist: safety glasses on, power or water off if needed, the right tool for the job, an adult nearby, and a first-aid kit handy for cuts and pinched fingers.

    1. Requirement 1a

      Explain to your counselor the hazards you're most likely to face doing home repairs and how to anticipate, reduce, prevent, and respond to them. Describe the right safety gear and clothing for the work

    2. Requirement 1b

      Discuss general home repair precautions and name at least 10 safe practices every home repairer should follow

  2. Requirement 2

    Outdoor and exterior repairs. Choose 3 of 6

    Tips for this section: Look around the outside of your home with a parent for jobs like caulking cracks, weatherstripping a drafty door, or fixing a torn screen. Use ladders only with an adult.

    Example for this section: Exterior jobs could be re-caulking around a window, replacing a cracked weatherstrip on a door, patching a crack in the driveway, or fixing a torn window screen.

    1. Requirement 2a

      Recondition or maintain a yard tool, and show you know how to clean it and store it properly

    2. Requirement 2b

      Weatherstrip a door or window

    3. Requirement 2c

      Caulk joints or cracks that are exposed to the weather

    4. Requirement 2d

      Fix a break in an asphalt or concrete surface

    5. Requirement 2e

      Fix or replace a door or window screen

    6. Requirement 2f

      Replace a glass pane

  3. Requirement 3

    Furniture, woodwork, and storage. Choose 3 of 7

    Tips for this section: Tighten a wobbly chair, build a rack for your tools, or fix a sagging gate.

    Example for this section: For furniture and woodwork, glue and clamp a loose chair rung, build a pegboard rack for garage tools, or refinish a scratched tabletop with varnish.

    1. Requirement 3a

      Build or install something for storing tools

    2. Requirement 3b

      Build a workbench

    3. Requirement 3c

      Fix a piece of furniture

    4. Requirement 3d

      Paint or varnish a door, house trim, or a piece of furniture

    5. Requirement 3e

      Fix a gate or door that sags

    6. Requirement 3f

      Fix a loose railing or step

    7. Requirement 3g

      Fix a fence

  4. Requirement 4

    Electrical repairs. Choose 2 of 4

    Tips for this section: Always turn off power at the breaker first, and work with an experienced adult on anything electrical.

    Example for this section: With an experienced adult and the breaker off, replace a worn lamp cord or plug, or replace a worn-out light switch. Always confirm the power is off with a tester first.

    1. Requirement 4a

      Find the main electrical panel or switch box, and know how to reset a tripped circuit breaker or replace a blown fuse

    2. Requirement 4b

      Replace an electrical cord, or fix a plug or lamp socket

    3. Requirement 4c

      Install a single-pole light switch

    4. Requirement 4d

      Replace an electrical outlet in a wall

  5. Requirement 5

    Under supervision, find the main water supply shutoff (including any well pump) and know how to turn it off. Then do 2 of 5a–5e. Choose 2 of 5

    Tip: Find the main water shutoff with a parent so you know it in an emergency. Then try fixing a leaky faucet or clearing a drain.

    For example: Shut off the main water with a parent, then try two repairs, like replacing the washer or cartridge in a leaky faucet and clearing a slow bathroom drain with a plunger or drain snake.

    1. Requirement 5a

      Clear a clogged trap or drain

    2. Requirement 5b

      Fix a faucet that leaks

    3. Requirement 5c

      Fix a flush toilet

    4. Requirement 5d

      Fix a leaking hose or hose connector

    5. Requirement 5e

      Clean or replace a sprinkler head

  6. Requirement 6

    Indoor repairs and decorating. Choose 3 of 8

    Tips for this section: Patch a small hole in drywall or paint a room with a family member. Prep work makes the final job look great.

    Example for this section: Patch a nail hole or small dent in drywall: fill it with spackle, let it dry, sand it smooth, and touch up the paint. Then paint a closet or bathroom wall, taping edges and covering the floor first.

    1. Requirement 6a

      Paint a ceiling or wall

    2. Requirement 6b

      Fix or replace damaged vinyl, linoleum, or tile flooring

    3. Requirement 6c

      Put up curtain or drapery rods, then hang the curtains or drapes

    4. Requirement 6d

      Patch a hole in drywall

    5. Requirement 6e

      Use anchors to hang a picture, plant hanger, or other item your parent or guardian approves on drywall

    6. Requirement 6f

      Strengthen a picture frame

    7. Requirement 6g

      Mend something made of glass, china, or pottery

    8. Requirement 6h

      Fix a drawer slide, or fix or replace cabinet pulls

  7. Requirement 7

    Careers and hobbies. Choose 1 of 2

    Tips for this section: Talk with a contractor, plumber, or electrician about their trade, or volunteer with a home repair group.

    1. Requirement 7a

      Explore careers related to home repair. Research one, including the training and education needed, costs, job outlook, pay, duties, and advancement (with permission, by internet or library search, an interview, or a workplace visit). Discuss your findings with your counselor and why the career might interest you

    2. Requirement 7b

      Explore how home repair skills could lead to a hobby or healthy lifestyle. Research the training, costs, and groups that support it, and discuss with your counselor the short- and long-term goals you might set

Places to visit

Ask an adult to set it up, and go with your family, den, patrol, or crew.

  • A home repair or building service project

    You can practice real skills like painting, caulking, and building alongside skilled volunteers.

    How: Have an adult contact a home repair charity or community group and ask about volunteer days open to youth with their parents or troop.

  • A trade school or high school construction program

    Instructors can show you the labs where students learn plumbing, electrical, and carpentry.

    How: Have a parent or your counselor call the program and ask about an open house or a short tour for Scouts.

Where it can lead

  • ElectricianInstalls and repairs wiring; usually learned through a paid apprenticeship.
  • PlumberFixes and installs water and drain systems; also learned through an apprenticeship.
  • CarpenterBuilds and repairs everything from framing to cabinets.
  • Building maintenance technicianKeeps schools, apartments, and offices running by fixing a little of everything.
  • Building inspectorChecks that construction and repairs meet safety codes.

Ask yourself

  • What's one thing around your home you've always wondered how to fix?
  • Which repair felt intimidating at first, and what made it easier?
  • When something didn't work the first time, how did you figure out what went wrong?
  • Who in your life knows how to fix things, and what could you learn from them?
  • How could you use these skills to help a neighbor or your community?

Good questions to ask a contractor, plumber, or electrician

  • How did you learn your trade, and what did your first year look like?
  • What's the most common repair people try themselves and get wrong?
  • Which jobs should a homeowner always call a professional for?
  • What tools would you tell a beginner to buy first?
  • What do you like most about your work?

Helpful reads

For leaders & parents

  • Partner with a group like Habitat for Humanity for a service project where Scouts can practice.
  • Make sure Scouts have adult supervision for electrical, ladder, and power tool work.

People & places that can help

Pairs well with

Into this? Explore more

Tips, examples, and questions are ideas from experienced leaders, not extra requirements. Your unit leader or counselor decides when a requirement is complete.