how do i fix a home button that keeps pressing itself

The folks at the Apple store gave you good advice. You should have listened. If you attempt to repair the phone yourself you will no longer receive any kind of support from Apple. You also need to be aware Apple does not sell parts so if you find anything online or elsewhere they'll be either knockoffs, or salvaged parts from broken/stolen phones.

No one here works for Apple. We are all volunteers. You would know that had your read the terms when you joined today. I suspect the home button comes with the screen as part of an assembly as the fit as some very close tolerances. Perhaps there are other reasons. I don't know. Wherever it is you are looking likely shows them as separate parts but fitting them back together again as a secure precisely fit unit could be a problem. Bottom line is they are just interested in selling you used parts and maybe a service to boot and if they fail and break the phone - well too bad you're up the creek without a phone. If you don't like what Apple is offering feel free to do whatever you want with it. It's your phone. If you think Apple is trying to rip you off then take your phone somewhere else to get it fixed or do it yourself.

It has nothing to do with being guardians. This is an Apple owned site and the phone has no user serviceable parts so offering repair advice is inappropriate. There are other sites better suited for the information you seek.

ibreakthings wrote:

I am the second owner.. Paid my sister in law $200 for it.

Then you've already saved a couple hundred dollars, compared to what it cost new. Your sister in law paid a LOT more than that. Originally, the 16GB iPhone 5 cost $649. You've saved about $450 (or more if it's a 32GB or 64GB). But honestly, as the second hand owner, the amount you paid is irrelevant.

If an iPhone 5 is outside of warranty or has physical damage, then you pay the associated fees to service it.

There are no legitimate replacement parts for an iPhone. The service costs if you are outside of warranty (due to time or damage), will either be: $129 USD + tax for display replacement or $269 USD + tax for whole unit replacement. Other than that, the only other service available is battery replacement, which is $79 USD + tax.

And understand that once you open the device, you void any post-warranty service you could have gotten from Apple. They will not touch the device after you open it. So if you purchase the parts and make a mistake, no one but yourself can fix it, unless you take it to a 3rd party, but you cannot get help from Apple or here. Apple does not sell parts, so you will not get OEM parts. With an out of warranty device, at least you would be able to purchase a refurbished out of warranty replacement that comes with a 90 warranty. It is inspected by Apple and will look just like your old device. If you make a mistake with your DYI repair, then you have to purchase a brand new one, at full price.

ibreakthings wrote:

Yes yes I understand the risks of apple not touching my phone after I've handled it myself. Apple is asking for an amount just shy of what I paid for the phone and the warranty is up so.. What I was really trying to ask for is advice from anyone who has opened an iPhone 5 themselves or is knowledgeable in the areas of iphone surgery so they could tell me a bit more about the home button and display being connected. I have no set plans to do this myself or to ask anyone else to as of now, I simply just want to understand the problem more since both geniuses were very vague. Although... I think I may have stepped into the wrong forum for this info as most seem to be valiant guardians of apple inc. Thanks much for what responses there were though.

1. You didn't pay anywhere near $269 or $129 USD + tax for your iPhone 5. If you bought it from a carrier and got a 'discount', that 'discount' was repaid as part of your contract. It's 'deferred' payment, not really a 'discount'. On average, you 'defer' about $450 when you buy an iPhone from a carrier. So, take whatever you actually 'paid', and add $450 to it. That's what the iPhone 5 actually cost you.

2. The Home Button is an integral part of the display. Even at an Apple Store, when the display is replaced so is the Home Button, as part of the 'kit'.

3. Actually, it's more about being guardians for you, not Apple. We're advising you to avoid something that will void your support from Apple.

There are NO user serviceable parts for an iPhone. Anything you've seen online is not official, unless it came from Appel directly.