Is it a Do-It-Yourself Home Improvement Project or a Don't?
by Jessica Groach
Home Improvement Ideas Columnist
Your last home improvement project was supposed to only last the weekend, but six weeks later, the tools are still on the floor, and there's a hole in your wall. If you'd only known, you would have called a contractor.
Not sure whether your do it yourself home improvement project is a big fat DON'T? Ask yourself the following questions:
- Is the project cosmetic, structural, or systemic? Painting, hanging wallpaper, changing a showerhead, hanging a light fixture, or laying new flooring might be something you can do easily. Structural changes, however, involve framing and foundation; minor problems with these projects can become huge disasters. These and systemic changes, like electrical wiring or plumbing, are best left to a contractor.
- Do you have time? Estimate how much time you think it'll take you to do it yourself. Now triple it. That's how much it will really take. If you have a full-time job, or you want that new bathroom completed by Christmas, invest in a contractor.
- Do you have the tools? You have a hammer and screwdriver. But what about a welding machine? A band saw? Do you even know how to hang drywall or run wiring? Then spend your money wisely with a contractor.
- Do you have the money? Do it yourself home improvement projects can save you money, but if you screw them up, what you pay to fix them could have paid for a pro, and you'd be done already.
- Do you have the temperament? Sure you could do it. But do you want to? Will a constant job-site atmosphere in your home drive you nuts? Might you, in a weak moment, be tempted to throw that hammer through the wall out of frustration? Then step away from the hammer, and call a contractor immediately.
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About the Author
Jessica Groach, a new homeowner herself, is a freelance writer and writing instructor at the University of Nevada, Reno.
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