To DIY or Not To DIY: Hire the Pros vs. Bring in the Joes

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To DIY or Not To DIY – that is the question!

A question to which the answer is YES – you’re not going to pay for workers to do what you can do better and with more care, are you!

We thank you for your attention, with hope that this article helped you figure out whether to DIY or not.

… But then again there’s that pesky drywall. And you don’t want another flooding just because you mixed up the plumbing pipes.

As irritating and bothersome as this is, let us say it here out loud: sometimes it’s smarter to leave certain things to the professionals. Especially if the task at hand is potentially dangerous and could turn ugly quite quickly. (Plus, you can always blame the pros and gloat at their failure in case they mess up, as well.)

In this article, we’ll grab the DIY bull by the horns and answer the question many a homeowner tried to figure out before – to DIY or not to DIY?

Here’s the lot, folks.

What You Can Do Yourself

Painting

There you go – painting. Painting’s fairly easy, even if you’re a complete rookie. All you need to ensure your walls will receive a high-quality coat of paint is a couple of high-quality brushes, a can of paint of your choice, and perhaps a ladder. (And lots of old newspapers to protect the floors.)

Small Installations and Fixtures

For example, toilets, door knobs, and faucets.

Pretty much any sort of small fixture where the item comes with its own instruction sheet. More often than not, these require only a small amount of work and can be set up pretty easily.

Also, you can take care of some other tasks such as driving some nails into the wall, if you intend to use them for hanging pictures or bookshelves, for example.

Cleaning up the Mess

An inevitable aspect of any remodeling venture, so to speak, would be picking up the leftover parts of drywall, the old newspapers, as well as other pieces of debris that are just lying there on your floor.

Although this part of the job is certainly not the most enjoyable, it still needs to get done – and by doing it yourself you can save some money. You picking up the trash is a match made in heaven!

What Should Be Left to the Pros

Tile Installations

Although installing the tiles may seem like a simple enough process, it’s a much better idea to simply leave it to the pros. You see, tiles are brittle and delicate and can easily be broken if not handled properly.

Also, depending on the shape of your bathroom floor, you might need to cut and reshape some tiles, which requires some special tools.

Plumbing

As we mentioned above, get one step in the plumbing setup wrong, and that’s your entire living room covered in water.

Unless you happen to be a professional plumber yourself, it’s a much smarter idea to delegate this important task to a professional than puttering about it yourself.

Electrical and Safety-Related Installations

Whether it’s setting up the switch panel for your water heater, or replacing sockets in your living room, getting a professional electrician to do the job for you should be the course of action.

The same goes for any safety systems you have in place or hope to set up. Complex structures such as fire alarms or fire ducts also require a certain level of expertise and experience in the field.

All things considered, when it comes to making your house an inhabitable place, making sure you don’t mess up its many modern-day systems would be the first step in that direction. Aaaand that includes understanding what you can and cannot fix yourself. So, while saving money and learning new trades is always fun, always think of safety as your number one priority!

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