Friday, 19 March 2010
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Know Your Limits When You Do-It-Yourself
Doing projects on your own can be a great way to save money on repairs because you save on the cost of labor. But if you aren't careful it can also be a fast way to quickly rack up even more expenses. If you take on a home repair that's over your head and above your ability, you can end up doing more damage than good.
A post over at the Mighty Bargain Hunter lists some of the ways you can make things worse by not knowing your limits:
- The repair doesn't last, so it has to be done again.
- The repair doesn't last, and ends up doing even more collateral damage.
- The repair takes several tries or several trips to the hardware store.
My dad loves to DIY everything around the house, even to the point where he and my mother are attempting to restore an 1880s house on their own. Unfortunately, my dad is usually in over his head and his attempts usually fall into the third category. He won't read instructions and will just do some kind of workaround that halfway works and spends way too much on the wrong materials. After seeing that, I'm the complete opposite when it comes to DIY. I tend to hire a professional unless I'm absolutely sure it's something I can handle.
Do you know your limits when it comes to DIY? What are they?
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Comments (3)
Some people need to swallow their pride/embarrassment & seek out help. It's very sweet when guys try to do things to help but if you dont know how to fix what's broke, dont fix it.
Minor repairs I can do like tightening a pipe, clearing drains, changing filters, painting, spackling, some hammer & nails stuff & laying carpet/flooring.
My dad was amazing when it came to DIY stuff. He literally rebuilt an entire house all by himself, from the plumbing to the electricity to the walls and floors. He hired out insulation and one side of a roof, because it was very very steep. After doing half of the carpeting, he wanted to hire that out too (it's pretty backbreaking), but decided not to to save money. They probably saved 80% on the costs of rebuilding that house, because they did do so much themselves, and he seemed to know what he was doing, so it was worth it for them.
My boyfriend, now... haha, he's not quite so handy. But honestly, that's ok, because I don't plan on buying a 100 year-old dilapidated shack for a home like my parents did.
I used to do a lot of things around the house myself. Now, I find it really costs less in time and effort, just hiring a pro. Simple things I will always do myself, but complex jobs are best handled by a pro who knows what he is doing.
I will not touch most plumbing jobs. That could wind up costing a lot more later. One time I attempted a difficult plumbing job. When I was done, I needed a plumber more the when I started.