There has been a sudden rise in DIY home improvement during the last decade. And, if you want to talk numbers, in 2018, 58 percent of Americans are set to do some sort of DIY home improvement in their residences.
This sudden spike of interest in the DIY has been credited to a number of things, but one of the more practical reasons why people choose to do the DIY route is that it’s 60 to 80 percent cheaper than hiring somebody else to do it. Not only that, but the best home improvements can offer a significant ROI which isn’t to be sniffed at if you’re considering selling in the near future. Sometimes it’s just a lot easier to get professionals in to do certain things for you. For example, if you are planning on getting new windows then you would be better to use someone like these Oahu Replacement Windows rather then doing it yourself. However, there are some things that you could do if you put your mind to it.
Before the internet, it would be hard to do something easy like wall repair if you didn’t have any experience at all. But with the introduction of the internet, getting any kind of information is literally just in your fingertips. There are thousands of tutorials available on the internet of any home improvement topic you can think of–from building sheds, painting the walls to fixing the gutter, and whatever else that you can think of. People are getting more confident in doing the work themselves.
However, with this said, here are some things that you can DIY and some projects that you might want to think about calling the pros.
Call The Pros: Electrical and Plumbing
If your home improvement requires any kind of plumbing or electrical work, it’s in your best interest to call in the professionals unless you’re an electrician or plumber by trade. It doesn’t matter if you’ve watched all the youtube videos on how to wire your house and convinced yourself that you can do it because one wrong wire is what it takes to botch an electrical job. The same goes for any plumbing job.
In addition to this, depending on where you live in the world, plumbing and electrical jobs usually require permits and licensed individuals. And, even if you live in a country that doesn’t require these permits, it’s still in your best interest to leave the electrical and plumbing jobs to people who can do these with their eyes closed. If you find that you have any sort of plumbing related problem and you live in Salt Lake City or the surrounding areas, then you may wish to get in touch with a Plumber who will be able to resolve the issues that you are experiencing.
DIY: Buying Materials and Finishing
One of the fun things that you can definitely do by yourself when doing home improvement is purchasing materials like paint, tiles, bathroom fixtures, doors, furniture etc. However, you may get a professional to install those DaLyte circular dome skylights to ensure that it’s done correctly and won’t leave you exposed to the elements during the winter.
You can find lots of inspiration for these kinds of things in home magazines or online. You can also go to your local hardware shop or if you want you can scour the antique markets as well as the flea markets if this is something that you like to do.
You can also go high tech and make use of AR ( Augmented Reality) apps just like the construction industry makes use of RFI construction management solutions. These programs allow you to put virtual objects like chairs, lighting etc. in a real location (like your house) so that you can see how these things will look like before you even start to buy.
The only thing that you need to make sure is that when buying materials like tiles, bricks or anything similar, is that to make sure that you get enough of it for the entire renovation.
Call The Pros: Waterproofing
Waterproofing your house whether be your foundation, basement, roof, gutters, and bathroom unless you are a professional in this area. Waterproofing doesn’t just require slapping on a coat of waterproofing paint or materials especially when it comes to your basement or house foundation. Water damage is not fun, so it’s best to leave these to the pros because it might cost more to fix a failed DIY job than just having the pros do it in the first place. So, if you find that you need somewhere like your basement waterproofing you might want to look into calling basement waterproofing contractors just in case, even if it is just for getting tips on how to do it.
DIY: Light Demolition
Depending on your level of fitness, you can certainly take a crack at demolishing a wall ( as long as it doesn’t affect the structural integrity of the house) if that’s part of your home improvement project. But certainly, even if you’re not keen on doing wall demolition yourself, you can still do things like take down unwanted fixtures, cabinets, appliances, or maybe taking out the carpeting or the floorboards.
Of course, if you are undergoing an overhaul and throwing away large amounts of waste, then you might even consider renting a dumpster from somewhere like dumpster.co to clear your clutter quickly. It’s important to show off just how spacious your property is and hoarding junk is one guaranteed way to ruin the ambience of your home.
Call the Pros: Roofing
Roofing is obviously a very dangerous task which is why it should be left to the pros. An unqualified person attempting to do anything on a roof can lead to major harm to both them and the roof. If you fall off while up on the roof, you can seriously hurt yourself may even die.
If this wasn’t reason enough to call Prime Roofing instead of doing it yourself, if you leave holes in the roof after finishing your DIY then it can lead to water leaking into your house and causing water damage. Repairing water damage is a lot more expensive than the cost of a good roofing contractor so it’s worth the investment.
DIY: Cosmetic Makeover
Cosmetic makeovers like stripping paint, painting the walls, plasterwork, stripping woodwork, installing ceiling moldings, and even tile work are some of the DIY home renovations are things that homeowners can do freely. This is because of two things: one is that cosmetics changes don’t need permits and you can do it, and two, there are a lot of resources online in the form of videos or step by step instructions that are available.
Even if you are not an expert in these things, with a little bit of research, willingness and a lot of patience, you should be able to do a very good job.
DIY is a great way to save money, and we all know that nothing beats the satisfaction of looking at something that you did yourself. However, regardless of how good you are at DIY, there are some things that you just have to leave to the pros because of legal and safety reasons. Even Cara Brookings, the famous mom who remodeled her entire house via DIY by watching youtube videos knew her limits in DIY, and asked for professional help when it came to plumbing.
