Doing It Yourself is Great But Here’s When to Call in the Professionals

There’s been this craze of “doing it yourself” or in shorter terms “DIY.” To be fair, it really hasn’t been a craze or fad because the professionals started out “doing it themselves” but they actually went and got certified with proper licenses… it became a craze when ordinary people started taking on home improvement projects with no experience or interest in home improvement… they were just doing these projects to save money. The only issue with that was that a lot of people were getting seriously injured from doing some of those projects with absolutely no experience. You should really know your limits and when to call the professionals. Some people would take on projects simply because they felt it was “manly” and if you had to call a professional to do it, you weren’t “manly” enough. The truth is, sure, you might have a feeling of pride and accomplishment if you receive a compliment on a project that you completed with no help from anyone but there are just some things you need help with and that’s okay.

If you need help cleaning your house because of your busy schedule, are you not going to seek cleaning services or a cleaning professional all because you know you can do it yourself, you just don’t have time to do it? Well, you shouldn’t… Pride is a force to be reckoned with, isn’t it? It really is. The whole point is that when you recognize that you need help with something, there’s nothing wrong with asking for help, especially when it comes to home improvement projects. Before you hire a nanny or any other type of help, see what the full picture looks like. The hourly wage or salary isn’t the entire cost. Taxes and insurance will need to be factored in as well.

Don’t Go Against Your Better Judgement

There are all kinds of YouTube videos out and tutorials that teach people how to take on certain home improvement projects… some of those videos are very insightful and easy enough for even the most novice handyman to follow. Typically, the best way to start your DIY/handyman journey is by fixing things around the house before they get worse; that’s just going to sharpen your problem-solving skills to prepare you for bigger DIY projects. Now, as you sharpen your handyman skills, it’s also going to give you a “sixth sense” with the ability to recognize when it’s time for you to call in the professionals. But in case you haven’t developed that “sixth sense” just yet, here are some of the top home improvement projects that are best left to the professionals.

When to call the professionals

Electrical Repairs

Electrical repairs are definitely a home improvement project that needs to be left for the pros. Have you ever seen one of those nerve-recking action movies that have a bomb scene where if you cut the wrong colored cord, the bomb will explode? That’s how an inexperienced DIY’er can feel trying to make electrical repairs, but the threat isn’t a bomb… it’s electrocution or a house fire.

Roofing Repairs

It’s pretty safe to say that working in commercial roofing is already dangerous, and that’s for professionals… can you imagine how dangerous it is for non-professionals? According to the Electronic Library of Construction Occupational Safety and Health, the number one cause of death among roofers is falling. Roofers have the fifth-highest statistic of work-related deaths… being able to say “Yes, I did that myself” is not worth risking your life by falling off of your roof trying to make “manly” repairs; leave this one to the pros.

Painting Your Walls and Ceiling

It’s just painting, right? It’s not that hard… The truth is, painting the walls and ceiling of your home is probably THE most underrated home improvement projects you can take on. Sure, you can probably watch a few YouTube videos to get the hang of it, for the most part, but what people fail to realize is that there is a certain technique and art that goes into painting your home. It’s not just buying a few paint cans and paintbrushes… there’s a whole process to it, especially if you’re painting to fix certain flaws in your wall. This particular project isn’t coming from a safety standard, although you want to be careful doing this, but this is more so coming from a selling point of view. Ugly walls with patches and a botched paint job can make or break how your home is perceived and how well it will sell if you ever put it up for sale… makes you want to hire a professional in the first place.

Be Smart About Things

As mentioned earlier, there are certain things that you absolutely can take on by yourself but every situation is different so you want to be smart about things and know when it’s time to call the professionals. The important aspect is your safety but also quality. When you’re trying to determine if you should hire a professional or not, think about the quality of the work that will be done. You’re don’t expect a professional to do mediocre repairs on your home so you should hold yourself to that same standard. If you know you’re inexperienced in a particular area, don’t do a mediocre job on your home… just let the pros do it. That’s when you won’t be so proud to say you did it yourself!