Your home should reflect your own personal style, and it should be a sanctuary that gives you the peace and comfort you deserve. Many homeowners dive into the world of DIY home improvements in order to get their property to meet their standards of living. In fact, according to a recent survey, 81% of homeowners said they’ve recently worked on a home improvement project.
With all the DIY hype, it can be a challenge to determine which projects you can realistically tackle on your own and which you should leave to the pros. We’re going to discuss the top home improvement projects for which you should definitely call a professional.
The risks of not hiring a home improvement professional
If you’re pretty handy, you may be thinking there aren’t many projects you wouldn’t be able to tackle on your own. The reality is, even if you are skilled at home DIY, there are significant risks to consider when it comes to certain types of renovations and home repairs.
Wasted time
As the old verbiage says, time is money. Your time is valuable, and certain complex DIY projects will simply take a mountain of time for even a skilled DIYer to complete, especially since making mistakes during home renovation projects is a common occurrence. Roughly 44% of DIYers surveyed said they made minor mistakes that caused them to have to redo a project.
Costly mistakes
Most DIYers tackle projects in order to save money, but the reality is, 40% of homeowners admit that their DIY project ended up costing more than anticipated. The increase in expenses is largely due to mistakes made during the process that cause additional materials to be purchased and unexpected repairs to be made.
Personal injury
The most dangerous risk you take on when you DIY is bodily injury. 47% of major mistakes reported by surveyed homeowners resulted in serious injury, ranging from falls to electrical injuries.
When to hire a professional for home improvement
While there are significant risks incurred when you’re doing your own home renovations, it doesn’t mean you need to refrain from all DIY work. You simply need to remember that certain complex DIY projects are best left to professionals in order to reduce the risks of injury, financial loss, and wasted time. According to Angi’s survey, 93% of respondents hired a professional for at least one of their recent projects.
So when should you think about calling in a professional?
Roof work
Repairing or replacing a roof is expensive, so DIYers are often tempted to tackle it on their own. However, roofing is dangerous work, and can lead to serious injury if the proper safety measures and equipment aren’t employed. Additionally, further damage to your home is also a possibility if the wrong materials are used or repairs are done improperly.
Tree removal
Dead or diseased trees are a common and expensive headache for homeowners. Removing a tree, however, requires special equipment and significant skill. Tackling a tree removal project improperly can lead to serious damage to your home or other nearby structures, and can lead to life-threatening injuries.
Electrical work
While smaller electrical projects like replacing outlets, light switches, and even some light fixtures, can be done by homeowners with some elementary electrical skill, larger electrical projects like running new wiring must be done by a professional electrician. Doing your own complex electrical work could not only lead to extensive damage to your home, like total loss of power or damaged appliances, but the risk of electric shock or fires is high. This is why electrical work often requires a permit from your city in order to be completed.
Taking out a wall
Opening up your indoor space is a great way to make the room feel bigger and more inviting. Taking down a wall is often necessary for this type of renovation, and it’s a project that’s best left to the pros. Determining if a wall is load bearing or if it has essential pipes or electrical wiring behind it can be tricky, and if you start demolishing a wall before making these determinations, the results can be disastrous.
Tiling a shower
Laying or putting up tile is a common DIY project for homeowners. It’s relatively simple to put up a backsplash in your kitchen or add a tiled floor in the bathroom, and these projects are certainly appropriate for homeowners to do on their own. Tiling your shower, however, is a project that may require a professional. In the shower, there is extensive moisture, and if tiles are installed improperly or not sealed adequately, that moisture can get behind the tiles and cause a whole slew of damage like erosion and mold growth.
Mold and asbestos removal
Mold is a dangerous substance to have in your home, and it’s not just found in your shower tiles. It can pop up anywhere in your home, particularly in areas with high humidity or leaking pipes. Much like mold, asbestos is also a hazardous material, and neither of these maladies should be tackled by homeowners, particularly if the issue is widespread. A pro can determine how big the problem is and remove it safely with proper equipment.
Home DIY is on the rise for good reason. It saves homeowners a bit of money and even grows their skills so they can become more self-sufficient. Knowing which projects you can and can’t tackle on your own, however, is essential. While many home renovation projects can be handled by laymen, others need to be left to the pros to be done safely and efficiently.
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