The Worst Money Sucking Home DIY Projects to Avoid at All Costs

Repairing or remodeling projects can take a lot more effort than you initially might have thought. A lot goes into getting the job done and making it look as close to professional standards as possible.

Sure there are some small tasks that can easily be done by anyone with the right tools, but there are a lot of DYI projects you shouldn’t waste your time on and leave to the professionals. In the long run, not doing the project yourself could save you a lot of time and even some money if you have to pay someone to fix your mistakes.

Here are a few things you’ll want to consider before committing yourself to a DYI project you might not be ready for.

Time

If you’re not a professional at the task you’re considering doing solo, you might need to be honest with yourself on how long it’s going to take you to get done, according to the Local Records Office in Los Angeles, CA.

It’s always a good idea to take your time and not rush things to minimize the chance of mistakes happening. If the project is over a week, you might want to consider having someone do it for you so it won’t cut into your job. Besides, you wouldn’t want the project to be in the back of your mind while you should be focusing on other things.

If the DIY project going to take too long, cut out the hassle and headache and hire a professional to get it done.

Price

This one can be hard to determine. At first, doing the project will always seem to be the cheaper option, but consider the amount of time you took compared to what your time is worth. You’ll also want to think about the possibility of having to go over the task again to correct any mistakes you might have made.

If the DYI project has a large price tag, you might want to consider hiring a professional that can keep it within the planned budget.

Tools/permit required

Even an easy project can become a difficult one if you don’t have the right tools with you. Even if you can rent the specialized tool for a local hardware store, you’ll need to know how to be able to use it if you want your project to go smoothly.

Another big indicator that you’ll want to hire a professional is if the project requires a special permit. These kinds of projects usually have special requirements and regulations that the professionals are more familiar with.

Kinds Of DYI Projects To Avoid

Removing walls

This is more than just replace the wallpaper or painting the room a new color. Removing walls requires a little more knowledge than the average person with a sledgehammer. It’s important to get a contractor to verify the wall isn’t load-bearing before you decide you want to tear it down.

We aren’t talking about finding a stud to be able to hang a picture. Removing a loadbearing wall yourself can be dangerous and result in serious injuries. This should be left to the professional whenever possible. The last thing you’d want to do is bring down half of your house because you wanted to prove you could do it yourself.

Floor refinishing

The specialized equipment you’ll need for doing your floors and molding is a big indicator that you should get professionals to do this home improvement task. Renting equipment to refinish your hardwood floors sounds easy enough but without years of experience and constant use and familiarity of the tools, your floors will quickly look like an amateur did them.

This is where the experience and know-how really pay for themselves off if you decide to go with a professional to do your floors. It’s a decision you’re must less likely to regret than having to look at all the marks and imperfections on your floor.

Electrical work

It may seem like a no-brainer for some, but any electrical work that needs to be done, except perhaps changing a lightbulb, should be done by a professional. There are over 400 deaths that occur each year in America due to people accidentally electrocuting themselves when doing a home project. This is about a risk you shouldn’t have to take.

It’s better to be safe than fried. If your project requires you to work with wire be sure to take every safety precaution you can before attempting, or better yet, have a professional do it for you.

Tiling

This is a project you might be able to do yourself, but it would take twice as long and only look half as nice as professional work. Tiling may seem easy enough at first, but getting the details all right takes an expert eye and hand. This is another project that will end up costing you more to get it fixed or replace because you tried to do it yourself in the first place.

A great-looking tile job does require a lot of planning and even if you lay out the tile, measure, and measure again, you will need to cut edges and around things such as faucets. Tile cutting can be deceptively difficult to do, especially if you lack any experience. Measuring and cutting wrong can lead to a lot of waste which is why it pays to save you the trouble and hire a professional instead.

Roofing

Just because you’re comfortable getting on a ladder to clean out your gutters doesn’t mean that you’re capable of safely completing a project on your roof. Anything invoicing roof works such a replacing the shingles or adding a sunroof should be considered for professionals only.

Not only is there a high risk involved, but doing an improper roof project could cause thousand in repair work later on. The roof is vital for keeping your house insulated and free from moisture collecting. A DYI project gone wrong can seriously damage the house and be costly in the long run. Any roof projects are better left to the professionals