Most of us like to roll up our sleeves and do some DIY projects in our homes. Even though the will to do most of the work yourself is more than welcomed, there are still some home improvements you should never do on your own but to leave it to the professionals. Just to make sure you’ll know when to hire experts, here are the improvements you should avoid doing on your own:
1. Replacing doors and windows
In the case of poorly installed doors or windows, it could end up with air leaks. Maybe you wanted to pay less by making it a DIY project, but that will only cause more expenses in the end because your heating bills will be higher. If you are not experienced in this, you better hire an expert.
2. Plumbing fixes
There is a good reason why plumbers are expensive to hire – they really have to be skillful in what they do because plumbing issues can get really complicated. If you happen to have any plumbing problems, the best solution would be not to try your luck at all. Any repair or change that you should try to do could end up in really high expenses when the real plumber comes to fix what you have previously messed up. If the issue only means replacing a faucet handle or dealing with the toilet paper, then you can, by all means, deal with that on your own. However, anything else would require a real professional.
3. Painting the kitchen cabinets
Don’t worry, this isn’t about choosing the right color of your cabinets. Many people think that repainting them is a pretty simple thing. However, the reality is somewhat different. Kitchen cabinet is harder to paint than bedroom dresser because most of the time there is a certain buildup of finger oil, as well as grease. The surface of the wood gets compromised. A good preparation is necessary, which many people often neglect. It included thorough cleaning by using a degreasing agent, for example, diluted TSP. Also, it’s necessary to use an oil-based paint that will be applied with a sprayer. In other words, this home improvement requires special equipment and more safety measures than people are aware of. It’s better to get the best results and hire an expert painter.
4. Concrete issues
Dealing with concrete works is everything but simple. For many homeowners, cracked or uneven concrete steps or walkways are ugly to look at, so they may try to deal with the problem on their own. In most cases, your DIY project could end up poorly, but what’s worse, you could end up being sued. The thing is that if anybody trips or falls over your poorly executed work on concrete stairs, they have every right to sue you due to physical injuries you’ve caused. That’s why quality rendering repairs need to be handed over to professionals.
5. Removing Walls
Many home improvements include removing a wall to create more space in the room or connecting two rooms; and although you can get more space from a loft conversion, you should stick to the professionals to get it done for you. However, it’s not as simple as swinging the sledgehammer. First of all, you need to contact a contractor to make sure the wall in question is not load bearing. In case you damage or tear up a load bearing wall, you could cause serious damage, such as a ceiling caving in inside your home. And not just that – you could get seriously hurt if the wall goes crumbling down unexpectedly or the ceiling simply doesn’t hold on the burden while you’re still in the room. The only DIY project you can do with the wall is removing the wallpaper – leave everything else to the professionals.
6. Installing lighting
If you thought that installing new light fixtures could be an easy DIY project that will save you some money, think again. Dealing with the electrical system without full knowledge simply calls for trouble. There is the risk of not knowing or forgetting to turn off the live power, which brings the risk of getting seriously shocked. And that’s not the only issue – if you wire anything improperly or you overload the power draw, it could lead to sparkling outlets and popping breakers. In other words, the repairs of the damage you’ve caused will be far more expensive than hiring an electrician in the first place. The biggest expense would be if the electrician needs to re-open the wall to fix the problem. The trouble with installing new lighting is the mix of higher and lower-voltage electrical products, which makes it so much more than a simple DIY project. For your own safety and a cheaper improvement, hire an electrician.
All in all
As much as most homeowners would like to save money on home improvement, there are some improvements that are simply not for amateurs. In order to make sure everything will be as it should, without any injuries or unnecessary damage, be ready to call a professional when you realize it’s beyond your skills.
Liam Smith is a young and aspiring Australian blogger with a passion for everything related to home, design and lifestyle. He has a B.Sc. in Interior design and is an avid reader.
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