Harvard published an article describing an uptick in homeowners doing home repairs by themselves. Their finding and conclusion were hardly surprising. The most likely reason why people engaged in such activities was that they had so much time in their hands. But with the easing of the local travel restrictions, most people would continue with their lockdown activities.

Knowing that you can do the job yourself is empowering. It feels gratifying to do something with your hands and succeed in it. But does this mean that you can do everything yourself? It does not. Some things are better off at the hands of a professional.

The question now is which jobs you can carry out yourself. On top of the possible monetary savings, there are other factors that you must consider. Let us review some of them.

Costs

We often encourage homeowners to reach out to a roofing company for this type of repair job. This move is less likely to result in unwanted complications. Yes, you can easily find numerous tricks on how to fix your roof. But they are easier said than done.

Let us say that you noticed that there is a hole in your roof. After doing your research, you decided to fix the problem yourself. You can use the potential savings to upgrade your roofing material – from asphalt shingles to slate.

One of the problems is that you are not aware that slate is heavier than asphalt shingles. It might necessitate the construction of additional support. Your inexperience might lead you to install the slate without the necessary frame. It will eventually result in an expensive repair job.

We also discourage homeowners from carrying out demolition jobs – no matter how small it appears to be. In your inexperience, you might end up removing a load-bearing wall. It will result in costly repairs. In this case, why not just leave it to the professionals?

Safety

Other than the inevitable costly repairs, our previous examples would also lead to grave injuries. It can be immediate. Or it can happen in the distant future. Either way, it poses an imminent danger to you and your household.

Another example of this is tree pruning. It is a tricky job because the wayward branch might fall on your house. Or worse, it can fall on a passer-by. This accident is likely to happen because you do not have the expertise to cut the branch.

Of course, you can set precautionary measures to prevent these injuries. But in your inexperience, your preparation might not be enough to counter the accident. To make things clear, let us consider the following scenario.

You decided to prune a tree that has a withered limb. You would naturally purchase a tree harness to prevent your fall. But you probably did not consider the danger the tree appendage poses for passers-by. The disease attacking the tree might have already eaten the insides of the branch. When you make your initial cut, it immediately breaks.

On the other hand, an arborist knows how to prepare the tree to prevent such an accident from happening. He might cut it in such a manner that the limb will not immediately fall.

Timeline

One of the reasons homeowners carry out these repairs is that they have so much time on their hands. But remember that the local governments lifted travel restrictions. Do you still want to stay home and do all of these? You probably won’t.

Let us say that you are not keen on going outside because of the different Covid variants. Do you want to focus your energy on such a task? Although these DIY projects are great distractions, you might take on too much work. We suggest that you undertake projects that you can complete in one weekend or at most two.

Last year, Forbes published an article stating that those who work at home find it hard to maintain a work-life balance. If you find yourself in this predicament, shouldering additional responsibilities will increase your stress levels. Insisting on doing the job yourself can result in half-done work that will make it hard for you to do chores.

Employing a specialist to do a complicated task for you will ensure that they will finish on time. They are likely to stick to deadlines because they can take on a new project. Thus, they can earn more.

Some researchers say that undertaking DIY projects can be good for your mental health. They point out that it increases your serotonin. But it does not mean that you will do all repair jobs yourself because this will lead to expensive complications and grave injuries. Before you take on anything, carefully weigh the pros and cons of the job.

Meta title:The Ultimate Home Improvement Checklist
meta desc: With so much time in our hands, we have carried out home improvement jobs ourselves. It is a fun distraction from the daily grind. But some things are better left in the hands of specialists.