DIY Part 1 - Do it yourself or hire a contractor?

Do it yourself (DIY) Home Improvement is on the rise. Part of this has always been about saving money. But in recent years, I think the trend has also been fueled by the media (TV), better tools, and better access to how-to information (internet, big box seminars).

DIY success depends on a lot of things, the most important being knowing your limitations. Remember, you may be replacing a professional contractor who brings knowledge, skill, experience, planning, project management, the right tools and the right materials to the job. It’s best to do a thorough evaluation before going ahead with your DIY project.

#1 - Research - Do you have the Skills?

What does the project involve? It’s important to “do your research” before getting started. Read books and articles on the internet. Talk to friends and acquaintances who’ve done it before. Or consult a professional. Write out the steps involved. Then you can better ask …

Do you have the required skill? Do you understand all the legal stuff? Building codes? Electrical code? Can you acquire the knowledge needed to cover any gaps?

What are the risks? Do you understand what could go wrong? Do you have a backup? Or resource to ask for help?

If not, you should hire a contractor or try something a little less ambitious that you can pull off to start.

If on the other hand you think you can pull it off, you should still look at …

#2 - Cost - Will DIY Pay Off?

When it comes to cost, the point of doing it yourself is to save money.

Although contractors can often get products and materials at lower cost, that may not amount to a significant reason not to do it yourself. When it comes to tools, you may be able to rent or borrow what you don’t have if it’s not feasible to buy so that shouldn’t be a barrier either.

What’s going to cost you when doing it yourself is mistakes, especially if a professional needs to come in to correct it after the fact. That will blow your labor savings and then some, so you need to be sure you can execute flawlessly.

If you know you don’t have all the skills to execute the full job, it may be possible to still participate in the project by doing some of the prep work or cleanup to help defray the costs. This should be discussed with your contractor up front.

Another option is to act as your own general contractor, hiring subcontractors to do the work directly. Again, you should only take this on if you know what you’re doing, or rather understand what your subcontractors will be doing … So it comes back to having the knowledge, skills, and experience.

But money isn’t everything …

# 3 - Options - Your Time Is Valuable Too

How much labor is involved? Doing all the research, purchasing, and actual project work will add up. How long will it take for you to do it yourself part time? Are you a patient person? Will you have to forgo some other opportunity?

If it’s going to take you 3 months of weekends and the house in chaos, it might be quicker and cheaper to have a professional do it in a fraction of the time.

On the other hand, if you have the time, can do it right, and will enjoy the work, it may not be work at all. And all the satisfaction of a job well done will be yours.

Do it yourself or hire a contractor: it’s best to consider all the factors before making a decision.

This entry was posted on Monday, February 26th, 2007 at 4:12 pm and is filed under Hiring a Contractor, Home Improvement, DIY. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.