When to DIY and When to Hire a Pro
Posted on Wednesday, May 15 2019
With the advent of Social Media, we often focus on wanting our lives to be Pinterest perfect or Instagram worthy. Our homes and home projects are no different. Sometimes the quest for home project perfection can cause more headaches than heart emojis, however. Read on for tips on how to know if your home project is DIY doable or if you should dial up a pro.
- What is your experience level? Certain home improvement or home décor projects take very little additional skills or effort. Those ventures are perfect for novices or those not completely comfortable with large projects. If the project takes specialized expertise or could result in serious damage to the property if there is a mistake, such as plumbing or electrical work, it may be best to bring in the pros.
- How much is your time worth? Even if you do have the skills and knowledge to complete a project it still may not be worth your time to DIY it. Look at the overall scope of the project as well as the timeline to evaluate how many hours you will need to commit to the job. Then look at what your time is worth, either monetarily or mentally, before embarking on the project.
- Do you need to purchase additional supplies? Again, you may have the skills to complete a project, but would you need additional tools? Are these tools so specialized that you would never use them again? Make sure you factor in the cost of the equipment needed to complete the job before blowing off hiring a professional who already has everything they need.
- Does the project require a strict timeline? Is this a project you can do over an extended period of time or once you start are you needing to focus only on that until it is completed? If you have additional responsibilities it may be difficult, or frustrating, to try and pull yourself away from other aspects of your life to continue to work on a project. If you have a little more flexibility with the time table, it could be easier to enjoy the DIY process.
- Will this add or remove stress from your life? Typically, it is a race to fit everything we want to do into 24 hours. If you are already stretched thin time wise taking on a large scale project yourself could add to your stress level. On the other hand, if what you are attempting will relax you and give you a little peace, it could be worth the commitment.
The experts at Cambria® Mortgage™ are always available to provide guidance and answer questions about home ownership. For more information, visit CambriaMortgage.com or call 952-942-0110.