DIY Seattle Home Improvement: What to Do Yourself & What to Leave to the Experts
Small home improvement projects are sometimes simple and easy. But often, home improvement is puzzling and overwhelming. If you have a home improvement project that involves a major renovation or construction, you may be wondering whether you should do it all yourself, or hire experts to bring it to completion. Doing it yourself might seem more affordable, but in some cases, hiring experts is necessary to make sure that your home is built, wired, and plumbed to code. And if you don’t know how to do things like plumbing or electrical wiring, chances are you’ll pay something for your mistakes. There are times when it’s cheaper in the long-term to pay more to get things done right!
Knowing what to do yourself and what to leave to the experts can help you develop a realistic timeline for the project’s completion. Major projects such as building an additional room, or gutting and then rebuilding a kitchen will involve several construction professionals as well as some DIY hands-on effort for good results. If you have no previous experience and you aren’t an expert yourself with plumbing or electrical wiring, you’ll want to hire a plumber and an electrician. The construction project will need to be coordinated around when your plumber and electrician can come to your house to do the work, so contact these people early on to schedule time with them so that they can take a look at your project, develop an estimate, and then get to work.
Construction of load-bearing wall, stairs, or anything that will impact the structural integrity of the building you’re working on should be left to the experts. But don’t worry! Even if you call in experts to do plumbing, electrical and major, technical construction-related tasks, there will still be plenty left for you to do. For example, if you’re renovating a kitchen, you can buy pre-made countertops and install them yourself. And you can install your own tile if you have the proper tools to work with the particular type of tile that you choose for your property. Of course, you’ll need to learn about the materials you’re working with and the tried-and-true techniques for installation, but decorative-construction (like building shelves or putting in a new door) are things that almost anyone can do themselves.
It’s important that your home is constructed, wired, and plumbed according to code because otherwise when you go to sell your home and the building inspector looks closely at the details, you could lose potential buyers, and the value of your home could diminish. It’s best to hire experts rather than try to learn how to do these tasks yourself for your own safety as well as to maintain the value of your home! Come on in, or contact us today to learn more.