stub
HomeMoneyHome Improvement Projects That Aren't Worth the Hassle of Doing Yourself

Home Improvement Projects That Aren’t Worth the Hassle of Doing Yourself

Your home is your castle. However, the castle sometimes needs a few updates. A home is also an investment, and your free time is valuable too. There are certain projects where poor work leads to expensive code violations, injuries, and property damage. Don’t waste your time on those.

Here are five home improvement projects where you are better off hiring professionals to handle them from start to finish, and while a loan can help pay for the costs, they are often quite affordable and will pay off tremendously in the long-term.

  1. Roofing – Adventurous homeowners sometimes attempt to fix or even replace an entire roof by themselves. In addition to the obvious risk of injury, a mistake by a novice leads to roof leaks and significant damage. The seriousness of this project means you do not want the work done by fly-by night roofers either. Pick an established company like Champion Home Exteriors that has trained specialists, guarantees the quality of its work, and has a lifetime protection agreement. The peace of mind offered by a well installed roof is worth the cost.
  1. Siding – New siding is also a major improvement, and just like roofing, there are serious consequences for unprofessional work. Shoddy work reduces the curbside appeal (and value) of your home. Improper installation, especially around doors and windows, leads to building water entry and substantial damage. It is best to leave this work to specialists with proven experience.
  1. Electrical – In addition to the risks of injury from fire and electrical shock, there are financial reasons to hand this work off to a professional. All electrical work needs to conform to local codes. Unprofessional work not only leads to violations, but when you go to sell your home, the buyer’s attorney will demand that all electrical work be brought up to code by a licensed professional. Hire a professional the first time around and save yourself time.
  1. Plumbing – If you google “do it yourself disaster,” you find plenty of examples of plumbing projects gone wrong. For major projects like removing an old water softener or installing a new hot water heater, you really want a professional. Valves that are not shut off properly result in water gushing through your home. The cost and time spent cleaning up failed projects quickly eliminates any financial gains.
  1. Tree trimming and tree removal – People sometimes think “hey, I’ll just get rid of the old branches myself.” After all, most homeowners have a ladder and handsaw to accomplish the task. Hold on. If you cut a limb too short or too long, you damage your tree. This activity, like electrical work and roofing, has a serious risk of injury if you make one small mistake. Relying on proven professional tree services is your best bet as they can help you know the cost of tree trimming and the hazards and risk of doing it yourself.

Tree removal is a related area with significant risks. Trees sometimes fall unpredictably. There is a reason why searches for do it yourself tree removal yield images of trees that fell on cars.

This article isn’t meant to dissuade people from trying home repair and improvement projects. Installing a shower head or painting a room on your own does save you money and the risks are low. There are, however, just some instances where it makes sense to hire companies with specialized equipment and expertise. If failure on a project equates with injury and/or economic loss, go with trained professionals that stand by their work.

RELATED ARTICLES

1 COMMENT

  1. All very good points. I also look at anything to do with gas line hookups or repair as one that I’d not touch. I wouldn’t want to do too much with my furnace and end up blowing up my house.

Comments are closed.

Most Popular

Recent Comments