When the winter passes and the weather gets warmer, we start craving some changes. Whether it’s a hairstyle or a colour of the walls in our living room, spring brings the need for something fresh. You may also be thinking about tackling some new DIY projects around the house. Talking about home repairs, you basically have two options – to do or not to do them yourself. As much as the Internet tutorials make these projects easy to handle, sometimes it’s best to hire professional help.
It may seem like a waste of money, but when dealing with electricity, plumbing, removing walls, furnace repair, or waterproofing issues, it is better to play it safe. Here are some of the things that you may want to leave to the professionals.
1. Stay Away from Electrical Work
Even though installing new lighting may seem like a piece of cake, steer clear of any project that involves electricity. Getting shocked is just one of the many things that can go wrong. Even if you know how to turn off the live power, there’s a possibility that you’ll wire something incorrectly.
That can lead to overloading your power draw which can cause popping breakers or sparking outlets. There are many serious consequences of amateurs handling electrical wires. The safety of your family should be imperative. For that reason, everything more complex than changing a light bulb is a job for an electrician.
2. Don’t Fix Your Appliances Yourself
Whether you’ve just bought a new dishwasher and you’re eager to install it ASAP, or you need to move the oven to paint the walls, it’s something that you definitely want to leave to the professionals. No matter how experienced do-it-yourselfer you are, dealing with gas or water is something you don’t want to mess around with.
Having that said, the best solution is to hire some local appliance repair company to do the job. A skilled team of professionals will bring all the necessary tools for the job. They can help you with both the installation and repairs of almost every appliance in your home. If you can stay away from the complexities that these tasks involve, gladly do so.
3. Say No to DIY Roofing
Speaking of risky DIY projects, roofing is definitely on the top of the list. The risk of falling down is just one of the reasons why you should leave this job for professionals. They are far more experienced than you in working on a great height at an awkward angle. Although crucial, it’s not only a matter of safety risks. If you decide to do the roofing yourself, there’s a great chance you’ll end up with loads of unused materials.
Roofing repairs can be expensive, but if you have home insurance that covers the roof, then you should remember that in the event of a storm. Insurance companies can be hesitant to pay out, to put it diplomatically, so if that happens, make sure you have the number of a storm damage attorney at hand. This way you can make sure that the insurance does what it’s supposed to do, and you’re not left paying for all the repairs.
When the job is done, your roof may seem spotless, but will it stay that way when the winds pick up? Your insurance company probably won’t cover the damage, spare yourself the stress and hire professionals to do the job.
4. Moulding is not a DIY Project
As much as it looks like a pure decoration, moulding requires some serious skills. It’s like couture, if it doesn’t fit perfectly, it’s a disaster. In order to reach that goal, you need perfectly straight walls. It may come as a surprise that no walls are like that, not even in new houses. One of the reasons you should leave this to the professionals is because they have the right tools.
What’s more, they have more experience when it comes to finding the right solution to the shape of your walls. They’ll make sure your mouldings are properly aligned and also pay attention to all the necessary details. It may look tempting, but it’s not a job for amateurs.
5. Don’t Do the Demolition Yourself
Home improvements often involve tearing down the walls. Demolishing and rebuilding may seem far from a complicated process. It can even seem like a fun thing to do until you swing the sledgehammer and hit something you shouldn’t like the support wall or electrical wires. Repairing the damage would be more expensive than hiring the contractors.
Money isn’t the only problem. These reparations take time so they will delay the whole rebuilding project. In order to avoid damaging any of the vital parts of your home, it’s best to leave demolition projects to a contractor.
In the sea of YouTube channels and Pinteresting ideas, it’s easy to get carried away with house-repair projects. People in the videos giving step-by-step tutorials make it look ridiculously easy. Decorating your picture frames or repainting the shelves can be a super fun activity for the whole family. However, there are tasks that are too dangerous to handle.
Those usually involve water, gas, and electricity. Hiring professionals may seem like a splurge, but in the long run, it will save you not only time and effort but will also make sure your home is safe. After all, that should be the most important thing on your list of priorities.
About the Author
Patrick Adams is a freelance writer and rock-blues fan. When he is not writing about home improvement, he loves to play chess, watch basketball, and play his guitar. More than anything, he loves to spend his time in his garage, repairing appliances and creating stuff from wood.