Everybody wants a nice home. And those of us who already own properties continually think of ways to improve them to make them even nicer and add greater value to them just in case, you know, you decide to sell it in a few years.
A lot of folks take on the task themselves to save some money. They do the more manageable things such as painting the exterior and interior of their homes.
As much as we want to save money on home improvements, there are just some things that are better left in the hands of a professional. Don’t cheap out on these things because you might end up spending more on repairs than if you hired home contractors at the onset.
10 Home Improvement Projects You Should Let the Pros Handle
1. Custom DIY projects
A lot of homeowners do DIY because they think that aesthetics are the main issue that needs to be addressed. However, since most DIY-ers focus only on how the room or object appears, they fail to take into consideration the technical aspects of remodelings and repairs, unlike professionals who are trained to do just that.
2. Dismantling and reassembling malfunctioning sink pipes
As mentioned above, homeowners who prefer to DIY things just to save money can miss some important things in the process. For instance, if the water isn’t flowing well in your sink, then perhaps the problem is the pipe but it takes more than just a wrench and a bucket to fix it because pipeworks are quite complex.
3. Painting kitchen cabinets
What most folks don’t know is it’s a lot trickier compared to painting a dresser or door. In most cases, kitchen cabs have grease build-up that most amateur painters and DIY-ers fail to consider. For best results, they need to be properly prepped for painting and professional painters know how to do things right.
4. New lighting installations
Some lighting installations seem pretty easy, so why call for an electrician, right? Sure, if it’s just replacing a few bulbs around the house. But if you want to have new lighting systems installed around the house, unless you’re a certified electrician, it is best to get somebody in who really knows what he’s doing. A lot can go wrong if you decide to do it and mess up.
It goes without saying that working with electricity can be dangerous.
5. Dishwasher installation
Getting a new dishwasher is awesome. However, not every purchase comes with free installation. For this reason, most folks try to do it on their own but end up frustrated with the complexity of the installation process. Save yourself from unnecessary headaches and just hire a pro to get it done for you. The extra cost will be well worth it, especially when you see what good a job it is that they did.
6. Fixing low water pressure
Much like working on a busted pipe underneath the sink, low water pressure is not as easy to fix as you would like to think. Even if you think you’re pretty handy with a wrench, we recommend you call in a plumber who knows how to fix it other than cleaning out the gunk in the pipeline.
7. Wall removals
Folks who want to remove certain walls around the house do so because they want to create more room to move around in and make the area look bigger. However, it is advised that you don’t take down walls all by yourself because you’ll never know if that particular wall you’re going to remove is load-bearing or not. If you don’t want your house to cave in, you better call in a contractor to consult with.
8. Roof work
If you noticed a leak in your ceiling, have seen some bad water stains, or have had some shingles removed from your roof, you might think you can handle it. These seem simple enough to do by yourself, right? However, band-aid solutions can only make things worse. Yes, the band-aid solution is you. Amateur workmanship can shorten the lifespan of roofs.
9. Waterproofing
There have been plenty of times where homeowners attempted to waterproof their homes only to abandon it midway because they didn’t expect the work to be hard, leaving an unfinished and untreated hole that only takes in more moisture and sometimes results in a cave-in.
10. Demolition jobs
Just no. Don’t even think about it. Call the big boys for this. You don’t want to be the cause of a building’s collapse or a fire or an accident. Just don’t.
Home improvements are done to add value to your home and make it better. Unless you are a highly skilled handyman, you should leave the above-mentioned stuff to the pros. Know your limits and let the others take over where your skills can’t guarantee the best results.