Whether it’s a test of personal ability or a cost-cutting exercise, every homeowner will debate the pros and cons of tackling some home improvement projects themselves or whether to bring in the expertise of a professional trades person.
Here, we’re looking at some key considerations to help you make the right call when it comes to pulling off a successful home build or renovation project.
Complexity of the project
The first thing for you to consider when deciding whether to take on a home project yourself is how far your talents actually stretch – and you’ll want to be honest with yourself here.
Hammering up a piece of drywall is probably within most people’s skillset, whereas an electrical rewiring is going to require more experience – as well as potential permissions. It’s not unlikely that as you delve deeper into scoping out the project, more and more tasks come to light, and if these remain within your capabilities, great! But you should be prepared to be honest and accept when jobs are beyond what you can realistically deliver.
The end result will be compromised if you’re not able to effectively carry out the work, but more importantly, you could pose a safety risk if you’re not absolutely certain about what you’re doing.
Special equipment requirements
So, now you know more about what the project will actually entail, you’ll need to think about the equipment required to carry out the work.
This is where costs can really rack up if you need tools that you don’t already own or can’t loan from friends and family not to mention the potential mistakes that can be made if you’re not 100% certain how to operate any specialist machinery.
If your home updates are more surface level aesthetic tweaks like sanding, painting and wallpapering, hiring equipment like a steamer for a couple of days probably won’t set you back too much in terms of budget.
However, if you realize you need the walls plastering before you can get started, this is when you might want to bring in an expert to ensure the job is completed to a high standard and doesn’t affect your ability to paint or paper further down the line.
Budget limitations
Now you’ve actually costed everything out, is doing the job yourself really going to be cheaper than drafting in a professional? This is the time to start looking at how much you’d actually be saving and whether or not you believe the savings to be worth it.
It’s also worth considering how much you could end up shelling out if you carry out the project yourself and it doesn’t go as planned. If you have to bring in a professional to rectify any mistakes, you’re going to end up paying a lot more than you would if you’d hired them in the first place.
If you’re keen to hire someone in, make sure you shop around for quotes rather than taking the word of the first contractor you speak to. People’s rates and skills vary, and so does their availability, so it’s well worth spending time sourcing a professional who fits in with your budget and scheduling needs, rather than settling for the first quote you’re given.
Time constraints
For some people embarking on new builds or renovations, time is a factor because they can’t afford to be living elsewhere while extensive work is carried out – and if you find yourself in this position, you’ll need to think about a couple of things.
Firstly, can an expert carry the work out more efficiently than you’d be able to? If the answer is yes, the next thing you need to consider is their availability. It’s all well and good if the job will only take them 3 days, but if they don’t have 3 days available until 9 months from now, you might have to go back to the drawing board.
If time really isn’t a factor and you’re keen to carry out the work yourself, just be prepared that you might be giving up your evenings and weekends for the foreseeable future to get the work done.
You’ll want to weigh up the pros and cons of cost and convenience – deciding whether you’re happy to spend more to save yourself a job or if you’d prefer to bank the extra money but sacrifice your leisure time.
Efficiency vs satisfaction
While this is at the end of our list, it’s by no means the least important point for you to consider. Granted, the end result might have saved you bags of money, but is it actually what you wanted?
If you know it isn’t going to end up looking the way you expected or wanted, you might want to seriously consider bringing in a contractor. However, this will involve you being honest with yourself about what you’re actually looking for from this project.
Alternatively, if the end result will essentially be the same regardless of who does the job, of course you might as well save some money in the process. In this case, it’s more about going back to point number 1 and deciding whether or not you’re actually able to carry out the work – no matter how basic you deem it to be.
