When Not To Try and DIY! You know the saying about your eyes being bigger than your stomach when you order a giant meal at a restaurant and then only eat a fraction? When it comes to DIY, your eyes can be bigger than your skill. Or your balance. Or your finesse. Paint your room or pull up your carpet or plant some annuals or put together a bookcase. But when it comes to the tough stuff, its best to know when to call for help. Here are seven times you should call a guy instead of DIY. 1. Anything That Involves Water Youre good with a wrench? You know where the water shut off valve is? Youre sure you can take all that plumbing apart and put it back together without any leaks or leftover pieces? Great. But were not so sure, and were calling a guy. We just dont mess around with stuff that could flood the house and/or create a mold situation. Unless its something simple like unclogging a toilet or fixing a drain, messing with plumbing can cause major dilemmas (Just think about an overflowing toilet or unstoppable burst in a pipe...not fun), said Huffington Post. Its always better to ask a plumber before trying to tackle any plumbing issues on your own. 2. Anything That Involves Electricity Weve heard that minor rewiring can be easy. But were just not fans of being electrocuted. So were going to leave that to an expert. You usually dont get a second chance with electricity, said MSN. We couldnt agree more. 3. Hanging Drywall Give it a shot in an easily accessible area. Hanging drywall can actually be quite rewarding. But in a complicated installation area or one that is high up…no thanks. Watching a professional teeter around on those stilts makes the money spent well worth it. We look at it this way: we can pay the drywall pro up front, or pay it at the ER after we attempt to do it ourselves. 4. Demolition As any good HGTV-obsessed design lover will agree, swinging a sledgehammer in a crusty old kitchen or bathroom looks like great fun. But you could also do great damage if your dont know how to go about it. Beyond the risks of asbestos, lead paint dust and other hazardous materials, do you really know whats behind the walls of your home? Gas pipes, water lines and live electrical wires are just a few of the dangers, said MSN. 5. Roof Repair Its tricky work, its dangerous, and its fraught with challenge. Plus, DIY patches on the roof could also end up damaging it even worse, cause a leak, and maybe even void that part of your home warranty. Most roofing companies will come out to give you a free estimate anyway, so no need to risk your safety. For extra protection, call your insurance company if you suspect there is a problem and have them come and check it out. It will cost you nothing. 6. Baseboards and Molding Mitering corners can drive any sane person who didnt nail algebra (and retain everything they learned) to madness. Unless youre confident you can properly calculate the angles and master that whole measure twice, cut once thing, you might want to leave this to the experts. 7. Paving Your Driveway Paving stones can turn a boring driveway into a focal point. And while they look relatively simple to install, the reality is that the measuring and positioning of paving stones can be tremendously time-consuming. (Think of it as a game of Tetris on steroids.) But a team of professionals can cut installation down to a day, depending on your driveway size, said the Huffington Post. With a complicated and/or time-intensive project like this, you just need to admit that youre going to have a meltdown midway through the project and quite possibly flip out and toss the pavers across the lawn. Since youll have to go ahead and hire someone to finish the project once you hit your tipping point anyway, you might as well just go ahead and make the call in the beginning.
Posted on: Mon, 11 Aug 2014 17:49:53 +0000
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