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Did you know that over 13 million people are injured while trying to do home repairs themselves each year? And of those 13 million injuries, 55,000 are fatal, which is a horrifying stat.
That’s why it’s wise to be extremely cautious when going the DIY route on home repairs.
Sure, there are certain things that you can easily do yourself and save money by doing so. But knowing when to call in a professional can prevent you from suffering a serious injury, and can even be more cost-effective in the long run, too.
In this article, we’ll help you decide if you should DIY or not!
Let’s get started.
In This Post:
1. Keeping Everyone Safe
Obviously, more than anything else, you want to keep yourself and everyone around you safe. And with some home repairs, there is a higher risk of danger involved compared to others.
That’s why it’s wise to ask yourself before you do anything to your home, “What’s the worst that could happen if something were to go wrong?”
If the answer involves serious injury to you or someone nearby, it’s probably a good idea to call a professional.
2. Preventing Damage to Your Home
Outside of serious injury to yourself or someone around you, damage to your home is the next worst-case scenario.
Outside of damaging your home, you’ll also most likely have to call in a professional to clean up your mess. And depending on how big of a mess you make, that could end up costing more than if you had just hired a professional in the first place!
You also have to keep any nearby homes in mind. For instance, cutting down a large tree and having it fall the wrong way could lead to a large bill falling in your lap to fix someone else’s home, which is far from ideal.
3. Following the Law
Depending on where you live, there are actually certain laws that prevent you from doing various home repairs yourself.
For instance, when it comes to asbestos, it’s pretty much illegal for you to deal with a large breakout of asbestos yourself anywhere in the U.S.
It’s important to follow the law when going the DIY route on home repairs. Obtain the right permits and follow all your local rules and regulations. Failure to do so could result in a large fine, and again, that’s money you could spend hiring a professional to do the work for you in the first place.
At the very least, it’s a good idea to contact a local contractor and get a price before deciding to go the DIY route. You never know, someone like this general contractor could even surprise you with a price that is around the same amount you’d spending doing a repair yourself!
4. A Good Rule of Thumb
Knowing when to go the DIY route, and when to call a professional, depends on a wide variety of variables. A good rule of thumb to follow is if it’s not cosmetic, let the pros handle it.
Sure, you can probably handle installing a new dishwasher yourself, no problem. But with something more involved like roofing repairs, it’s not worth risking your safety and the integrity of your home.
Home Repairs: DIY or Not?
Well, there you have it! Those are a few things to keep in mind when asking yourself the “should I DIY or not?” question regarding home repairs!
Saving money on home repairs is nice, but it’s not worth risking injury to yourself or someone else in the process. Also, taking care of your home, and the homes around you, should be of concern.
In the long run, you could even end up spending more money going the DIY route if something bad happens. That’s why it’s a good idea to stick strictly to cosmetic repairs when going the DIY route.
Looking for more home improvement tips? Keep scrolling our blog for more like this!