DIY or Expert House Call : How to Tell When Your Project Needs a Professional
Doing home improvements yourself can be empowering, cost effective, and very rewarding. If you’re going to take on a DIY project, keep safety in mind at all times and consult a professional for projects large and small. Even if you decide to do the project yourself, a free estimate never hurts, and a professional may be able to give you tips on how to get the job done. In any case, aesthetic DIYs are generally okay for armature DIYers but be sure to leave the real work to professionals.
The most professional of tradesmen will tell you about a time a project took a turn for the worst, and injuries ensued. Even a self proclaimed master home improvement specialist is bound to be nicked or punctured at some point when working with sharp objects.
Any home improvement project that includes a task that would be taught in trade school, should generally be left to tradesmen of that field. Home DIY projects are more popular than ever and for safety’s sake, it’s important to know what you can and shouldn’t do on your own. Electrical, plumbing, gas line or roofing projects, and those that involve dangerous substances like asbestos, lead paint and mold, should not be done by inexperienced homeowners. Common household chemicals like ammonia, bleach, pesticides, and herbicides all contain toxic substances that can poison children, adults, and pets. According to the National Safety Council, poisoning accounts for 2.2 percent of injury-related emergency department visits, and poisoning, depending on the substance and amount consumed, can be fatal. It’s best to consult with and hire skilled, professional contractors to reduce potential risks to you or members of your household for the proper removal of hazardous substances and to manage potentially dangerous projects, small or large.
Costly DIY home improvement mistakes are most common with armature demolitions, you want to create a more open space and wham! You burst a water line or tear through some live wires and now you and your wallet are in for a world of hurt that all could have been avoided with the simple consultation of a professional. If you’re determined to do the demolition on your DIY, reference your home drawings to find where live wire, studs, and pipes are prior to breaking ground.