Once you spot any signs of damage inside your home, the first thing you need to do is to repair them immediately. This is to help resolve the problem and prevent it from getting worse. However, as you look for solutions to fix the damages, you might stumble upon two choices: to DIY or hire a professional.
Trying to DIY or hiring a professional can bring plenty of pros and cons to the table. But at the end of the day, the choice will still be up to you. As you balance the pros and cons, you can further decide which would be a better solution.
If it’s something easy like a fence repair and installation or something more challenging, like handling your sewers, you should decide which would be best for your home. The last thing you’d want to do is make the situation worse.
Pros Of DIY Home Repair
DIY home repair can, of course, bring plenty of advantages to your home. There’s a good reason why most homeowners are leaning toward this option. To help motivate you further, below are some pros of DIY home repair:
Saves You Money
Of course, one of the benefits you could get from DIY home repair is the amount of money you could save. Since you won’t hire professionals, you no longer have to pay for their skilled work, as you can do everything independently. This would be a great solution if you’re on a budget and have the essential tools. Depending on what part of your home you need to prepare, purchasing the supplies should be affordable.
Helps You Learn New Skills
If you’re the type of person who continuously likes to learn new things or you’re just a true handyman, then DIY would be the best choice for you. With this track, you’ll try to fix everything yourself, allowing you to learn new skills. With your new skills, you can bid your goodbyes to hire professional workers as you can do everything independently. Moreover, you can also help your friends and neighbors fix their house issues and be the day’s hero.
Can Help Give You Part-Time Work
Along with learning a new skill, DIY allows you to have a part-time job if you want to. Since you’ll be learning a new skill, you can use this to give yourself another income generator, which will be great for your pockets. With your skills, you might just find someone who is willing to pay you for your service. You can choose to acquire a license or just do it on the side, as you’ll only be handling minor repair work.
You Have Full Control
Since you’ll be going with DIY house repair, expect yourself to have full control of what you want to have inside your home. Yes, a professional will follow your instructions regarding how you want your house to look. But doing DIY eliminates this process, as this could lead to miscommunication. With a DIY home repair, you’ll have full control of what you want to do and guarantee you’ll get the actual result. This’ll avoid having someone contradict your opinions and be in charge of what you want to happen.
Encourages Family Time
Depending on what kind of home repair you’re planning to have, it’ll be a great idea if you could involve your kids in the repair process as well. This’ll help encourage family time while also helping them learn a new skill they can use in the future. However, ensure that you only allow them to participate if the work is safe for them to work with. Never expose your children to harmful environments which might pose health concerns, such as water heater pilot light, electricity, or serious plumbing cases.
Cons Of DIY Home Repair
While there are plenty of advantages that DIY home repair can bring to the table, some drawbacks also come with it. Knowing those will help you understand if DIY would still be a workable option for your home.
Might Involve Safety Hazards
Since you’re not a professional in home repair, you might involve yourself in safety hazards which can harm you, your family, and your home. If you’re working on a risky project, such as those related to electricity, plumbing, roof, or your home’s foundation, doing DIY might be risky as you can catch yourself in an accident or even harm the people around you. If you’re uncomfortable with this, you should consider if DIY would be the best approach for your home repair project.
Might Develop into A Bigger Problem
Since you’re not too familiar with what you should do with your home repair project, there might be instances wherein your project might develop into a bigger problem. Even with thorough research, there might be instances wherein your home can carry a unique situation you haven’t prepared for before your repair process. Moreover, what you’ve accomplished might only be a band-aid solution as the problem’s main root is still deep inside. Unless your home repair is quick and easy, then DIY home repair might put your home at risk.
It Will Take Up Your Time
A DIY home repair can take quite a while to finish. Since you’re still learning about the things you need to do to accomplish a successful DIY project, expect yourself to spend plenty of time researching and watching videos online. You might also take much longer than usual as you try to be extra careful with every step to avoid causing further damage. If this is something you’re comfortable with, as you have the entire weekend all for yourself, then DIY would be a workable solution.
It May Be More Expensive
If you don’t have the right tools to complete your home repair project, you might spend more than you initially planned. Moreover, if you’ve committed mistakes during your repair process, you might need to spend more to purchase extra materials or even finally call for a professional to fix the bigger problem for you. But if you’re willing to learn a new skill or you’re confident that you can make things right instantly, then this is something worth trying.
Could Result in Poor Quality Work
A professional is guaranteed to provide high-quality results to their clients. However, since you’re not a professional, you can’t expect yourself to achieve amazing effects on your first try. Of course, there’s plenty of room for improvement, along with not having a full grasp of the proper techniques to make things right. Unfortunately, DIY might result in poor-quality work, especially if you haven’t gone through extensive research.
Pros Of Professional Home Repair
Hiring a professional home repair service is a great choice for a good reason. With the number of benefits that they can offer, you’ll surely lean towards this option for your home repair. With that, listed below are some advantages of hiring them:
Quality Work
One of the biggest benefits that a professional can provide for your home is that they can provide you with quality work. Since they’re experts in their field, they know exactly what the things they need to do and avoid to achieve quality work. Moreover, with them, you can ensure they’ll get the job right from their first try. Since the professionals know what they’re doing, they’re no longer experimenting with the methods as they know what’ll be most effective for your home.
Ensures Maximum Safety
Hiring a professional will be your best choice if you want maximum safety. With them, they can ensure that they’ll make their entire job clean and safe for everyone inside your home. They know what could happen with a single move and will do everything to prevent that from happening. Moreover, they also carry insurance with them to cover any damage in case of accidents. This leaves you worry-free as you won’t be dealing with a costly fee as their insurance will cover everything.
Has the Right Tools
A professional carries high-quality tools to get the job done faster and more accurately. Since they’ve been working in the field for years, they already know what tools can provide the best service that’s beneficial for them and the home they’re working on. With their top-grade tools and materials, you can guarantee quality results for your home.
Years of Experience
In most cases, a professional already has plenty of experience working in the field. Those numbers determine how familiar they are in the field as they’ve experienced various instances that can affect their work quality. It could be plenty of underlying issues or some complicated spaces that are difficult for them to work in. With their years of expertise, they can guarantee to provide quality work as they know exactly what to do in your home’s situation.
Provides Convenience
Another amazing benefit most homeowners love about hiring a professional is the convenience they can provide. Since you’re hiring someone to do all the work for you, you no longer have to worry about spending time doing research and getting your hands dirty as you try to resolve the problems on your own. With their help, all you need to do is to give them a quick call and let them worry about everything for you.
Cons Of Professional Home Repair
While there are plenty of benefits that a professional can deliver, there are some drawbacks that you need to account for as well. Knowing them will help you further decide if they’ll be your best choice. Furthermore, below are some disadvantages of hiring a professional for home repair:
Price
One of the biggest cons you’ll have to encounter with hiring a professional is its price. Since they’re experts and carry insurance, you can expect to pay quite a hefty price for their service. But with the advantages they’ll bring to your home, you can guarantee that every penny you spend will be worth it. If you have an extra budget and would like to ensure quality work, then hiring a professional would be the best choice.
Doesn’t Have Same Level of Skills
Unfortunately, even if one claims to be a professional, this doesn’t automatically guarantee they’ll deliver the same level of skills and output for your home. While one can provide average results, a different professional can have an outstanding outcome for your property. To ensure that you’re hiring the best person for your home, you should check their portfolios and reviews to see if they can finish the job in the best way possible.
When To DIY Or Hire A Professional
As you learn the pros and cons of DIY and hiring a professional, you should also know when to do them for your home. Surprisingly, there are some tasks that you can do yourself, while others require professional intervention. This will ensure that everything will be safe while not forcing you to spend plenty of money on things you can do.
Home Repairs You Can DIY
Basically, the home repairs you can DIY are the things that are quick and easy and don’t require intensive skills or tools for you to perform. Below are some lists you can do for your home DIY project:
- Squeaky doors
- Replacing broken light bulbs
- Attaching weatherstrips
- Unclog drains
- Loose handles
- Fix wallpaper seam
- Wobbly table
- Replacing doors
- Resealing the deck
- Replace drawer slides
- Fill in holes on the wall
With the number of things that you can DIY, it’ll surely be a fun project you can accomplish independently. Just ensure that you use the right materials and practice proper safety precautions to provide a quality output.
Home Repairs Where You Need A Professional
Even if you’d like to get thrifty or learn a new skill, some house repairs demand professional intervention. Not because this is something you can’t do but something that you mustn’t do. Since you don’t have expertise in this field, it’s best to leave this to the professionals to guarantee a safe and quality result. Moreover, listed below are the things you should call for a professional:
- Replacing a light fixture
- Repairing a sticky window
- Broken glass
- Power supply
- Roof repair
- Gas appliance repair
- Replacing windows
- Reoccurring plumbing issues
- Flooding
- Breaking down of walls
- Structural rebuild, especially at the basement
If your home deals with an intensive house repair, you need to call for a professional immediately. If you’re trying to save money, DIY might not be the best solution, as it could lead to a bigger problem. To put your worries away and ensure a quality output, then hiring a professional should be your best choice.
Takeaway
Depending on what kind of home repairs you need to deal with, you must assess the situation if the event calls for a DIY or hiring a professional. Moreover, learning the pros and cons of each option help to give you an idea of whether it’ll be the best choice for your situation or whether you should lean towards a different path. At the end of the day, you need to make a decision that’ll lead to the betterment of your home.
