Home improvement jobs – DIY vs professional

When it comes to home improvement, maintenance and repair there are some jobs that should just be left to a professional. No matter how stubborn you are you can’t escape the fact that there are many jobs where you stand to do more harm than good by considering it DIY task.

While there are certainly many tasks that fall under DIY work, sometimes when they get too complex it’s a sign that you need to call a professional. These professionals are fully trained, licenced and equipped to deal with the issues that you can’t.

Let’s take a look at some home improvement jobs and when it’s appropriate to call a professional.

Walls

If you’re able bodied and have a stepladder you can take care of most wall painting and patching jobs yourself. Proper preparation is important here, so make sure you have taped off baseboards, door frames and windows so that they don’t get covered in paint.

You should hire a professional when your walls have experienced major water or structural damage. Sometimes a wall may need to be demolished and replaced, which is a two person job for professionals.

Floors

You can clean floors and repair small damages in them easily on your own. Vinyl seams can be repaired with adhesive and a brick and brown crayon can be used over scratched in wood floors.

A professional should be contacted to install and polish hardwood flooring. This work is quite tedious and can be very messy, so it’s best left to the pros.

Windows

Washing windows and repairing sills, treating rot spots and replacing glass panes are all things that you can do on your own. You should call a professional when replacing entire window frames.

Electricity

Replacing outlet covers and switch plates as well as replacing energy inefficient lightbulbs can all be easily done by a DIY’er. Professionals should be used for any job where there is direct contact with electricity as it can be highly dangerous from someone who isn’t qualified.

Plumbing

Small tasks like replacing a toilet flapper, upgrading a showerhead and unclogging a drain of hair can all be done by you. More complex jobs involving pipage should be left to a professional plumber to take care of.

Masonry

Replacing old mortar is something that can be done by anyone who does a cursory amount of research into how it’s done. New stoneworks that involve bricklaying would be better done by a professional who can ensure its structural integrity.