DIY or Don't

Home-improvement projects don't always go as planned. Here's how to figure out when to put down the tools and call in a pro

By Michelle Taute
CTW Features

Image courtesy Moen

Do-it-yourself TV shows can make home improvement seem like magic. A host shows up with a few clever ideas, the owners put in a little sweat equity and a weekend later there's a tantalizing "after" shot. It's seductive enough to make anyone want to start ripping down walls. But in real life not every project goes so smoothly.

"Homeowners can save themselves a lot of aggravation by knowing when they're in over their heads," says Jimmy Rocchetta, vice president of marketing for Handyman Connection. "Be realistic." It's easier said than done, but he recommends thinking about three key factors: time, tools and talent. Do you have enough free time to put up crown molding? Do you have the tools to cut the wood? And the skills to make it all come together?

These are the kinds of questions Adam Wealer might wish he'd spent a little more time pondering. He'd originally planned to hire someone to re-tile the bathroom in his family's Cincinnati home, but a flaky contractor drove him to handle the whole thing himself. It was the biggest DIY project Wealer had ever tried, and he quickly ran into a few snags. The new cement board wouldn't fit, so he called in a brother-in-law who started cutting into the walls with a Sawzall. "That terrified me," he says. "I didn't know you could do that to your house."

It also took longer than expected - spanning over three days where the family had to put up plastic and take baths. And since Wealer didn't have the right tool to cut L-shaped tiles, he tried to make do with a drill bit. It was awkward, and when the project was finally done, the results were a bit awkward, too. The top edge of the tile no longer lines up with bathroom's wall tile, and Wealer dislikes looking at this detail every time he takes a shower. "It isn't something I would ever want to do again," he says. "I think it's worth it to pay someone to do it right the first time."

Many folks DIY to save money, but it's important to consider what happens if things go awry. "In some cases, people charge a lot for the labor," says Brian Hutto, vice president of Home Depot Home Services Programs.

"You'll find that you'll save money even if you do it twice." For other projects a screw-up can ruin more than the item you were trying to improve. If you install a new faucet in a second floor bathroom, and it starts to leak, you could be facing water damage in the walls, floor and ceiling below.

"Plumbing is always, always the biggest damage causer," says Pete Ebner, who owns a Handyman Connection franchise in Lexington, Ky. He believes plumbing and electrical projects are where homeowners get into the most trouble, so unless you have a lot of experience, they're best left to the pros. It's also important to consider safety and permitting issues. Hutto says anyone who isn't an electrician takes a risk doing their own electrical work, and depending on where you live, you might need a permit for something as simple as a new front door.

Even when safety isn't an issue, you may find that your skills just don't produce professional results. Connie Reece experienced this out when she built an exterior gate for her home in Lexington, Kentuy. "It was bad," she says. "Imagine just taking two pieces of plastic lattice work and hanging it onto a frame." That heavy frame, constructed by two-by-fours, proved to be the gate's downfall. It caused the whole thing to sag and drag and eventually pulled one of the posts out of the ground. At that point, Reece called in a pro to construct a functional gate. "It's beautiful," she says. "It looks like the setting sun."

There's also an opportunity cost swinging your own hammer. "Am I really going to be done with this in one Saturday?" Rocchetta says. "I'm not going to give up all the weekends in the month of February to re-tile the bathroom." To figure out a realistic time frame, ask around among handy friends or at the local hardware store. Hutto also says it's a good rule of thumb to add 75 percent to the time you think it's going to take.

If you're new to home improvement, you might want to start with a beginner-friendly project. Rocchetta recommends cosmetic work, such as painting or changing out the knobs on the kitchen cabinets. Even new switch plate covers can perk up a room. And as Hutto points out, you can sign yourself up for a class or workshop to get a taste for the work before making a commitment.

So is that next project a DIY or a don't?

"If you have any doubts in your mind, you probably shouldn't be doing it," Ebner says.

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