Television and social media make home improvement look so easy. Inspired by Pinterest posts and motivated by the idea of saving money, no wonder why homeowners nowadays are seriously considering DIY projects.
While there’s nothing wrong with rolling up your sleeves to do the work, bear in mind that not all projects result in Instagram-worthy makeovers. Some of them are simply a waste of time, money, and energy. Worse, they lead to injuries and costly damages. And this isn’t because you’re such a failure when it comes to DIY. It’s just that these tasks can and should only be done by the pros.
Knocking Walls Out
Open floor designers say that to maximize your home’s space, the first thing you need to do is to get rid of the walls. Gone are the golden days of compartmentalized rooms. The 1980’s have long past, anyway.
So as you flip through home magazines and watch HGTV, you drool over the featured lovely, open-plan living rooms and kitchens. Suddenly, you despise the walls and hallways of your home. But before you swing a sledgehammer, know that knocking walls out can come with severe and dangerous consequences. Remove a load-bearing wall the wrong way, and you might find yourself in a house with a collapsed ceiling.
Electrical Work
Faulty electricity leads to 400 deaths a year. This shocking statistic from the Electrical Safety Foundation should be enough to make you steer clear of electrical repairs.
If, however, electrocution isn’t one of your concerns, maybe the risk of burning your own house down is. Unlike electrical shock, which is immediate, a fire due to wiring issues doesn’t usually occur until after a considerable period. This means that faulty wiring from DIY projects can go undetected for months, even years. You might assume that you’ve done an excellent job taking things on your own until a fire occurs. Take note: a power surge is enough to ignite a house with messed up electrical work.
Driveway Sealing and Paving
Your driveway will need resurfacing over time. After watching YouTube videos on sealing and paving, you feel you can do the work yourself, but hold your horses. Asphalt maintenance in Salt Lake City is best left to the professionals who have the skills and equipment to get the job done right the first time.
While turning to experts might seem an expensive move, doing so will save you money in the long run. If done wrong, asphalt work can result in more pavement defects and failures.
Pipe and Plumbing
When the situation calls for it, you confidently fix a leaky faucet and unclog the drain. Knowing basic plumbing is part of being a homeowner, after all. However, you might want to limit yourself to these occasional and simple fixes, and let experienced plumbers tackle the complex ones, like frozen pipes and fitting replacement. These jobs don’t offer much room for trial-and-error. It only takes one wrong move to create a splash park inside your house.
Sure, there are home improvement tasks you can do on your own and finish with flying others. There are some projects, however, that only professionals should take on. Demolition, asphalt maintenance, electrical work, and plumbing works are only a few.
