You’ve been watching HGTV for weeks, you’ve chatted up your second cousin who built an entire barn last summer, and now you’re ready to replace your bathroom faucet and remodel your kitchen … all on your own. Or are you? It all looked so simple when you watched the full bathroom renovation YouTube videos while munching on holiday cookies, but now as you stand with a flathead screwdriver in one hand and a hammer in the other staring in fear as your floors are filling with water after hitting a pipe you had no idea existed, you reach for your cell phone and search “bathroom remodel in Clearwater.”
A key rule of thumb to live by is if the task requires electrical, plumbing, or HVAC work, leave it up to the specialty professionals. Studyfinds.org reports that a whopping 57 percent of home DIY-ers wish they could go back in time to hire a professional before unnecessarily demolishing their tile floors. So is it time for you to slip on your durable home improvement gloves? Or should you put down the hammer and call for aid?
How do you repair luxury items?
Replacing light fixtures and accidentally cracking a lightbulb that you can replace for $6 is one thing, but what about when your puppy thinks your vintage Rolex is a chew toy and gnaws through the leather strap? This repair calls for an impeccable hand dedicated solely to extending the life of high-end items. For an in-depth history of the most coveted watches, dive through the Rolex Milgauss history guide. A classy timepiece has a value that only appreciates over time and will assuredly increase your quality of life, and it will look great on a jewelry shelf. You can find a great new Milgauss watch and other popular watches including more Rolex models at the Watchbox if you decide to replace your watch entirely.
When should you call a professional?
There’s a special elevated feeling you get when you have the ultimate peace of mind that a true professional is crafting your project with perfect workmanship. Your father may have been able to replace your childhood bathtub with a new shower easy breezy, but there comes a time and a place for the necessity of product warranties. In instances where a permit is needed, it’s important to know your city regulations in relation to projects. It is of the utmost importance to hire an insured technician for really big projects, as structural damage can turn a small project into an entire repair with costs that end up tripling your initial DIY budget.
So you vowed to do it yourself, but are you having fun?
You maybe thought taking on a new project would give you a jolt of inspiration and you’d easily become Bob the Builder, but learning the fine line between developing a new skill and potentially destroying your kitchen sink is a distinction that’s imperative to grasp. It may just be time to reach out to your local insured general contractor for a free consultation before you come to fully regret the state of your kitchen two weeks before you host Thanksgiving dinner. Is a new renovation worth you losing your sanity just before your in-laws come into town? This year, you can focus on impressing your brother-in-law by subtly flashing your new Rolex Watch as you pour him more wine.
Remember that all DIY projects have a little wiggle room for things to go wrong, and they all take time. Decide ahead of time if the luxury bath is worth the headache or if you’re simply better off having a helping hand rather than sitting on the garage floor at 2 A.M. begging your roommate to help you rebuild the door you accidentally smashed out of frustration. As you decide whether or not to take on a new challenge, have a chuckle with the funniest DIY fails.
