We have some big and small projects that need to be done around the house. When should we hire a contractor, and when should we do it ourselves?
A lot of people look at what contractors do and say, “what’s so hard about that?” To some extent, they are right – but depending on how much time you have to get the project done, and how experienced you are, home projects can get away from you in a hurry. Ask yourself these important questions to save your marriage, sanity, and home value.
-Have I ever done this before? It sounds like an easy enough question, but too many people fool themselves into thinking that just because they successfully caulked their bathtub last summer, they’re ready to lead a full scale bathroom tear out and re-build. Maybe they can, maybe they can’t.
There are 5 components to the conventional building process. Structural(foundation/framing), Skin (roof/siding), PME (Plumbing, Mechanical, Electrical), Trim (windows/doors/moldings), and Finishes (flooring, paint, etc.). A good rule of thumb is to ask yourself if you consider yourself competent in 2 of these areas. If so, you have a good chance of figuring out the things you don’t understand as much as the others.
-Do I have the tools to complete this project? Yes you can rent almost any tool you need or just go buy new ones. This is still a good question to ask yourself, because if you own the tool, you have probably used it before, and if you have used it before, you are probably comfortable with it in your hands. That’s important.
-If I do this improperly, what are the consequences? Different projects have different ramifications if you mess them up. That tile backsplash that you want to put in your kitchen? Do that wrong and the worst case scenario is that you either have to live with shoddy work, or you tear it out and have a pro come take care of it. No big deal.
Now if you mess up adding that second floor tile shower you had no business tackling in the first place, the stakes are significantly raised.
-Do I have the time to complete this project? My company does a lot of handyman work. We are located on the North Carolina coast. We have a great climate, lots of beaches, and all kinds of things to do when you aren’t working. Many of our clients can handle some of these smaller jobs, but they would much rather be in their boat headed down the Intracoastal Waterway.
Ask yourself, “if this project takes twice as long as I plan, am I going to make myself and everyone around me nuts?” If the answer is yes, call the guys in the big white trucks.
-Do I enjoy this kind of work? At the end of the day, this is the most important question to ask. No matter how experienced you are, or how much time you give yourself, there are always going to be problems. If you can see yourself being over budget, behind schedule, covered in sweat and no idea how you are going to finish – but with a smile on your face – I say grab that tool belt and get to work!
