the cityhammer blog

There was a time when DIY was a rage because it was the in thing to be able to remodel your home yourself – you not only saved yourself some money, you also had your DIY stories (both the good and the not-so-good experiences) to use as ice-breakers at a party. Today however, if you’re going to DIY, it’s more because you’re trying to save every penny you can because the economy is not really back to normal. However, you must remember that your endeavour to save money could end up boomeranging on you and you may have to spend much more trying to repair and redo botched up jobs.

I’m not questioning your DIY abilities; it’s just that there are some jobs that are just not advisable without a handyman, unless you’re a regular DIY guy who has home improvement experience under his/her belt. So before you put on your comfy overalls and pull out the stepladder, check out these home improvement/remodelling tasks that require you to call a handyman:

· Plumbing: It’s not really a dangerous job, but unless you’re familiar with your home’s plumbing network and have done plumbing jobs before, it’s best not to tackle this one on your own. You may have access to DIY information on how to unclog drains, replace your toilets, faucets, sinks, showerheads and basins in your bathroom, drain your home’s plumbing system, increase/decrease pressure to your pipes, repair leaky faucets and toilet flushes, and perform a hundred other plumbing tasks, but that is certainly no reason to be foolhardy and attempt to do these tasks yourself. You may end up flooding your home and ruining your possessions in the process if you’re not sure of what you’re doing, so call a handyman and get the job done easily and efficiently.

· Electricity: Now this a dangerous task because you could end up electrocuting yourself or other people if you’re careless. It’s easy to change a bulb, but when it comes to more complicated tasks like replacing plugs and cords, understanding service panels, testing and replacing switches, troubleshooting fuses, and bending and connecting conduits, you’re better off calling in qualified personnel to do the job.

· Flooring: While some forms of flooring are easy to redo or renovate, others require a professional touch. While linoleum floors and hardwood floors that are going to be carpeted are pretty much DIY choices, parquet and other complicated options require a handyman to be present. The professionals in the business prevent you from making a mess of things and having to redo your improvements from scratch and incurring additional costs in the process.
Even if you cannot afford the services of professionals for the above tasks, talk to qualified people before you DIY, or seek the help of friends and family members who have gone down the DIY road before and tasted success.

By-line:
This guest post is contributed by Nicole Adams, she writes on the topic of construction management degrees . She welcomes your comments at her email id: nicole.adams83@gmail.com .