What to Know Before Doing DIY Home Repairs
At some point, most of us have considered doing a home repair job on our own to save a few bucks. Anyone who has followed through on this thought has quickly learned that DIY home repairs are often more work than expected. At the same time, completing a home repair on your own can indeed save you money and provide you with an incomparable sense of accomplishment.
If you’ve been thinking about doing DIY home repairs, then we’d like to pass on some tips and tricks we’ve learned in our time helping homeowners take care of their properties. We’ll cover some of the common mistakes people make when doing home repairs themselves and provide you with some useful tips that can help you accomplish your DIY tasks with fewer difficulties:
No Two Jobs are Alike
It may seem obvious, but no two home repair jobs are identical. Even those that are quite literally the same task can differ depending on factors like the age of the home and location of the repair. When preparing for a home repair job, you should try to anticipate all of these factors in order to be adequately prepared for the task at hand.
Additionally, if this isn’t your first DIY home repair rodeo, you shouldn’t let that give you undue confidence. What was a simple job in your previous home can quickly spin out of control if you’re not willing to adjust your strategies based on the realities of your current home.
In short, always take the time to fully prepare for any job before you actually get started. This preparation period also gives you the opportunity to pull the plug on doing it yourself if it turns out to be beyond your capabilities.
Compare the Cost of Hiring Someone to the Cost of Necessary Tools
One of the most important things you can do when attempting DIY home repairs is to make the right decision before you unnecessarily commit to actually doing it yourself. Just about every job requires tools, and sometimes those tools cost a lot of money.
Now, you may have some tools already at your disposal. But if you need to buy a lot of tools to complete a task, it’s worth it to explore how much those tools will cost you. You might find the cost of tools to be worth it if you expect to make that same repair multiple times while you own the home. But in many cases, the overall cost of tools can exceed what it would cost to hire someone to complete the job for you.
Of course, there’s more to consider than just the cost of tools; there’s also a learning curve required. If you’re going to have to pick up several new skills to accomplish a particular repair, the amount of time and stress it takes may be substantial. To avoid that, you might be better off simply hiring a handyman or contractor.
Don’t Skip Safety Tips
If there’s any single tip in this article that you cling to, make it this one. Chances are that you’re not a professional contractor or handyman, so you probably aren’t familiar with all the safety best practices that professionals use.
When you begin a project, please make sure that you thoroughly review the safety procedures for the job at hand, as well as the tools you’ll be using. Home repair and improvement tasks are capable of causing severe injury or even death if carried out improperly.
During the task isn’t the only time that you can hurt yourself or someone else. An improperly done repair can, in extreme cases, lead to structural issues in your home, electrical problems or other issues. If you fail to do a job properly, you run the risk of injuring yourself or others down the line.
Know the Limits of Your Expertise
No one knows everything. If you’re looking into a home repair task and find yourself overwhelmed by tools, techniques and procedures, it’s better to admit that you’ve found a limit.
Home repair specialists like handymen and contractors have years of experience that can help them complete a repair task more effectively than you likely can on your own. And remember that overestimating your abilities can lead to not only unnecessary stress, but also unexpected risk if you do the repair improperly.
When in Doubt, Hire a Professional
There’s nothing wrong with not doing a home repair yourself. There are plenty of great reasons to hire a professional handyman or contractor to help you tackle a repair that is beyond your expertise. In particular, we strongly recommend hiring professionals for jobs that involve intensive plumbing, electrical work or anything that could impact the structural integrity of your home.
If you have a home warranty through American Home Protect, that’s an even better reason to take advantage of handyman services. We offer all of our customers access to affordable handyman services through Porch Group that you can use whenever you’d like!
DIY Home Repair FAQs
What's the best way to prepare for home maintenance and repairs?
The best way to prepare for home maintenance and repair is to fully investigate the type of repair you need to carry out. Once you’ve familiarized yourself with how to carry out that repair, the materials needed and the time it takes, you can make an informed decision as to whether or not you should be doing the particular repair on your own.
How do you do a simple repair at home?
How to do a simple repair at home depends on what you are trying to repair. In the simplest terms, you can do a home repair by purchasing the proper tools and hardware, then following a guide from a handyman or other reputable source to complete the repair.
Why is it important to know how to do simple home repairs?
Knowing how to do a variety of simple home repairs is an incredibly useful skill. Not only can home repair skills save you money, but they can also help you address simple emergency repairs during hours when it might be hard to get in touch with a professional.
How can I not stress about home repairs?
Home repairs can be extremely stressful, especially if they are large repairs. One great way to avoid stress about repairing and maintaining your home is to have a home warranty service. Some home warranty plans provide access to handyman services that can reduce both the cost and time investment of many home repairs.
Access Affordable Home Repairs with Our Premier Home Warranty
If you’ve come across a DIY home repair job that you don’t think you can DIY, it might be time to call for help. Fortunately, all of our customers can take advantage of affordable handyman services that can help with simple home repairs and improvements.
Interested in using these handyman services for yourself? Get a free quote today to see how our handyman services, and countless other benefits, can help reduce your stress and make home repairs, appliance replacements and home system fixes more affordable and stress free.