6 DIY Projects You Should Never Do Yourself

By
Rosie Amodio

sturti/iStock

Whether you’re addicted to watching HGTV or “This Old House,” home improvement shows always make everything look so easy. But before you pick up the drill and sledgehammer, please pause for this public service announcement. “Those TV shows don’t show about 90% of what happens to complete a project,” says Arthur Sadura, owner of T&A Carpentry and Home Renovations.

As contractors know all too well, home improvement shows are more about people than projects; in their pursuit of drama and a compelling narrative, they bypass a whole lot of details about how repairs and renovations actually get done.

So for inspiration, TV or YouTube is a fine start. But beyond that, a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing. Certain jobs are too dangerous, others too complicated, and some too pricey as the equipment will cost as much as hiring a contractor.

“If you don’t know/own 90% of the tools and accessories you need for a project, then pro it,” recommends MyFixItUPLife‘s Mark Clement.

To help you avoid a ton of headaches or worse, here are six DIY projects to avoid like a misfiring nail gun.

Molding

How many inspiring episodes have you seen where a quick addition of crown molding classes up a room? But heed a word of caution here: “No walls in a house are perfectly straight, not even in new houses,” says Sadura. And no amount of caulk will smooth over these imperfections, either. In fact, Sadura says experts who do molding use various techniques such as scribing, which is painstakingly shaping your material with tools so it fits flush, to ensure your moldings are aligned and stay that way. All in all, it’s not for the amateur DIYer. 

Floor refinishing

Renting equipment to refinish your hardwood floors sounds reasonable enough at first glance—after all, you’re just sanding off the top layer of wood. How hard can it be? Yet Sadura, a carpenter by trade, won’t even sand his own floors. Why? Because sanding machines require what he calls, “the right touch” by someone who does this day in and day out.

“No matter how many times you watch the video, you won’t get the feel for the machine unless you do it a bunch.” Sanding one spot a few seconds too long could result in drum marks on the floor that will be extremely difficult to cover up. And you thought you were saving money…

Electrical work

My spouse is actually quite handy. After watching electricians install dimmer switches in our old apartment, he was able to do it in subsequent homes—but it turns out he was lucky he didn’t blow up the place or electrocute himself. Sadura urges homeowners to steer clear of all electric except changing a light bulb.

“You shouldn’t fool around with electric,” says Sadura. If you do want to DIY a dimmer switch, “YouTube is a good source of electrical tutorials,” he admits. “But a good rule of thumb is if your wires look different from what you are watching, abandon the project to avoid having to guess.”

With more than 400 deaths per year resulting from faulty electricity, according to the Electrical Safety Foundation, this isn’t worth the risk.

Tiling

This one is not an absolute don’t, but a great-looking tile job does require a lot more planning than just slapping squares on the floor or wall, then admiring your work. Even if you lay out the tile, measure and measure again, you will need to cut edges and around things such as faucets—and prepare to scale a steep learning curve cutting tile. Glass mosaic tiles are among the toughest to cut. You’re probably thinking, I’ll get big tiles so there are fewer to install. Not so fast: Large format tiles are even harder to cut than tiny glass mosaic ones, according to Sadura, and there’s lots of waste. Which is why it pays to save yourself the trouble and hire a professional already.

Roofing

Both Clement and Sadura agree: Steer clear of the roof. Did you get that?

“It’s not that roofing is too hard,” explains Clement. “Often it’s just a matter of scale.” And something else: danger. In fact, Sadura goes further, recommending that regular folk avoid any exterior projects that involve scaffolding “for obvious reasons.”

According to the National Safety Council, more than 6,000 Americans die each year from falls, mostly from roofs or ladders while cleaning gutters or fixing roofing. 

‘Permit needed’ work

If you don’t really understand how to get the permit—or if or why you need one in the first place—avoid the project. You need to fully understand what’s entailed in a DIY that requires getting a permit in the first place. Many DIYers skip permits altogether, but they risk being shut down if spotted by an inspector or if a neighbor seeking revenge narcs on them.

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 Here is a great article I thought was worth a share!

5 things to consider before a home renovation

There are some of us who think we can do everything. We take on multiple projects at a time, rarely say “no” and take a special level of pride in completing projects from start to finish on our own. We’re stubborn, proud and don’t mind rolling up our sleeves and getting down to business in order to get things done ourselves.

We want to do everything, even if that means driving ourselves crazy in the process.

However, when it comes to DIY projects around the house, especially if it’s pretty major project that you’d like to look beautiful and last for years (not to mention add value to your home), sometimes you just have to know when to DIY (Do it Yourself) or DIP (Do It Professionally). We recently learned our lesson and are so happy we knew when to throw in the towel.

As you know, we’re redoing our bathroom--re-tiling the walls, the floors, installing a new sink…. a fairly sizeable project. It started off earnestly enough; Eric tore up the floors, installed the sub floor and ripped out the old tile, while I got to work putting up new subway tile along the bottom half of the walls. We finished these portions of the project within a week, and then…. nothing. The bathroom sat half torn up for about three weeks. An out-of-town trip, followed by a death in the family, followed by both of us getting sick (me one week, him the next), meant no progress was made whatsoever. The walls sat half tiled, waiting for cuts and grout, and we took our time finding a sink that would work.

One morning, after almost a month since the project began, we looked at each other, looked at the bathroom and came to a realization: We were completely over trying to do this ourselves. The amount of time, stress we would put on ourselves, along with our relative inexperience in doing this kind of overhaul on an entire room pushed us over the edge. It was time to call in a pro.

So right now our pro, who helped us last year with the beautiful work of creating the open floor plan on our first floor, is finishing up the job in our bathroom. Although we love doing home projects on our own, we knew when it was time to hand it off.

Knowing when to bow out and leave it to the pros is a decision that can save time, money and stress to any homeowner. When you’re sitting on the fence about doing the project yourself or hiring someone to do the work for you, here are five questions you should ask yourself:

1. How skilled are you? This is the first, most important question you’ve got to ask yourself. Have you done a project like this before, or are you aware of all the steps and intricacies of the project? Are you generally handy, or do you need help switching out a light bulb? Take a step back and honestly assess your skill level. Chances are, even if you’re not skilled you can take on a project like tiling a backsplash, but steer clear of rerouting plumbing or electrical work throughout the house (or anything else that may be dangerous to do with little skill).

2. Are you on a deadline? Do you have a specific date you need to have the project finished by (out-of-town-guests, visitors, before a vacation, before the next holiday…)? Many times, no matter how skilled or determined you are, DIY projects can take much longer than you anticipate. As I’ve learned, unexpected circumstances can get in the way, and many times (especially if you work all day during the week) you just don’t want to devote hours every night after work to completing the project yourself. Also take into consideration how put out you will be by certain areas of your home being unusable during the reno. In our situation, we’re out of a toilet and a sink in our downstairs bathroom (thankfully we can use the shower during the reno, but have to rely on our upstairs half bath for everything else), which is a little annoying, but we’ve dealt with it. However, after a month of living this way, we couldn’t take it anymore.

3. Do you have the necessary tools? Research the project and make note of every tool you may need to complete it. Do you have them all? Can you borrow or rent them? If not, how much will it cost to buy everything you need? Always consider the tools before taking on a project yourself. If the job requires a $200 miter saw, consider the possibility that you’ll ever need to use this tool again. If you do end up buying it, add the cost to your overall project budget.

4. Are you on a strict budget? Budget is something to consider before any project, but when weighing the option to DIY versus hiring a professional, it’s especially important. Getting a quote from a handyman or contractor may be a little shocking at first, but usually the pro will include the materials needed, use of their tools, not to mention their high level of skill and time devoted to the project. You may think you’re cutting costs by DIYing, but every DIY project should include some kind of contingency fund for the inevitable time when things don’t quite go as expected (you need to buy new tiles after some break during cutting, you forgot to seal up your mortar and now it’s all dried out, your subfloor has water damage, etc.). Many times these unexpected costs will actually be more than what you would pay to hire a professional to do the job.

5. What else is going on in your life right now? Aside from skill level, this may be the most important factor in your decision. Is work busy right now? Do you have a lot of upcoming weekend plans? Is a big life change around the corner (planning a wedding, baby on the way)? If you’ve got a lot of outside stressors or plans coming up, you’ll save yourself so much anguish by hiring a pro. And those of you brave souls with little kiddos running around? Please consider going the professional route. If I’m stressing over completing a project and my biggest distraction is an interruption of my marathon of “The West Wing,” you definitely don’t want to have to worry about installing kitchen cabinets with a four year old tugging on your work belt the whole time. If you’re already stressing about something else, you’ll drive yourself crazy trying to tackle a renovation.

Of course, the decision is yours. There is a huge sense of satisfaction in completing a home renovation on your own. Nothing makes you feel like more of an accomplished adult (except, you know, maybe that whole “having a child” thing). But the route to get there is often filled with headaches, stubbed fingers, credit cards and (so, so many) swears. Weigh the options, consider the questions I’ve posed above and think realistically about the scope of your project.

Sometimes, even when you’re a stubborn, proud, do-it-all (like myself), it pays to know when to hand it off to a pro.

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Renovation Solutions: Survival tips for living while remodeling

Thanks for reading today's blog post!  Did you know that I'm the author of not just one, but thirteen books?  For more information, please visit www.charlesirion.com, www.irionbooks.com and/or www.summitmurdermystery.com

By Ann Robinson & Annie V. Schwemmer

Living in your home as it is being remodeled is not an easy decision or living situation, but families live through it every day.

The Smiths, a family of eight survived fairly extensive renovations while living in their split home throughout the construction process.  Their remodel included an addition of 400 square feet to both the main and lower levels, creating a great room (family room, dining area and kitchen) on the main level and a secondary family room below.  As much as they tried to keep the construction zone contained, living in a home that is being remodeled disturbs the rest of the house and how a family lives. Tiffany Smith offers some insight into how she survived living through the remodel with her small children.

Deciding to stay, The Smiths broke ground for the project when the youngest of their six children was 7 months old. It took almost a year to complete the construction, and they lived through it, literally, right in the midst of the construction zone.

Many families stay in their home during a remodel. One common reason is the budget.  On one hand, if a family moves out, they can theoretically save money because the contractor can get the job done faster (and therefore more cheaply) if they don't have to work around a family.  On the other hand, the cost of a temporary apartment or a condo tends to eat up any such savings.  For the Smiths, it was a hard decision. "I thought about this so much," Smith said. Even now that the remodel is finished, she has gone back and crunched the numbers again.  "Would it cost more to stay, or is it cheaper to move out? Honestly, I still don't know."

Ultimately, they stayed because they didn't want to uproot everyone. "Even though it was a weird construction phase, the kids were sleeping in their own beds," Smith said. It was a constant among the chaos.

Stay organized (as much as possible)
The problem with staying in the house during a remodel is that it is almost like moving but you don't go anywhere.  You still have to pack boxes. Everything from the areas to be remodeled has to go somewhere else during construction. The Smiths used a storage shed for some boxes, but most of the stuff ended up stacked in the den and the master bedroom.  "Our master bedroom was the catchall," Smith said. "Everything had to go somewhere, and our room was floor-to-ceiling with boxes. I don't know how we survived it."

Check in with reality
The reality is that remodeling is messy, noisy and stressful.  "So many people prepared me," she said. "They warned me about the constant mess and the constant dust. They said you just have to grin and bear it, and in the end you will be grateful. They warned me that those days are going to come where you are going to cry and say, 'How in the world are we living here?'  So, when those days came, she was prepared for them. "There were only two or three days when I threw up my arms and said, 'I can't stand this; I want my house back!' And that was pretty good for me."


Getting over the no-kitchen blues
Surviving three months without a kitchen is not easy, especially when you have a family of hungry children.  The Smiths' secret: lots of microwaveable and slow-cooker meals. Smith says one thing that saved her was that her older kids were back in school during the time when they had no kitchen.
“That way, I didn't have to worry about all three meals for all the kids,” she said. “Breakfast is easy — toast, cereal or oatmeal in the microwave. For lunch, the older kids would be in school so I would only have the younger kids to worry about. They were so young, they won't even remember how bad it was.”

Make as many decisions as you can upfront: Smith says it took a year to get all the plans and specifications done. She worked with the architect and an interior designer to finalize all the specifications. "I made 95 percent of all the decisions before we even dug the hole," she said.
"I didn't want to make any last-minute decisions. I knew with my family responsibilities I wasn't going to have the luxury of going out and pricing items that the contractor needed the next day."
At the same time, because she was living in the house, she was accessible for the contractor when there was a question. “Being on-site made it easy to meet with my contractor," she said. "I didn't have to pack up the kids to go talk to the contractor for 15 minutes."

Think safety
When you are living in your home during a remodel, safety comes first.  "Safety definitely was a concern," Smith said. "You have to make sure the job is cleaned up every day and that there are no nails lying around. We had a really great contractor who was always good about keeping his job site clean.” The family has a responsibility to stay out of the construction zone for the duration of the remodel no matter how much they may need that space.

Overall, living in your home during a remodel is not easy. It will take patience and a good attitude. “Sometimes we just needed to pack up and go to the park," Smith said.

"My attitude was, 'Just grin and bear it.' I knew it was going to be worth it in the end, and it was. It was all worth it.”

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Article source: desertnews.com 

Renovate Your Kitchen Cabinets for Less

When considering renovating the cabinets in their kitchens, many home owners are presented with two options.
Option A: Tear down all cabinets and replace them with new ones
Option B: Strip the paint from the original cabinets and repaint them with either matching color or wood stain
While option A may sound great, it is the more expensive of the two. When this is out of a homeowner's budget, they should look towards option B. Option B allows for older cabinets to be freshened up with a new coat of paint and can bring new life to your kitchen. Although it is the less expensive of the two choices, it is also the more time consuming.

If your cabinets are made of wood and you enjoy the craftsmanship then perhaps a new coat of wood stain would be better. Either way all cabinets will need to be sanded down to remove previous paint or stain and to allow the wood to be porous to new color. Below are a few tips to choosing option B.

Cabinet Painting Tips:
1. Take all doors off of the cabinets and remove all of the hardware
2. Clean everything with a household cleaner, for paint to apply well all dirt needs to be removed
3. Sand down all surfaces where paint will be applied
4. If painting the cabinets a color, prime every surface. If you are applying it to wood, use an oil based primer.
5. Paint away! Depending on the wood's original coloring and the color of paint or wood stain you use, the cabinets will need between 1 and 3 coats of paint.
6. Wait till all paint is dried to hang the doors again. This can take up to four days.