Home improvements you should never DIY

Getting your hands dirty around your home can feel very rewarding. Not only will you save quite a bit of money on labor, but you also get to be creative and spend your time in a useful way. This is particularly true when you are stuck at home for long periods of time. However, there are certain home improvements you should never DIY. While painting your walls or even changing your backsplash may actually warrant a ‘how hard can it be’ approach, certain repairs require skills that may not be at your disposal. Not only might you find yourself unable to finish the repair, but you can actually end up hurting yourself or causing lasting damage.

Getting ready for renovations

In order for your home improvement to go swimmingly, you should take certain steps beforehand. If you are doing a DIY project, you will obviously have to gather all of the tools and materials you’ll need for the repair. Hiring professional help allows you to skip this step, but you still have to protect your belongings during the renovations. Covering furniture to keep it from getting dirty is one useful tip, while in some cases you may want to pack up your things and store them away. If you need help with your packing, you can also hire professional help, or simply ask your friends for a favor.

Top 5 home repairs you should never do yourself

Plumbing

Larger plumbing repairs are definitely among the home projects you should never DIY. Some minor improvements like changing a shower head or a faucet are not too complicated and do not require an extensive skillset or special tools. However, anything more than that can seem fairly straightforward at first, but can easily become complicated and require you to seek help after all.

While installing a new faucet might be something you will feel confident doing, other plumbing projects are among the home improvements you should never DIY.

One such project is installing a new kitchen sink, for example. In some cases, this can actually go without a hitch. However, you will still need to spend money on certain tools and bits and pieces which a plumber will already have in their arsenal. On top of this, being inexperienced can lead to later leaks and problems. People often end up paying double what they would have spent on a professional plumber.It really is true that water will find a way through even the tiniest of cracks. Save yourself the headache and hire a professional.

Electrical repairs and improvements

Perhaps the main one of the 5 home repairs you should never do yourself is anything involving electricity. While water can cause a lot of damage and incur additional expenses with faulty plumbing, messing around with electrical currents can actually be life-threatening. Certain projects will, again, be within your reach, but you want to be extra careful when you do them. The safest way to do it, especially if you do not own a lot of tools, is to turn off your master switch. In certain cases, you’ll even need a permit to make the improvement in your home which will be an additional push towards hiring an electrician. Even if you like playing the handyman around the house, this may be an area where you’ll want to take a step back.

Hiring an electrician is always better than putting yourself at risk.

Structural work

Structural work usually implies taking down walls and changing the organization of your home. These changes are also home improvements you should never DIY as they can be quite dangerous and damaging if done wrong. The main mistake you could make is tearing down a load-bearing wall. Even if you have access to blueprints or you know which ones you shouldn’t touch, changing the structure of your home without professional help can be a recipe for disaster. Even doing something as little as breaking through a wall to install a door can undermine the integrity of your home. This kind of work is among the biggest projects you can undertake, so it would be a good idea to get your belongings out of the space. Renting a storage during renovations would ensure your things remain safe and the workers can have enough space to get the job done.

Installing gas appliances

In line with electrical and plumbing work, installing gas appliances is also on the list of the top 5 home repairs you should never do yourself. It doesn’t really matter if it is a gas oven, water heater or dryer. Even if you are very careful and have the appropriate tools, if you do not know what to look for, you could still have a leak. Not only are gas leaks a health hazard, but they can cause even more damage as they can cause explosions or fires in your home. To stay on the safe side, always have a professional around when dealing with gas repairs or installing gas appliances.

Doing DIY projects that involve gas appliances can be quite dangerous as you can be unaware of any potential leaks.

Asbestos removal

The final addition to the home improvements you should never DIY list is removing asbestos. Owners of newer homes won’t have to deal with this predicament as the use of asbestos for insulation was banned in 1989 in the US. In many states, there are even laws against removing it yourself. Even if these laws aren’t at play where you are, removing asbestos yourself is still not recommended. The main reason for this is that doing it yourself would expose you and those around you to its toxicity. This is definitely not the kind of home improvement project you want to take on yourself. As with the other four on this list, err on the side of caution and ease and let the professionals handle this for you.