Taking on projects around the house can save you money and help you put your own personal touch on your home. Some projects, though, for reasons of safety and level of complication, shouldn’t necessarily be taken on by
average homeowners. Here are the top projects that should usually be handled by a professional.
- Refinishing floors: It’s not difficult to rent your own equipment to refinish hardwood floors. The process is really just sanding off the top layer of wood from flooring. Seems simple enough, right? Professional carpenters note that these machines are heavy and require familiarity and practice. You can end up sanding parts of the floor too long and leaving an uneven surface that may not be visible until the finishing is complete. Staining and sealing is also a tricky process that is difficult to do smoothly and evenly and will likely involve multiple coats of stain.
- Electrical work: Some handy homeowners can handle minor electric jobs like changing out faceplates or even changing out fixtures. But, there’s no improvising when it comes to electrical work. Most should avoid complex electrical projects because a mistake can be dangerous and expensive.
- Laying tile: Laying tile is actually not a completely impossible task. Many DIYers will do some research and redo a small space like a bathroom. But if you choose to not have a professional tile company install your flooring, you need to make sure that you do your homework, make a plan, and have the right tools – especially the right tile cutter for your chosen tiles. A bad DIY tile job will haunt you for years to come with loose tiles, cracks or crumbling grout.
- Roofing: Roofing might not be hard, but it is dangerous. A misstep can cause injury or even death. That’s why you should always leave anything with shingles or scaffolding to experienced pros.
Summer is a great time for working on rehab and renovation projects, but you want to make sure that you have the right skills, the right tools, and the right safety equipment for the job. Make sure that you don’t try any projects that exceed your DIY skillset, and get a professional involved for the best job on big projects.