4 Repair Projects You Can Do Yourself And 4 You Should Leave To A Professional

When it comes to installing things in a home, such as your country kitchen cabinets, professional labor is one of the factors that can drastically increase the amount of money you spend to repair or maintain something. In some cases, people elect to save some cash by doing the labor themselves. 

The problem with doing it yourself is that certain situations warrant the need for a professional for safety reasons. In the same breath, some people may believe that they do not possess the skills that are needed to complete a repair job on their own. The problem with this is that in some cases they end up paying for a repair job that only requires a few minutes of their time. So how can you tell when you can do-it-yourself or call a professional? In this post we list four common situations that you can fix yourself and four common situations that's best left to the services of a professional.

Repair Jobs You Can Do On Your Own

1) Leaky Bathroom or Kitchen Pipe

One of the biggest mistakes many homeowners have made is that they immediately call the plumber as soon as they notice a leak. In some cases, all you may need to do is to tighten the nut which is located near the P-trap of your pipe's drain. Even when it comes to situations where you locate a hole within the drain pipe, you can easily fix it yourself by using a hose clamp.

2) Patch a Hole

Filling a hole in your home's wall is one of the easiest DIY jobs that you can do. In order for you to patch a hole, the first thing you'll need is a lightweight putty which can be purchased from your local hardware score. You can patch any hole by using a spackle knife to fill the hole. You can then scrape off excess putty from the walls. Once the putty has dried, you can sand it down until it's smooth. You can then repaint the affected area using a primer.

3) Toilet Backups

No one likes toilet backups, but at some point every homeowner experiences a backed up toilet. And while this situation is stressful in itself, it's important to remember that you can unclog it by yourself. Besides using a plunger, you can also add a bucket of water into the toilet. The force of the water can dislodge whatever may be causing the clog. You can also make a DIY snake by unraveling a wire coat hanger as well.

4) Installing a New Door

Most, if not all, hardware stores have a door installation service. The problem with this is that in some cases, the installation service can cost up to 50% of the door's total cost. You can save yourself some money for another door by installing it yourself. Nowadays, manufacturers provide detailed manuals and give access to their own DIY website which provides video tutorials on how to install a given door.

Repair Jobs That Should Be Done By a Professional

1) Painting Your Exterior Portions of Your Home

In most cases, you can easily paint the interior sections of your home because it may not warrant the need for a ladder. But the same thing can't be said about painting the exterior portions of your home. Most homes feature trim, rake boards, siding, and soffits that need to be painted as well. In order for you to do this, you'll need a ladder. If you've never used a ladder before, there's a high chance that you may fall due to incorrect placement of the ladder. In a situation like this, it would be advantageous for you to use a professional.

2) Clogged Garbage Disposal

In most cases you can easily clear a clogged garbage disposal by utilizing a wretch which fits into the opening of the underside of the unit. However, in the event that this doesn't help to clear the blockage you should call a professional before going any further than that.

3) Light Fixture Installations

Many homeowners install light fixtures by themselves because electrical installations and repairs are usually expensive. When it comes to installing light fixtures, low voltage projects can be safely conducted by a homeowner as low voltage projects have a lower chance of causing bodily harm. However, if you don't know how electrical systems work, or what a low voltage project even means, there's no reason why you shouldn't call a professional electrician.

4) Clogged Gutters

The reason why you should never attempt to clean the gutters on your own, is the same reason why you shouldn't paint the exterior of your home by yourself. Unless you worked extensively as a roofer or any other job that requires the utilization of lander, there's a chance that you may fall by attempting to use it to clean the gutters.