Hi, I’m Chris, and I’m a DIY-aholic. I’ve been in denial for years that I can, and should, tackle my own home projects. I grew up hearing the mantra “if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.” I’ve spent countless hours learning how to fix just about anything around the house. Tool investments over the years have cost enough to take a large army out for a round of stiff drinks. And, of course, how could I deny myself the satisfaction of saving all that money?

Well, I was wrong….sort of. Thanks to my age, I mean wisdom, and the years of DIY knowledge I’ve accumulated, I now see the error of my ways. Allow me to share my thoughts and experiences to help guide you in your DIY quest….

Why Hire A Pro When You Can DIY

Let’s set aside MASSIVE projects like repairing sunken foundations, removing and placing the stucco siding of an entire house, or installing 6’X10’ windows that are 25 feet above grade. The really big projects like these aren’t your run of the mill DIY projects. There are plenty of projects that are big but you know you can tackle those yourself. Why even consider hiring someone for these?

For me it boils down to these six questions:

  1. Can I do this in a weekend or less?
  2. Can I live with the mess or incompleteness for multiple weeks? (What I really mean here is “will my wife let me live if this doesn’t get done in a timely manner?”)
  3. Can I do this on my own or with a masochistic friend’s help?
  4. Am I willing to redo the work if I screw this up?
  5. Am I legally allowed to perform this work?
  6. Do have better things to do or more fun DIY projects?

 

With the exception of the first question, if I answer “No” to any of these, I strongly consider hiring a professional. In fact, it prompts me to at least make a few phone calls to get estimates so I can see what the damage will be. If the estimates come in high (anything above $1000 is high to the frugal miser inside of me), I start tallying up the cost of materials and the number of hours it will take me to do this. I then multiple the number of hours by 2.5. Yes, I always assume my time estimates are overly optimistic so 2.5 is the multiplier I’ve found to be the best “correction factor.”

Next, I assign a dollar value to my time. This varies with how busy I am or how much I’d rather be doing something else. It can range from $25-75/hour – even more during college football season. Once I get my DIY price, I compare that with one of the estimates. If it’s within 20% of the estimate, forget it, I’m hiring this one out. If I can save 20%-30%, I’m usually on the fence. If I can save 40% or more, I start looking at my schedule to see when I can realistically get this project done myself. Only if I have to push it out too far on the schedule do I consider sucking up the cost of a contractor.

Here are my exceptions: 

  1. I don’t mind multiple weekends if I like the work or if I have no confidence that a professional will do it the way I need it done.
  2. If I can’t legally perform the work, e.g. the city requires a licensed professional to be compliant, then I don’t even consider it. (Side note: I also think about insurance implications if the job isn’t done to code or within the parameters of my insurance policy.)
  3. If the job requires a high level of skill to be done right and I don’t have that skill, I hire someone.
  4. If I want to learn a new skill and I don’t mind taking extra time to redo some work, I will definitely do it myself.

When Not To Hire A Pro and Just DIY

Some jobs are just too small or easy to even consider hiring a professional. Consider how much time you actually have to spend when you choose to hire someone:

  • Finding the contractor – 1 hour to 1 month!
  • Calling the contractor(s) to get quotes – 30 minutes to 1 hour
  • Meeting the contractor to review the scope of work – 1-4 hours
  • Being home to let the contractor work (if it’s an interior job) – varies but usually at least a few hours when I add it all up.
  • Going over what wasn’t done correctly or clarifying any “miscommunication” – 0 minutes if you’re lucky, hours if you’re unlucky.

 

That’s a lot of time spent! My general rule of thumb is that if I can do the job in half a day, I don’t even consider hiring a contractor. Jobs that are a day or more, I go to my six questions above to determine if I have reason I shouldn’t be DIY’ing this one.

And lastly, if there’s a new tool that I really want and I can’t justify the expense to my wife, then I always DIY! How else am I going to get away with that purchase 😊