Do-it-yourself (DIY) home-improvement projects are fun and often a source of pride for homeowners. In addition, they often appear to be well below the costs of hiring professionals to do everything. They, however, can turn out time-consuming and a total waste of money if they are not planned correctly or when people overestimate how handy they are around the house.
Wasting valuable time is a cost in itself. Many of us also have heard horror stories of projects that end up sucking a substantially more money than originally planned. Kitchens that were ripped down by homeowners only to find out they can’t get the new cabinets to fit in, or floors that don’t line up correctly are all example of DIY projects gone wrong, wasting money and causing frustration.
If you are trying to have a successful project on a budget, you must be clear about your costs the project involves, account for costs of tools, cleanup and potential problems, and of course know if you will need help from a professional with parts of the project.
Here are a few points to keep in mind before you jump into a DIY project.
Your skills
You must be realistic about what you can do and what falls well beyond your abilities. Nothing can damage your budget more than beginning on a project, wasting time and materials and ultimately hiring a professional crew to fix the damage and redo the project.
Thanks to online resources, you can see as many videos and probably get as much help as you can to know exactly what the project entails. Although you may be excited to do a project yourself, walk away if you’re not sure that you’ve got what this project takes, especially if it is a big, costly one.
If you’d like to test your abilities, you probably can begin with a minor project. For example, painting a room can’t really go wrong. Even if it does, the fix is inexpensive and quick. The point is don’t jump into DIY with a project that costs you thousands of dirhams, unless you really know that you’re a pro who can figure out handy work.
Costs of materials
That’s a good area where you can save a bunch if you plan ahead and shop around. But if you don’t, your trips to the store to buy tools, hardware and materials when they are urgently needed can add up to your costs significantly. This type of additional, unplanned costs can drain your budget and push your project’s costs well beyond what you already planned.
To avoid these last-minute purchase, make a list of all the materials, tools and everything you need for the project. Your list should be as comprehensive as possible. Try to shop for all items before you even start on the project. This will help you keep track of your expenses and get a more realistic view of the project costs. Keep receipts to be able to return unopened materials that you do not eventually use, because for most DYI projects, there is always a margin for waste. So make sure that you’ll be able to return these items to the stores.
Hire a professional
That defeats the purpose of doing the project yourself, doesn’t it? Not really! If you identify some aspects of the projects that requires a professional, you will be able to research ahead and figure out the costs of hiring a professional for just parts of the project. You may be able to negotiate a competitive rate since the contribution is limited, and you will also know if this professional who will step in for example to do some wiring, plumbing or whatever task will be available when needed. As with everything, searching ahead of time and comparing offers are the best way to get a competitive quote.
Again hiring a professional for one task or another should help you get your project done quicker and avoid unnecessary problems. In addition, having a professional taking a look at your project may mean some free advice about what you’ve done well and what needs improvement.
By Rania Oteify
