Why DIY can end up costing you way more in the long run!
The answer to whether it’s cheaper to do your home repair and home maintenance yourself or hire a handyman services rest mainly on two factors:
- The type and complexity of the project
- Your level of skill and the time you have available to work on the project
Like most homeowners, you got to be one by virtue of your effort and skill in your area of expertise. That expertise is probably not as a handyman service provider – that title is how WE got to own our homes!
So, while it may be tempting to save costs and do it yourself; instead, research has shown it can be 200-300% more expensive to DIY!.
That means if a project costs you $1,000 to ‘complete’, later down the road you may be forced to cough up to $3,000!
(This doesn’t apply to all jobs though, later in this article, we’ll share with you the job we do recommend you do yourself!)
Why? Because people who don’t know what they’re doing tend to make mistakes that someone who’s been there before can effortlessly avoid. To correct those mistakes, that experienced person will need to come in and repair them, which cost even more money than it would have if they’d just done it the first time round!
And that’s not even including the time and opportunity cost of trying to do it yourself!
While you were spending those hours attempting to repair or renovate your home, you could have been focused on your speciality, the thing the world pays you to do! Doing so would have gotten you way further ahead.
The hours you spent could have been spent studying to improve your skills, or even just to relax and rest, allowing you to rejuvenate yourself and perform at higher levels and feel better doing so!
So leave the dirty work to the handymen while you rest your feet after a hard day at work!
“But I’ll have video instructions to show me how.”
Although a YouTube instructional video can be tempting, promising to save you a fortune. What it doesn’t teach you are the tricks that come with experience based on differing situations.
Another big reason to hire a professional Cransten handyman for your home repairs is the support we provide regarding permits.
Making any significant changes that alter the footprint of your home requires a permit. These include additions, decks, certain fences, certain plumbing and electrical work, and siding projects.
Failure to obtain these permits means waving goodbye to comfortably selling your home! It makes it a challenging proposition, and you may be forced to re-do the work (and pay for it yourself!).
If you decide to hire Cransten handyman service or home repairs, not only will we know whether the job needs a permit or not, but we can the acquisition process easier and faster for you.
As for the types of jobs which require a permit: Windows do not need one if they are being replaced, however, if you’re cutting a new hole, you’ll most likely require a permit. This also applies new doors and to skylights.
Plumbing and electrical work usually require permits. This is true if you’re installing new or removing existing plumbing.
Any job that includes installing a new electrical service to your home will require a permit, even if it’s something as simple as moving an outlet!
A permit is usually not required for fencing, but some municipalities often place height restrictions on non-permitted fences.
Many years have granted us the knowledge to little known tips and tricks to expedite this permit acquisition process a little faster. Therefore, we would be more than happy to assist you in the acquiring of your permit.
Specialised tools
Cransten Handyman service providers come with state-of-the-art equipment for the job. These are the tools which simply don’t make sense for you to buy, let alone buy the best in class if it’s just a one-off job around the house. In this case, DIYer’s buy or borrow acceptable tools for the job, but not the most efficient and effective for the role. Meaning the job takes even longer to complete and unlikely to be the best it can be.
Hiring a Cransten handyman ensures the best tools are used for the job, by the best person to use it, saving you from having to buy any sub-par tools and saving you the time and energy it requires not only to learn but also to use them well!
Now, as promised, not every job will require a permit of course, so here are the ones we recommend you do yourself to save yourself!
- Painting
- Maybe flooring, but it does depend on your experience.
- Maybe backsplash tiling, depending on your knowledge.
Alternatively, suppose you have a handy relative like an electrician or plumber. In that case, they may be able to help you to accomplish the more complicated projects.
If you need help with any of these projects, Cransten can help you with all of them! And of course, any others we didn’t mention in this article. So, do not hesitate to contact our friendly staff for a free consultation, we’ll be more than happy to help