A few years ago, a friend of mine had some electrical work that needed to be done. Instead of hiring a “costly” electrician to complete the work, he decided to DIY the project. The job was completed in a timely manner (“no long waitlist for me,” he had sniggered), following the guide of a YouTube tutorial. Proud to demonstrate his electrical prowess, he flicked the switch, prompting the lightbulb to explode. Repair of the mess he had made, in addition to the original work he wanted to be done, ended up being a pricier alternative to hiring a certified electrician.

My friend isn’t unique in his attempt. Many people today are choosing to DIY projects in lieu of hiring professionals. There are magazines, blogs, and online tutorials that exist solely for the purpose of providing their audience with guidelines to complete home improvement jobs by yourself.

If you have the skills to do it- then all the power to you! But just be sure that what you’re doing isn’t going to end up costing you. Do you need a permit to put up that fence? Do you know all local by-laws concerning renovations? Will the shed structure you’re building be structurally sound? Does your new project conform to current building codes? Will your plumbing work be safe? If you can’t answer these questions (and more) with 100% confidence- then maybe this isn’t the DIY for you.

Let’s take a break from our regularly scheduled article for a quick second: go to your search engine, type in “DIY Home Improvement Fails”. Did you see it? After scrolling past flooded basements, ill-suited materials, and poorly placed faucets-  are you still feeling confident about that DIY? If yes, then I wish you best of luck! If not, then maybe it’s time to consider hiring a professional.