Should You Always Do It Yourself?

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If the internet has a backbone, the central point from which everything is built, then it’s DIY guides.

 

There is a do-it-yourself guide for absolutely everything. Want to know how to paint your nails in a gradient pattern? Done. Wondering how you can unblock your drain without having to buy expensive unblocking products? Here you go. And so on and so forth; endless advice, endless hacks.

 

It’s a wonder that a whole variety of careers exist anymore, given the fact we’re now doing it all ourselves. There is no place this is more obvious than in our homes. Where we once would have called someone to design our garden, lay our flooring, decorate the walls – now we take it on ourselves. It’s cheaper, easier, and…

 

And…

 

… Well, maybe it’s time we were all honest and acknowledge a simple truth.

 

It’s not easier, is it? Unless you have a flair for these things, that is – which very few of us do. It might sound easier. It sounds like it’d be less hassle to take these tasks – tasks which for some people constitute an entire career – on ourselves, but it’s just not. Half the time, we don’t know what we’re doing, and even when we do we can make mistakes.

 

So All DIY Is A Waste Of Time?

 

Of course not – DIY will always have its place, and it’s part of home ownership to be able to make a few adjustments without having to call a professional for their opinion. However, people have a tendency to go blazing into something they don’t truly understand, spurred on by online tutorials that make it look so simple to achieve the result they want.

 

When To Hire A Professional

 

  • When you genuinely don’t know what you’re doing, or have never done anything even close to the task at hand before.
  • When the task requires a design element. It might seem that anyone with a ‘good eye’ can figure out how to lay out a garden or what the best arrangement for a three-piece suite in the bathroom is – but it’s not that simple. Professionals are trained to find the right solutions and think of all the pitfalls, which your untrained eye is going to miss. That doesn’t mean you can’t influence the look with your preferences, of course – landscape architects transform your vision into brilliant, useable outdoor space in the blink of an eye, while bathroom fitters will take into account your ideas and apply their professional judgment to them. You don’t lose control when you hire someone; you just have another method of realizing your vision.
  • If the work involves any element of electrical or plumbing work behind the basics. You should also stay off the roof unless you have the requisite safety equipment.

When You Can DIY

 

If what you are doing is superficial and can be easily remedied, then there’s no harm in having a go. You might discover a hidden talent! Just go slowly and build your skills, remembering that DIY jobs can and do go wrong – and you don’t want to be another statistic.

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