Here at Legacy Renovations, we’re all about home renovations. If you love taking on home improvement work, you’re all about HGTV, and working on your house is a hobby to you, we’re here for it. While there are some renovations that can be done yourself to save money, there are quite a few that are best left to the professionals.
There are various factors you should take into consideration before you take on a job. Some of these considerations include building permit requirements, safety concerns, costs, the difficulty of the job and the materials required. Next time you’re thinking of working on your home, think about these issues. For now, we have a list of some renovations that you should avoid doing on your own.
1.) Installing Hardwood Floors
At first, installing hardwood floors seems like a piece of cake. However, you would be surprised to find out how extremely wrong this project can turn out. The average installation for hardwood floors costs $5 to $8 per square foot. If you are replacing 1000 square feet of hardwood floors, that is nearly $5k, depending on the material you select.
If hardwood floors are installed the wrong way, you jeopardize the integrity of the entire floor. When you install the wood floors, they must be able to breathe. If not, the boards will be too tight and begin to pull or warp. Can you imagine spending $5k on hardwood floors just to rip them up a few months down the road?
2.) Replacing Carpet
If you have never tried to replace a carpet yourself before, you will quickly discover it’s not as easy as it seems. A lot of people assume laying carpet is a lot less expensive if they do it themselves, but this is not the case. If you do it 100 percent correct, then yes it might be more affordable. However, it’s very unlikely you’ll get it right the first time.
The biggest disadvantage of replacing carpet on your own is you can dishonor the carpet warranty. If you lay some carpet down and cut here and there, the warranty no longer exists. This would completely defeat the purpose of saving money. The equipment that is used to replace carpet can also be hard to use, especially for someone with no experience. Save yourself the trouble and call a professional to at least get a quote.
3.) Finishing a Basement
The average basement completion costs around $30k. This price can be frightening to some people, which is why a lot of homeowners try and tackle this project on their own.
First things first: every basement remodel requires a permit. If you build without a permit, you face some consequences down the road. Secondly, every basement that is being finished or remodeled should include some sort of plan. You can’t just start building and hope for the best. This is a good way to waste materials and hit a brick wall when you find out towards the end of your project that you messed up somewhere along the way.
A basement is also prone to moisture because it’s the lowest level of your home. You need to be very careful about the building materials you use to prevent mold and moisture.
4.) Making Additions to Your Home
There are quite a few reasons why you shouldn’t take on this home project on your own. If you are looking to do this on your own to save money, you might be making a silly choice. When you work with a team or professionals, they can save you money on building materials.
Adding on to your home yourself can also put you at risk for injuries. With an addition, you will be lifting heavy materials and doing a lot more work than any other renovation. So, doing this project on your own also increases the chances of you encountering a lot more issues as you build. This would ultimately, push back the completion time and could cost you big.
5.) Painting Kitchen Cabinets
So, you’ve painted a ton of walls before…painting your kitchen cabinets should be no big deal. Right? This is actually wrong. Painting kitchen cabinets yourself has a lot of potential drawbacks.
It’s not as simple as adding a few coats of paint, and there is a lot of time and effort that go into the project. You have to sand the cabinets so the paint will stick, remove all handles, clean the wood, remove the doors before painting, paint in the right order, and be very careful to choose the right color.
One wrong step and you can ruin your kitchen cabinets. You want to avoid taking a wrong turn because replacing kitchen cabinets is very pricey and can be a big hassle.
6.) Roof Repairs
There are also a ton of reasons why you should not repair your own roof. Perhaps the most obvious is the danger. Climbing up that high without the proper safety equipment can turn into a nightmare – also known as a lifelong injury, or even death.
Another important reason why you should never make your own roof repairs is because you can throw your insurance out the window. The insurance company can deny a claim down the road if they find out you made your own roof repairs, and they will tell you to pay out of pocket. Professionals rarely make mistakes, but even if they do, the expenses are covered. Don’t try and cut corners when it comes to roof repairs. It’s just not worth it.
When it comes to your home: don’t risk it
We have no doubt that our readers are talented and can handle some home projects on their own. However, we care about our customers and always want to help them put their best foot forward. Doing these home renovations on your own can cause serious damage to your home or more importantly, your own safety, as well as costing you in the long run.
If you are considering one of these renovations, leave it to the professionals. Call our team at Legacy Renovations to learn how we can help you with your next project.
