When you buy a home, whether for the first time or if it’s your fifth home, keeping it well-maintained is a must, and it can be expensive, too, depending on the repair or project you’re wanting to do. Saving money is one of the biggest reasons why so many people make the decision to attempt these projects and repairs on their own.

When solely considering the cost of certain projects, all too often, homeowners neglect to look at the dangers of taking on certain DIY projects and repairs. They figure that if they can look at a YouTube video or some type of tutorial, that it shouldn’t be a hard task. But the reality is that there are some serious considerations to think about when making the decision to do your own home repairs and projects.

If you take on this project or repair, could one mistake cause you serious injury or even death?

Could this project cause further damage to your home if you make a mistake?

Does this project require a special license, certification, or permit?

All three of these considerations are extremely important. You shouldn’t have to risk your life or your home in the name of saving money, and you definitely don’t want some kind of fine for violating building regulations. If you’re based in the US and hiring contractors, for example, you’ll need to ensure that they have a contractor license.

If you’re not exactly what some would call “handy,” then you most certainly want to know your limitations and capabilities and avoid attempting these projects and repairs on your own.

DIY Projects and Repairs You Want to Always Hire the Pros For

Plumbing

You might be able to unclog a toilet or fix a leaking sink, but the last thing you want to do is attempt to do an entire plumbing job on your own. What homeowners don’t realize is the close proximity of how close plumbing is to electrical wiring in a home. One splash to a wire could not only cause severe damage to your home but could cause serious injury to yourself. Always hire a pro for major plumbing work.

Roof or Chimney Work

Did you know that falls are the number one cause of construction injuries? Whether you’re replacing shingles or cleaning out your chimney, you want to make sure you call in a professional for sure. Maybe you miss a step on the ladder or the ladder wasn’t placed in a sturdy position on the ground. Then again, maybe you’re needing to clean your chimney and slip on a loose shingle… Both are accidents waiting to happen that could be prevented by hiring a professional roofing or chimney contractor.

Window Installation

Window installation is most definitely work for a licensed professional. With window installation, there’s so much more to it than putting a window into a wall. Measurements need to be exact to fit the window into the wall, you have to make sure there are no leaks for air to get through, and you have to make sure they’re securely installed to withstand strong winds and inclement weather. This is especially important for the installation of rooms with skylights.

Room Expansion

In the interior design world, the hot ticket these days is open floor plans. Open floor plans extend and elongate a room to make it much larger. This is typically done in living rooms and kitchens to form one big room for food and entertainment. But with this particular interior design must-have, it requires demolition. That means knocking down walls to create a larger space.

If you watch any of the home improvement shows, you’ll see that “demo day’ is fun for homeowners because they get to destroy their home (and not get in trouble for it!) But a sledgehammer to the wrong part of a wall can cause extreme electrical and plumbing damage if you’re not careful. And that reason alone is reason enough to not attempt this on your own.

There are several more dangerous repairs and projects you shouldn’t do but the four listed above are some of the most common. In your efforts to improve your home, make sure you use caution, and a bit of common sense to not only ensure your own health and safety, but also the safety of your home.

Main image credit: Photo by Cesar Carlevarino Aragon on Unsplash

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