5 situations where DIY can prove to be more costly

I’m a huge fan of doing it yourself (aka – DIY) but there are some times when it really isn’t better to roll up your sleeves and get stuck in. Sure, they might be few and far between, but they’re certainly out there. It might be a foolish idea to DIY some things because of the various risks associated with the task or because it can prove to be more costly in the long run, but what are they? Let’s take a look.

When you’re trying to repair the roof and you’re no good at handiwork
It makes no sense to try and tackle a repair job when you have all the skill of a four-year-old with a hammer. You might think that you can repair the roof shingles yourself because you watched a YouTube tutorial on how to do it, but trust me when I say this – it’s a lot harder than you think it is. Far better in this situation to turn to the experts, lest you end up in hospital. At the very best, you’ll have to pay someone to come out and fix it for you.

 
When you need some legal help
There’s a saying, a man who is his own lawyer has a fool for a client. There’s plenty of truth in this. It doesn’t stand to reason that you’d try to save yourself money on areas where you really do need a lawyer, in the hopes that you can muddle through with the internet and a couple of books (plus a few episodes of Law and Order). The reason lawyers go to university for years is because they need to. Not because it’s fun.

When you want a haircut
Ditto with above – hairdressers are good at what they do because they went and studied and apprenticed for a few years. They make it look easy, probably because they’re highly experienced at it – not because it’s easy. If you want a haircut and don’t want to look like an escaped criminal, it’s probably best to put down the scissors, pick up your iPhone and make an appointment at the nearest hair salon.

When you have a pest problem and need some pest control
When you have a termite infestation, it’s tempting to get the fumigators pants on and try and tackle it yourself, but trust me when I say: Don’t. As with so many other experienced professionals, there is a huge amount of skill associated with pest control, and you need to be sure that you know what you’re doing.  With any kind of pest problem, in fact, call the pest control experts.

When you have a problem with a blocked drain and need a plumber
Unless you really know what you’re doing, you’re probably going to cause some serious damage if you start tinkering with the plumbing in your home. Sure, it’s reasonable to try and take on some types of home-repair projects because if you mess it up, you can always fix them with professional help. It’s not always the case when it comes to plumbing. If you tap the wrong pipe, cause a leak or worse yet – tamper with the black water pipes, you’re in for a stinky, big mess. Not good, and expensive.

 
I hope that this list of DIY projects that can prove to be costly has helped you out if you had something in the back of your mind that you were considering. It’s always good to think about hiring a professional, and then maybe help out a little, if you can. You might even learn something!