Hello World! Welcome Friends! There was a time when home improvement was a task set aside for professionals. But today, thanks to the Internet, there are several things you can do by yourself and even save some money on.
That being said, if you are not doing things right, trying to DIY your own home repair can also be potentially dangerous. In fact, when tackled badly, something as small as a pipe leak can cost you hundreds, if not thousands of dollars.
With the help of professionals, we have rounded up a list of projects that are perfectly fine for you to DIY and some that you absolutely shouldn’t.
What You Can DIY for Your Home
Hang Wallpaper
Wallpapers can swiftly change the entire feel of your room, with colors, patterns, and allowing you to personalize it to your taste. A great wallpaper can make you feel more at home, even if you are far away from it.
For instance, If you are a student living in a dorm, adding wallpaper might be the easiest way to spruce up the space. As we can imagine, when you are trying to finish some pressing assignments and looking to buy cheap essay at EssayPro, the last thing you want is to sit in a gloomy colorless dorm room. The same applies to an independent house or an apartment.
All you need to do is make sure you measure the wall correctly. We also suggest that you buy an extra roll as a backup if something goes wrong.
Set Up Compost
One of the easy things you can do to help your environment is making compost to handle your home waste. You can study from the Internet what exactly you can compost, and this mostly includes biodegradable items such as fruits, vegetables, coffee grounds, shredded paper, etc.
But you shouldn’t be adding meat or dairy. Preferably, you need to follow a ratio of 1:3 when adding green to brown matter. Then, you need to find a warm and sunny spot and keep it moist. It is also possible to buy a compost tumbler online. If you live within the college campus, you can try setting up communal compost for residences that can benefit other people too.
Paint Doors/Walls
This is another easy job that can alter the feel of any room and is certainly cheaper than adding wallpaper. However, if you are painting a door, you should first take it off from the hinges. You should then sand and prep the surface and remove the other hardware, such as the doorknob.
Whether you are painting a wall or a door, the first step is to apply a primer before proceeding with paint. If you are adding more than one coat, be sure to let them dry in between.
Add Shelves or Wall Furniture
If you are confident about your DIYing skills, you can also try extensive projects such as adding a shelf. Depending on how much weight you are planning to place on the shelf, you will need to get wall studs or drywall anchors. If the shelf is longer or heavier, you should also consider adding brackets for additional support.
However, if you live in a dorm room or are unsure of what is behind the wall, you might want to halt it. While at it, make sure you are not heavily drilling into the wall that can cut into its wiring. If it’s too risky, it is best to get expert advice.
What You Shouldn’t DIY for Your Home
Redoing Bathroom Plumbing
Unlike fixing a leaky sink, rebuilding your bathroom plumbing is a job best saved for professionals. The plumbing and wiring have to be carefully dealt with, and if not, it could even lead to disastrous incidents involving electrocution and flooding.
Tiling
Tiling small areas such as backsplashes is easy, particularly when looking to improve home decor on a budget. But in other spaces, you need to be careful, especially since you might have to recheck the level or do insulation. Moreover, sub-par waterproofing can cause massive damage when it comes to the bathroom. You might even end up with an uneven floor that is off by one-eighth of an inch.
Tearing Down a Wall
The thought of breaking a wall with hammers might be fun, but you should be extremely cautious before trying that out in your own home. There could be plenty happening behind the facade, such as wiring, gas lines, and even water lines.
One wrong swing – and you could end up with a pricey disaster. Moreover, you also need to be sure that you are not dealing with a load-bearing wall. It would be best to call a contractor or leave the demotion work to the pros.
Replacing Windows
If you are not a professional, a window installation can lead to increasing your energy bills. You might think that if you can finish four years of college, replacing a window shouldn’t be a hard job. But even the smallest gap between the window, the frame, and the walls can set you up for water leaks and further issues such as mold damage.
Removing Chipped Paint
Finally, removing chipped paint from walls and baseboards might appear like a job that even toddlers can do. But this can cause serious health issues if there is even a remote chance that you are dealing with lead-based paint, and it can be poisonous when ingested or inhaled.
As such, you should bring in a professional to assess your options and take preventative measures to handle the job safely.
What’s the Takeaway?
Anything related to wiring and plumbing is best left to professionals. If you are a DIY amateur with some basic knowledge, you can replace a light fixture or fix the dimmer. But anything beyond that is well placed in the hands of an expert.
Similarly, you should also be aware of the risks before taking down any walls or adding any. Do not ever assume that the job needs no expertise, no matter how tiny it might seem. Even when you are trying to DIY, arm yourself with the right information and tools before you get started.
Click the links below for any posts you have missed:
Cheap Ways to Enhance your Home’s Environment
How to Protect Your Home from Pest Invasions
10 Ways to Use Your Home to Make More Money
8 Simple Ways to Upgrade Your Home
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Toodles,
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