Do It Yourselfers

I'm a "do it yourselfer".  I love the DIY network.  I also do a good job when I DIY!  I know this because every project we've done has increased the value of our homes and professionals have complimented us on our quality of work.  But . . .

Like all "do it yourselfers" I make mistakes.  Why?  because I'm not a professional.  Professionals learn from other professionals while they are on the job.  There is a certain amount of the job you can learn from a book, but sometimes the source of information leaves out an important step or a trick of the trade.  It's kind of like wondering why Grandma's recipe never tastes like it does when Grandma makes it.  Sometimes it's because she left out her "secret" ingredient!

I'm fortunate in that the professionals I use to supplement my ignorance know they can tell me when I've made a mistake.  Our long term relationship has taught them that I want to know when I've blown it.  As a result, I get on the job training in "doing it yourself".  The list of mistakes I've made usually will not impact the structural integrity of the house, but they are things professionals would not do because of their experience.

Two "mistakes" that come to mind immediately are hanging sheet rock and installing subfloor.  I did not know there was a right and wrong way to hang sheet rock years ago.  I knew there was a front and back and that you only dimpled the nails/screws rather than breaking the surface paper of the sheet rock.  Our first ceiling install particularly frustrated me.  I taped and taped and taped and could not get the indentations where the sheet rock joined to go away.  An old contractor informed me that it was because we had hung the sheet rock with the joists instead of across the joists.  Since that project, we have carefully crossed the joists with the sheet rock and made sure to stagger the corners so all four corners are not in one location.  It amazed me the difference this one small tidbit made in my taping of the next project.

The same principle applies to subfloor.  We could not figure out why the mobile home subfloor we installed was sagging between joists.  It didn't make sense.  We had used the same product as the manufacturer, etc., etc., etc.  I asked the general contractor who installed our windows in the same mobile home why the floors were sagging.  He gently informed me that we should have crossed the joists instead of running the subfloor with the joists.  Now where had I heard that advice before?  The next time the floors in our cabin are replaced, we will know better.  Just like the sheetrock, we will lay the boards across the joists instead of with them!

It's the little things like this which make or break a project.  These are insignificant examples but I use them as an analogy.  Doing it yourself can appear easy.  Sometimes we don't even know when we've done it improperly.  Any time an amateur takes on a professional's job, the risk of mistakes is high especially when dealing with buying or selling real estate.  No matter how much you may have researched the project, the experience of a professional real estate agent can protect you from large or small errors.  Sometimes correcting the errors made in real estate is more expensive than the commission paid a professional to do the job right for you to begin with.  Why risk your most important investment without professional guidance?

Comments

[Bonnie Erickson]

Welcome, Altair. That reminds me of our first toilet "reset". We had a functional second bath so we weren't in a great deal of trouble if the toilet didn't get back together. My husband and I discussed the pros and cons of "learning" by doing or of calling the plumber first. We opted to learn since we could call the plumber if it didn't work. It worked quite nicely without leaking, thank goodness!

[Altair]

ya, you are right dear...
i, being the first time buyer can take the risk of Do it Yourself...
many times its necessary to take the help from professions otherwise your mistake will cost you a lot..