It’s perfectly reasonable to want to save money. Owning a home can get pretty expensive, so it’s always helpful to cut costs where you can. For many of us who believe in the power of a ‘can-do’ attitude, a few tools, and a YouTube video, one of the best ways to save money around the house is by trying to do home repairs ourselves. For minor projects like painting and tiling a backsplash, the do-it-yourself approach makes a lot of sense. Cut the cost of paying a painter for a few hours of work and save a few bucks. However, there are some projects that you should NEVER attempt to do yourself, as not completing them the correct way (more than a YouTube video can probably explain to you) can leave you with new repairs and damages that could cost you hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of dollars.

Hire Pros for Plumbing and Electrical Problems

When it comes to plumbing and electricity, the potential outcomes of a less than stellar repair job are not worth what you think you might save by trying to do the job yourself. For example, a faulty plumbing job could flood your home, destroying floors and furniture and putting your family out of the house for a while–not to mention breaking the bank. As for electrical jobs, if you’re not an electrician, you probably don’t know the proper way to wire a home, and if you attempt to do so without that knowledge, you could cause a house fire. A few hundred bucks for a contractor don’t sound too bad now, right?

Pros Get Supplies Cheaper

The truth of the matter is that when it comes to big jobs, you’re better off hiring someone who can get the supplies at a discount (actually saving you money for paying them). Contractors get special deals and can often buy in bulk at major hardware stores, and if you try to price out your next project and compare costs, you’ll probably find that it’s cheaper to just hire a contractor.

Written by Ben Mix

Around the Metro Atlanta area and looking for a good contractor? Here’s a list of the contractors we use and recommend!