Cost benefit analysis includes marginal value of my free time (note this also includes the fuss of hiring help), cost of tools and the space to store and use them, having strangers in my house, difference in quality, safety/legal/insurance issues.
My daughter is now almost eight and is getting to be old enough so she’s actually useful on projects. We love working together so I’ll do anything that I can. I’ve got an inexpensive table saw which makes life so much easier.
One thing I learned far too late, and I see many of you know this also, is that you don’t skimp on tools. You buy the best you can. Crappy tools make for crappy results. And I didn’t realize how crappy some of my tools were till I used good ones. - even something as simple as a screwdriver!
Life’s too short to use junk tools.
Same over here in the UK: Gas and Electric have got to be signed off.
Plumbing… if you mess up you’ll get covered in water - or worse…
I’m a renter so I call the landlord if it’s wiring. If I need a new lamp, I am much more likely to go buy something used, re-wire it, make a new shade, paint it a bold color, etc. My brother and I both are known to go “You know what you COULD do…” and come up with some DIY solution which we work on together.
Our line to watch for is “You sound like Dad.” That’s a good indication that you’re a) WAY overthinking it, and b) might want to look into a commercially available solution. Then there’s “That’s how Granddad would have done it.” Which means “Stop. Call a professional. NOW.”
My dad was never handy. Something needs fixing? Call somebody. I had to learn all the next paragraph on my own.
I used to change oil & filter, do brake jobs, and even rebuilt a 4-barrel carburetor once. I could fix and maintain a bicycle when I was 8. Cleaning the gutters is a dirty job, but I was always willing to do it. I could paint pretty well, and I could do the ceiling corners fairly competent.
Things have changed. I no longer trust my balance enough to climb a ladder. My hands aren’t steady enough to paint a straight line. Working on my knees is impossible. So, Dad’s approach looks better all the time. Call somebody!
In order for me to attempt it myself the following must be true:
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It must be straight forward without anything that only requires knowledge rather than skill or neatness. (No laying tile or hanging drywall)
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It must be safe (I stay away from electrical work or cleaning gutters)
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It must be something that if I screw up it’s unlikely to make the problem worse. (my wife still hasn’t forgiven me for dropping a mini flashlight down a shower drain I was trying to unclog).
The Handyman’s serenity prayer:
Lord grant me the courage to fix the things I can
The humility to call someone for the things I can’t
and the wisdom to know the difference.***
We’re in the process of making a long-distance move. Hubs moved to start work back at the end of March, so I’ve been left to get the house ready to sell, then pack it up and close it down for the sell/move.
Yeah, I’ve been very willing to pay for experienced help for everything from plumbing repairs to junk hauling. And, yes, we are being professionally moved because even the packing I and the kids have done makes me crazy.
When I have the time and the project isn’t too big, I will DIY, but this is too much for me to do alone.
My Dad and my older brothers are all very handy. Unless it’s extremely unskilled, I would do more damage than good. My mechanical/spatial relationships skills are beyond terrible. My Dad and brothers tried to teach me, but it was too far beyond me.
The only things that aren’t trivial to do that I would not hire someone for are those that I want to work on. Anything else, I believe in division of labor. The work gets done faster and better, and everyone ends up better off than if I did it myself. The repair person gets the money, I don’t get a headache. So long as you can afford it and aren’t missing an opportunity to do something you might enjoy, why wouldn’t you pay someone else? That’s what your money is for - to get people to do things for you that you want done but you don’t want to do.
Of course it depends on how much time a person has besides skills/experience. When I was working long hours regular job I wouldn’t do any but emergency DIY, in those days no significant projects got done. Now I’m (at least) semi-retired and to the extent I’m not it’s helping manage rental properties where I also do some DIY repair. I do up to moderate size and complexity projects in our house, for example master bedroom renovation including extensive plaster repair (old style plaster/lath, not drywall) and some rewiring; bathroom remodels (toilet, vanity, walls, ceiling, tile, haven’t had to replace a tub), and anything smaller than that. I never hire anyone to do interior painting, but wouldn’t do anything exterior myself except repairs withing a normal step ladder’s reach of the ground. And we had pro’s do complete gut remodel of kitchen recently. That would just have taken me too long, even if I got comfortable with some of the tasks involved which I haven’t done previously. Likewise I’d have pro’s do anything on that scale in the rental properties. Also I don’t do gas line plumbing, even simple, for my peace of mind. I’m not bad at plumbing generally.