# DIY vs hiring a pro

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diy-vs-hiring-a-pro/983013>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Tags:** tools-electric-diy\
**Created:** [April 21, 2023, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diy-vs-hiring-a-pro/983013 "2023-04-21T13:00:07Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 5

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**Author:** ![FordPrefect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e99b99/32.png) [@FordPrefect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FordPrefect)\
**Post date:** [May 4, 2023, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diy-vs-hiring-a-pro/983013/81 "2023-05-04T21:49:17Z")

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> [@Cardigan](#):
>
> What about you, would you replace a water heater yourself or hire a pro? How about replacing a sink? What about re-sod your lawn? Sew a Halloween costume? Making a cake for a wedding? Patch broken drywall? Paint a two-story house exterior? Replace a muffler? Do your own taxes for home and business? Construct a bookshelf? Pour your own driveway?

Yes/yes, yes, yes, yes, no, yes, yes, no, yes, yes, yes.

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**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\
**Post date:** [May 6, 2023, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diy-vs-hiring-a-pro/983013/82 "2023-05-06T02:56:08Z")

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We own a 104-year-old house, and I like to tell people that the house is a book of parables, and the moral of every parable is, “Hire a professional.”

From the tin roof pockmarked with holes from where shingles were affixed with cheap nails, creating a watering-can leaking effect; to the subfloor that was patched with '70s-style wood paneling and asbestos tiles; to the backyard storm drain that consisted of a bunch of 50-gallon drums buried end-to-end (and that, when it finally rusted, created a deadly jagged-metal-lined pit trap); to the part of the roof where shingles were literally nailed onto cardboard, to a dozen other fables, my house has one lesson to teach, and it teaches it very expensively.

I’m a great baker, and I made the groom’s cakes for my wedding, and I’ll happily bake fancy stuff given half a chance. But I’m really not handy, nor do I have a lot of tools, nor do I have any particular desire to learn that skillset.

So I hire professionals.

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