Since moving into my own home three years ago, I’ve tackled a fair few DIY projects. I've painted, sanded and caulked my way around the house - and I even made my own wardrobes - but there are just some jobs I'd rather stay clear of. Find out why these are the five projects that I would call in the professionals for….
Electrics
There is a reason that this is top of the list, because attempting electrics yourself is a very dangerous job! It's important to get a registered electrician to tackle any major changes around your home. You'll be able to change a light bulb of course, definitely replace a fuse and even wire a plug with the help of a YouTube video but for anything big, please leave it to the pros if you have no experience.
Plumbing
This may be something you'd be tempted to tackle yourself, and with a shiny new tap for our kitchen, we were too! I called my dad in for reinforcements, and we changed our tap. The job was pretty easy and didn't take long but fast forward a few weeks and a very small drip from the cold water pipe resulted in a flood. Sob! Pulling up our brand-new flooring, I vowed I'd always get the professionals to do our plumbing.
Garden landscaping
When searching for my first home, I knew I always dreamed of having a big garden so when we found a property with a huge garden space, I was won over. However, after a few times of cutting the lumpy lawn and tackling the weeds I soon realised the upkeep of the outdoors would be a full-time job. While I get stuck into any garden work I can, I've had to draw the line at bigger projects. Since moving in we've paid for landscapers to build a fence and put up a shed - and it was money well spent as they made two very tricky jobs look so easy!
Loft boarding
Once we had decided we wanted our loft boarded out for extra storage space, we went back and forth about DIY-ing or calling in a company. We paid over £1,000 to have the work done not long after we moved in. While my woodwork skills have improved over the years and I probably could have cobbled together a platform in the loft, the workmen took less than a day to do it and I'm so glad I didn't have to work in such an awkward space (with the spiders). I say save yourself the backache and get someone else to do it.
Windows and doors
We needed a new back door in our house and because it's something you need to make sure is absolutely perfect and secure, we didn't hesitate about getting a company to come in and do it. This can be a tempting job to do yourself because you can pick up a door for as cheap as £150, but for something so integral to your home I'd suggest getting the experts.
