The Honey-Do List: House Projects

House Maintenance Projects to Stay Away From

It’s the time of year where you and your significant other might have a little bit more time on their hands and want to fill it with house projects. As fun as these maintenance projects can be, sometimes it’s important to leave it to the professionals. After all, you want the project to be done correctly, and do-it-yourself guides can take longer and will not give you the expected results. Not only do you risk quality and time, but in the end, you can end up spending more money trying to “do it yourself”.  You and your family’s safety is essential, so don’t forget that when figuring out what project you should do yourself. 

The Honey-Don’t List:

If your honey wants to fix some things up around the house, these are the things to reconsider before starting a new project. 

The following examples are skills that need multiple years of practice to master and should be done by a professional.

Flooring

Ripping up a floor might seem like a lot of fun, but when you get into it, reflooring takes several tedious steps to make sure it’s done correctly. Whether it’s carpet, tile, or hardwood, you can find problems underneath the surface that you can’t fix on your own. The subfloor could be cracked or rotten and need to be addressed before anything else can be done. Plus, you will need dumpsters and large waste cans to dispose of all the previous materials when reflooring. 

Walls

Taking a sledgehammer to a wall always seems so fun until it isn’t. Redoing walls yourself, without the proper knowledge is dangerous. 

Some walls could be supporting another part of the house or have electrical wiring or plumbing inside. Ripping down a wall like this could cause severe damage to the structure of your home.

In some cases, permits are required when doing this type of project. Check with your local ordinances to avoid fines and fees.

Wiring

This is a big one to stay away from because of how serious the consequences can be. Permits are required for this project because of the severity of the consequences. Not only could you put yourself and others in danger of electrocution, but you could start a fire. You also run the risk of changing wiring incorrectly and changing the polarity of the wires which would cause the entire home to lose power. 

Plumbing

Clogged sinks and bathtub drains can be an easy fix for a homeowner, but anything more than that should be left to a professional. It’s highly recommended never to install your own shower, toilet or redo any plumbing. Doing so could lead to leaks or breaks causing rot and mold, which is very expensive to fix.  

Large Landscaping

Your typical yard projects, like planting or mowing the lawn,  can be a fun afternoon activity for people who love to be outdoors, but anything bigger should be left to the professionals. Trees have large intricate root systems that could be next to a pipe and electrical wires; because of this, it’s crucial to have a trusted company in charge of tree removals and any other big projects.

Pool Repair and Installation

Regular chemical checks are things homeowners can do fairly easily and are fairly typical for any homeowner with a pool, but tasks bigger than that should not be a DIY project. Special tools and permits are required for building and repairing an inground pool. On top of that, a professional knows how to handle hundreds if not thousands of gallons of water. 

Roofing Repair

This process is quite dangerous and should be handled by people with the proper equipment and harnesses that might be necessary. Besides the fact that falling from a roof could lead to death or severe injury if shingles are placed incorrectly, it could lead to leaks in the home. This mistake can cause further damages to your home including mold, fires, and electrical problems that end up costing you way more to have fixed.  

Gas Appliance Repair

Many appliances in homes run on gas nowadays, but attempting to repair it by yourself can lead to serious problems. Hundreds of people die each year from carbon monoxide poisoning in the US. It is recommended that a professional handle these kinds of projects as even the smallest mistakes could be deadly.  

Leave Serious House Projects to the Professionals

DIY projects are supposed to be fun, not exhausting, and labor-intensive. If you find yourself needing to do any of the tasks above, contact a local trusted contractor. Here at Maintenance KC, we can help you with all your home improvement projects.