When you see the quote for even the smallest building job around your home, you'll be tempted to believe you can do it yourself for half the price and eliminate the tradesman's labour cost.

And maybe you can.

But, before you head off to the hardware store, sit down and think it through carefully.

There are obviously some jobs you can't do. It's illegal to do your own electrical and plumbing work. Doing any of this work yourself may also void your home insurance policies if there is a fire or other damage caused by the work.

Also, unless you're very experienced you should not attempt:

• Any work on a steep roof
• Any work that requires ladders or scaffold higher than two storeys
• Any really hard work such as major excavation or concreting.
• Work that involves removing roofing or external cladding
• Any work that requires special skills such as plastering and cabinet making.

And when it comes to other home maintenance work, you need to:

• assess your DIY skill levels realistically,
• own or have access to the right tools for the job,
• know how to use these tools,
• estimate how long the job will take you,
• calculate what you think your time is worth and
• consider why you want to do it yourself

Assess your skills

Be realistic here. Don't start a job you won't be able to finish. Consider what damage you could do to the value of your house if the job doesn't turn out to look very tradesmanlike. If the work will be covered, this may not be a concern, but if we're talking about final fixtures and finishes, any money you save may reduce the value of your house by ten times that amount if the work is not up to professional standard.

The right tools

A lot of home maintenance work requires special tools not usually found in the average homeowners toolbox. Of course you can hire most tools these days, but this cost should be included in your estimate of your savings.

Know how

If you don't own the tools needed to do the job, chances are you don't have much experience in their use. Powerful electric tools can be dangerous if you're not experienced. An electric router in the hands of a tradesman will produce magic results. In the hands of the inexperienced it can be lethal.

Estimate the time

If you're not an experienced handyman, you should figure that it will take you approximately 3 times as long to do a job as it would take a tradesman. This may not be a problem for small jobs, but with bigger projects this could cause a major problem. Consider what would happen if you ran out of time and the job was only half finished.

What is your time worth?

Every hour of your life has a value, even (or maybe especially) your leisure time. You should also consider the emotional cost of the stress to yourself and your family of a long and drawn out project. Calculating what your time is worth is a personal decision, dependent on your own circumstances, but it is not zero.

Why do you want to do it yourself?

If you want to do it to save money, calculating the costs above may change your mind. You should also consider the possible cost of getting a tradesman to rectify any mistakes you make. And if you're doing it for the satisfaction of a job well done … what if the job is not 'well done'?

HOWEVER doing jobs around your own house can be immensly satisfying. Just remember, if you're not experienced, start small and work slowly. Soon you'll be a competent DIY handyperson with all the skill necessary to tackle most jobs around the house.

Contact Matthews Electric!