Bristol DIY upgrades
Doing DIY jobs at home can both save you money and be enormously satisfying. However, if things go wrong you could end up with an expensive and stressful problem on your hands, so it’s important not to overestimate what you are capable of and know when it’s the right time to get a professional in. Here are five home improvement jobs you should never attempt yourself.
Installing a dishwasher
If your new dishwasher doesn’t come with free installation, hire a professional plumber in rather than going it alone. Whilst getting it in the space might be easy enough there are other complications such as drilling holes for water lines, connecting power lines and plumbing in to the mains water. That’s a lot of scope for costly mistakes.
Render repairs
Whilst you might be able to do a basic repair job on your render by covering over some cracks, what you won’t have is the expertise to know whether those cracks are the sign of a serious problem like subsidence or if they may cause your house to become damp. Hiring an external render repair professional in to do the job will save you expense and trouble in the future.
Knocking down an interior wall
Removing a wall can create more space in your home but before you start swinging that sledgehammer you must ask a building contractor to confirm that the wall isn’t load bearing. Damaging the wrong wall can have serious consequences like the ceiling caving in, which isn’t only expensive and inconvenient to fix but could leave you with serious injuries.
Sanding floors
Using a floor sander looks easy but is actually a skill that takes time and practice to develop if you want a smooth and even surface. An amateur attempt is usually so obvious that it not only leaves lumps, bumps and scratches on your floor but can even lower the value of your house. On top of that it is a dusty, messy and unpleasant experience if you don’t know what you’re doing.
Electrical repairs
Whilst a badly done sanding job only looks bad, a badly done electrical job could kill you. If you have lots of DIY experience you may be able to manage installing a light switch or fixture, but anything more complicated must be handled by a licensed electrician. Yes, electricians can be expensive, but that’s because they’ve spent years training to do a skilled and dangerous job.
Gas piping
If you suspect your gas boiler or another gas appliance is faulty or leaking, you must never grab your spanner and attempt to fix it yourself. If you do you’re putting not only yourself, but also your family, neighbours and potentially your whole street at risk from gas leaks, carbon monoxide poisoning, fires and even explosions. This is definitely not worth it just because you wanted to save a few pounds by not calling in an expert.
