What new homeowners should consider about DIY projects
You’ve done the hard part.
You’ve spent hours researching locations, school districts, public transport, comparable listings and so on and so on and so on. And you’ve finally bought a house.
After the initial wave of enthusiasm (“Woah! We bought a house!) subsides, you will start looking around your new home at the things that are not quite perfect. Maybe you want to knock out a wall, add a nice deck, or redo the bathrooms. Maybe you want to convert the attic, turn a bedroom into an office, or give yourself more kitchen space.
Whatever you need to do to turn your new home into a dream home, here are some things to consider before diving into DIY.
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Be smart about outsourcing
It is completely natural to want to work on your home yourself – after all, you will feel more connected to the finished place when you have invested your own blood, sweat, and tears in the renovations. That being said, it is important to be realistic about what you should and should not do.
Let’s start with what you should outsource: Electrical work and plumbing, for example, should certainly be turned over to someone with the expertise to do the job correctly (and safely!). If you have to refinish wood floors, it is possible to rent the machines you need, buy the stain, and tackle the job yourself. But experts charge reasonable rates to take that job off your hands, saving you time and money in the long run.
What you should do yourself: Any job that requires time and little expertise, you should probably do yourself. A good example of this is your kitchen cabinets – if you buy “ready to assemble” cabinets and put them together yourself, you could save a fortune by not needing a crew to come out and do that for you.
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Decide between repairing and replacing
When you’re looking to manage the budget, you might think about repairing as opposed to replacing certain things in your home. Again, it is important to be smart about it. Repairing an AC unit, for example, might save you money up front, but the lack of efficiency could cost you dearly in the long run. That being said, sometimes you can save big by having an open mind about what elements of the house can be repurposed.
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Learn to prioritize jobs that add the most value
It might not be possible to do everything at once. So, you will have to become ruthless about prioritizing which jobs improve the quality of living in your home and which jobs actually add value to the home. Investing in smart technology, for example, can save you money on your electric bill and add value to the house. However, you may want to postpone cosmetic upgrades to perfectly functional areas of the house – your bathrooms, for example, might not be the exact color tile you want, but there is no need to sink thousands of dollars into a job that isn’t needed immediately.
If you want more information about how Property Matters can help you find your next home, get in touch with one of our local experts.