I am pretty handy and have done a lot of interior work over the years. Now I am starting to think about exterior stuff and not sure where the line is. Roof, windows, siding, and gutters all need attention at some point. Trying to figure out what I can tackle to save money and what is genuinely better left to the pros.
Every single one of those trades is learned so if you're willing to learn how to do it, you can do it
My own personal guide is if I'm sick of doing something I may hire out (I've always ended up regretting it) and the roof on my house is steeper than I'm comfortable with. I'll redo the roof on my detached garage, but when it's time for the house that'll get hired out
Sucky part is when you DIY like I do every single project in your house is somebody’s first time ever doing that project 🤷
Can't say I agree with the premise, every project teaches you something even if projects aren't the same you should be learning transferable skills and lessons about how to plan and execute projects.
Even within a single project, it's gonna take a long time and patience to do it and then the next step can be easier. Your 4th outlet replacement should go faster than your first, your 5th row of tiles should be going smoother than your first
Call Before You Dig
Little Giant ladder from Costco (google the injuries from falling) and fiberglass poles near electrical lines
Black & Decker Guide to Home Improvement & Reno’s (Stanley has a series of guides). Thespruce.com, This Old House, The Family Handyman (these are websites)
Personal Protective Equipment - safety glasses, respirators, hearing, knee pads……
Off the top of my head would be waterproofing a shower rough-in.
Diy small projects. Whatever it is. Research learn etc.
Large? Pay up. It goes so much faster and won't ruin your sanity and relationships.
Large as in entire bathrooms or kitchens with plumbing and electricity.
I am relatively handy and wouldn’t do any of those. That said there is not really roi on windows based on what I have read
The way I sees it, ya ask two questions:
1) What's the risk I'm gonna break something or someone?
2) How much do I enjoy it?
Then two follow ups:
1a) How certain are you that you understand the risk? If it isn't 100% you need to ask someone who knows. If you can't safely do the task yourself, don't want to, or don't know how to quantify the risk well enough to answer you need to hire someone.
2a) Put a price on your free time. What would you pay if you paid for your relaxation activity by the hour? If you would pay more to do something in your free time than it costs to hire someone else, you need to hire someone.
Sure, but your first row of tiles is still going to look like your first row of tiles. And there are plenty of projects where mistakes in early steps are magnified as the project goes on even if the overall quality of work increases. Ideally, if you're paying a contractor, you're paying for every row of tiles to look like someone's 10,000th row of tiles.
That's not to say you shouldn't DIY stuff. It's tremendously valuable to learn new skills and it can save you a lot of money, but the person you replied to is right - if every project in your house is your first time doing that sort of project, it's going to look like it.
I guess this really depends and some people aren't people who should DIY if they're always going to afraid of how it looks.
It is possible to DIY projects and have a professional finished product even if it's your first time. Sorry for assuming people in the DIY sub wouldn't be striving to have quality end results
Some things require a crew to do expeditiously. Like a roof. I won’t be replacing a roof, because I live in a rainforest and you have to work around good weather windows.
Single-handedly, I’d finish exposing the wood just in time for it to get rained on, realistically.
Gutters? Gutters generally suck. But the question to ask yourself is this: do you want to buy modular vinyl shit at the big box store and install it yourself, or have the gutter truck with the sheet metal vending machine roll up and customize to your house?
The question isn’t always just labor. There’s time constraints, and specialized equipment that also factors in to many trades.
Replacing windows is worth DIYing, though. Don’t get scammed by “renewal by Anderson” or anything like that.
Read up heavily on proper weather sealing.
A good pair of knee pads has been a life saver for me, especially now that I'm getting older.