The introduction of cable channels with programming dedicated to all things home including HGTV and the DIY Network may inspire homeowners to take on home fixes and decorating challenges as well.
While we understand that homeowners will do some of their own home repairs or small renovations, projects such as kitchen remodeling should be left to the professionals. People always underestimate the amount of time and number of trades involved in re-doing a kitchen or bathroom. One kitchen job we completed recently required the hiring of every trade you would use to build an entire new house with the exception of concrete and roofing! This customer spent an entire year in frustration trying to make all decisions and plan the work on her own before contracting with us. The job was completed seamlessly in 6 weeks from start to finish. Interestingly, the client SAVED MONEY by hiring us to do the entire job. The customer was able to pay for cabinet material, labor, and some of the granite tops with the $16,000 the local home improvement store was going to charge her for cabinet material alone!
It is common to grossly underestimate and/or undervalue the time and effort required to accomplish a task. This can create a perceived savings when comparing DIY to hiring a professional. For example, painting a wall may only take 20 minutes, however, selecting the color, specifying the paint, estimating the quantity, ordering the paint, picking up the paint, and buying all the rollers, tape, trays, liners and brushes may take days of your time. Not to mention the masking, prep work, cutting-in and cleanup of the actual paint task. Did we mention the moving of furniture and required floor protection? This type of perception can seriously skew an “apples to apples” comparison when considering the hiring of a professional. Actual cost savings with DIY can be elusive and often non-existent.
Remodelers wouldn’t perform open-heart surgery on a loved one without medical expertise. Remodeling is open-heart surgery for the home—only professionals should attempt it. A homeowner should look at a project, consider the worst case scenario and ask, ‘If it comes to this, will I know how to fix it?’ One careless error coordinating the hundreds of parts and pieces in a typical kitchen can blow your entire budget.
Insurance and Warranty Considerations When Doing It Yourself
Insurance. Damage to your home is typically covered by your homeowner’s insurance policy if the damage meets their criteria of being “sudden and accidental”. If damage is caused by the homeowner during a do-it-yourself project, it is unlikely to meet this criteria of being sudden and accidental. Whether the damage is covered or not, the homeowner would be obligated to pay all the repair costs out of pocket if the policy deductible has not been met. The end result is a higher premium or - more likely – cancellation of the homeowner’s insurance policy by the carrier. On the other hand, if a licensed and insured tradesperson is hired either directly or through a remodeler any potential damage and repairs would be covered entirely by the trade contractor’s liability coverage.
Warranties. Did you know that modifying a system such as the electrical system in a home by doing something as simple as installing a ceiling fan yourself can void the contractor’s warranty for the entire system? Homebuilder’s sales contracts typically list this condition due to inexperienced or unlicensed do-it-yourselfers. A single change can overload the entire system potentially causing failure or even a fire throughout the entire system. In addition, it is best to purchase products through a reputable and licensed contractor in order to keep the manufacturer’s warranty on material and labor intact. If a product you purchase at a home improvement center or on-line requires repair service, the manufacturer’s warranty will only cover the product, not the labor for the repair. The labor cost for a repair could easily exceed any savings realized through purchasing the product yourself.
A few other things to keep in mind when considering home centers, internet discount companies or other DIY choices for remodeling work.
· Home centers are not “General Contractors” nor do they employ anyone to manage the entire job start to finish.
· The prices listed on merchandise are for the material alone. Installation labor is always extra.
· When buying a product on line, shipping costs can be substantial, even hundreds of dollars.
· Home centers do not manage “deconstruction” work. Deconstruction differs from demolition in that it requires that specific existing items be left in place to integrate seamlessly with the new.
· Deconstruction and demolition require a great deal of trash hauling and debris removal. If you do it yourself, you will need to rent a truck and make several trips to the city landfill to dispose of the material properly. Home centers do not provide this service.
· If you have ever seen the movie, “The Money Pit”, you will recognize that removal of existing items frequently reveals other hidden problems such as water intrusion. While the movie was a comical exaggeration for entertainment purposes, the reality is that the do-it-yourselfer can get way out of his league in an instant when these issues arise.
“One of these things is not like the other….”
We all remember the children’s song “One of these things is not like the other. One of these things just doesn’t belong”. Embarking on a home improvement project on your own without professional guidance opens the door to combining elements that don’t work well together. While it may seem as though you are saving money in the short term, the long-term effect is a flawed interior that could cost you much more in resale value. If you really want to refresh your look, but your budget is limiting what you can do, it is best to call a professional who can make suggestions about which items should be changed and what will produce the best end result. It is very sad - and unfortunately common - to see someone go through the effort and expense of home modification to find out in the end that what they considered an improvement, others may consider a mistake!
Please do not misinterpret this newsletter as a knock on home centers. Home centers fulfill an important need for professionals as well as consumers. There are thousands of projects that can be undertaken safely and successfully on your own with purchases made at your local home improvement center. Our goal is to educate consumers about the complexity of major home modifications and to provide a basis for cost comparisons when considering doing something yourself.
