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I might have mentioned it once or twice before, but I love DIY projects. My husband Pieter doesn’t mind DIY projects either and is always ready to help when a new one pops up. Of course, not all my ideas get standing ovations, but when I ask for help or his input he jumps right in. Our house in Rome (Georgia, not Italy), was a treasure trove of DIY projects. While I’m sure Pieter would have been very happy spending our weekends just relaxing by the pool, I knew I could count on him providing the help and expertise that some of the projects called for and he didn’t mind giving up many of his weekends.
By the way, feel free to read about that exciting year in our USA Adventure starting with When in Rome.
There is a Fine Line
Back to my story. We all know there is a fine line though between what we can do ourselves, and what we should hire a professional for. Even back in Rome, we couldn’t do everything ourselves. There was the oven that never worked and for which I finally “called a guy”. Or back when the heat in our house went out, we had to “call a guy”. And lastly, when a big storm came through and left us with a gutter and roof parts on the ground, I, yes you guessed it, “called a guy”.
You have to look at all the possible DIY projects and know that maybe getting up on a ladder all by yourself and attempting to reinstall a gutter is not the smartest idea or the best use of your time.
Know your Strengths and your Limitations
Here at our home in Suwanee, we have completed so many DIY projects already. The temptation to go against my limitations has presented itself on many occasions. For instance, I love painting and I’m very good at it too (if I can say so). I painted the family room, the kitchen, the living room and even bathrooms and closets. But when it was time to paint the two story foyer and all our wood trim and doors, I was tempted to just take care of that myself. But I didn’t and I am so glad I “called a guy”. They had the proper tools for the project, were able to focus on completing the project as quickly as possible and freed up my time to focus on other projects or tasks.
Nothing Says you can’t Try First
From time to time you come across a problem that looks like you should immediately “call a guy”, but don’t act too hasty. If you do have a moment, really look at the problem (or like I would like to call it – potential DIY project), and determine if there is something you can do to fix it first.
I have the perfect example (although I wasn’t the one doing the research or the fixing). Our upstairs AC unit started “acting up”. It would reach the set temperature, turn off, turn on again, off again and do this for a couple of times before finally shutting off. We knew we were on borrowed time with these units – we were told just that when we bought the house – but it couldn’t hurt to do some research and see if there was something we could do ourselves. And that is just what Pieter did. It turns out, we had a faulty fan blower control, they were available on Amazon – who knew! – and Pieter installed it in just about 30 minutes. Problem solved and in this case, hundreds saved. Of course, not even six months later the same thing happened to our downstairs unit and we just ordered the part again!
By the way, if your AC unit is on the older side and is having the same problem, do some research! You never know – your part could also be on Amazon.
Or back when the fridge caused a mini-flood and had to be fixed. We researched, ordered the part and fixed it ourselves. Along with cleaning up the mess it caused. Over the years we have done a lot of DIY projects that were more on the fixing side than the decorating side. That is part of regular home ownership for us regular folks.
You will Know
Next time you run into one of these opportunities for a DIY project, take some time and do the math. Would you physically be able to do the project? Can you get the parts or tools you need easily? And do you have the time available to do the project? You will quickly know whether you should attempt it or save yourself time and “call a guy”.
I feel like now is a good time to mention that some tasks are best left to the professionals. In my opinion, if it involves getting on the roof of a three story house, call a professional. Be smart fellow DIY’ers!
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