When Not to Do It Yourself

If I had a hammer

When not to do it yourself :

A thrifty homeowner decides to save money by refinishing hos living room floors himself. He rents a sanding machine. He starts the job. He blows a fuse. As he troops back upstairs after flipping the switch, the newly activated sander grinds a hole through his floor.

The story will serve as fair warning for do-it-yourselfers who want to do it all. There are times when you just have to call a professional. Many people should know. Here are lists of jobs you could do yourselves and jobs for which you should seek professional help:

Do-it-yourself jobs:

Job with inexpensive tools and materials, such as indoor painting.

Grunt work jobs, which involve more sweat than materials, like removing paint, wallpaper, or tiles.

Jobs that require few skills, such as patching wall holes, caulking windows, and yard work.

Jobs to hire out

• Electoral, plumbing, and foundation work that must pass building codes – a licensed professionals will know local requirements.
• Projects with expensive building materials, such as hand-painted tile or high-end carpeting.
• Dangerous jobs, such as installing a new roof.

Walls of New York City. Photo by Elena.

From Klutz to Carpenter

Do-it-yourself kits are economical, easy, and the quality can surprise

In olden times, master cabinetmakers would spend months crafting chairs, desks, bureaus, and sideboards to grace the homes of their well-heeled clients. But today's resourceful furniture makers are pushing furniture that you can assemble by yourself, sometimes in just a few minutes

Furniture-by-the-kit has come a long way. Sure, some ready-to-assemle (RTA, for short), kits still can drive you crazy as you sort screws, nuts, and grommets in various teacups.But with the best kits, the assembly agony is mercifully brief, and the chair doesn't wobble when you're done.

Thanks to modern machinery, the pieces can be as well constructed as any in your home. Even a klutz will be able to assemble most items, though sometimes it will take some doing and some help. Most of the items today are ingenious in their use of sophisticated technology and bold in their insistence on top-quality materials.

Although we can hail the designs as nearly idiot-proof, the instructions are not always as clear as they could have been. Assembly time take usually from 2 to 35 minutes.

Kits generally include any special tools that you may need, glue, sandpaper, and stain. Prices are reasonable about one-third the cost of a comparable finished product. Many companies will sell you their finished pieces for about double the price. But think of the satisfaction you'll get if you put the item together with your own hands.