Six Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down Jobs | |
We've analyzed six popular do-it-yourself projects based on how much it costs and how much time is involved to do-it-yourself, compared with hiring a contractor. Even though each offers a savings of at least 50% to do-it-yourself, you'll see there's th3 of them that we'd never do. 1. Painting a Typical Room Painting a room wins our Oscar for the best DIY project. Anyone can do it and it requires a minimum investment in equipment. A painting contractor charges about $285 to paint the walls and ceiling of a typical 16x20 foot living room using latex paint. You can do the job in a weekend with about $90 worth of paint and materials, an investment that saves you almost 70% of what a pro charges. You get the best-looking results if you spend more time preparing the room than painting it. Remove as much furniture as possible and protect the floor with drop cloths of old sheets. Dust away cobwebs and dustballs and wash away dirt and grease. If there are cracks and nail holes, patch them with a spackling compound. If your walls are badly cracked, allow more time for repairs. 2. Remove 2 Layers of Wallpaper Removing wallpaper is the epitome of grunt work because it's messy, unpleasant, and very labor intensive. That's why it's a project that you can't afford not to do. For example, to have a paper hanger or painter remove 2 layers of wallpaper from a 10x12 ft. room will cost about 45 cents a square foot. You can do-it-yourself for about .05 cents a sq. ft. and save almost 90%. You need a razor scraper with a wide blade and wallpaper remover solvent applied with a garden sprayer or a sponge mop or paint roller and bucket. Use plastic drop cloths taped to the top of the floor moldings to protect the floor. 3. Adding Fiberglass Insulation in the Attic Always get a bid from an insulation installer to compare the cost of the material with what he'll charge. To upgrade a 1,000 sq. ft. attic space with 9-in. thick fiberglass batts, an installer charges at least $650. Using sale priced insulation for around $300, you can save more than half of that if you do-it-yourself. The tools required are simple ones: large scissors and utility knife. Invest in a good quality respirator with replaceable filters and safety goggles to protect you from the dangerous dust and wear protective clothing and a hat. You'll spend a day crawling around in the attic because it takes time to cut and fit the batts around framing and heating ducts. The savings should ease the soreness. 4. Refinish a Hardwood Floor Don't be tempted by the whooping DIY savings of almost 75% and refinish your own floors. If you make a mistake and gouge or damage the floor, it's costly to repair, which far outweigh your savings. Floor sanding is not an easy project. It's not the kind of job where you can practice first and develop the knack of operating the equipment. And it's difficult to transport because it's heavy and rarely fits into a standard car trunk. If your work is on the second floor, it's a two-man job to muscle the brute around. A professional floor refinisher charges about $1.70 a sq. ft. to sand, stain and seal a hardwood floor. A typical 12x15 ft. room will coat about $300 - it's money well spent in our opinion. 5. Install a New Roof Don't go up on the roof - leave this project to the roofer. Save money some other way, don't be lured by the substantial savings of almost 60% by doing-it-yourself. It's dangerous working on an unfamiliar and potentially slippery surface that's high above the ground. Your roof has many areas that require flashing to seal up vent pipes and dormers protruding through the roof. All these are potential areas for a leak, which can damage walls and ceilings inside quickly negating any savings. Roofing isn't a good DIY project unless it's on a low shed, or better yet, a dog house. 6. Hanging Wall Board Despite an impressive 70% savings to hang your own wallboard. it's not a recommended project. The 4x8 or 4x12 ft. sheets of drywall are heavy and difficult to transport and handle because their corners damage easily. Maneuvering them to the second floor is a Herculean feat. Taping the sheets so no seams show is not easy and requires lots of man hours. A professional installer charges about $200 to hang standard 1/2-in. thick drywall on the walls of a 10x12 ft. room. Watch him do it! There's one instance when a we do hang wallboard. For a small job like a single wall or patching a hole, it's difficult to find a professional who wants the job. Written by the editors of HouseNet Copyright HouseNet, Inc. |