By Jim Salmon
The age old problem most home owners face is knowing exactly which home repair and improvement projects to tackle yourself, and which ones to hire out. I am not perfect with this either. Sometimes I get in way over my head and wind up hiring someone to pick up the pieces. The biggest home owner mistake is the time it takes to complete a project, especially if your wife or husband is upset with you. I always come up with a time frame and my wife, Diane, doubles the estimate, both time wise and how much the project will eventually cost. As I get older, safety becomes the driving factor in my decision. The following is a list of home improvement jobs you should not tackle unless you do them for a living.
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#1- Roofing and chimney work- Especially a three story home with an 8/12 pitch. You can kill yourself! I see the most ridiculous ladder setups people use to try and get to the top of a roof or to a chimney. Brackets, ladders lying on the roof with the bottoms in the gutter and worse, people hanging from non-approved ropes. Except for a close inspection after each winter for visible damage, and gutter cleaning, have as little to do with your roof as possible. Not to mention that roofers know the proper procedures of installing the roof correctly. One mistake with a valley and you will have leaking and ice dam issues for years and years. A roof job is supposed to be a twenty year, worry free project. Reason- danger, safety, experience.
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#2- Gutters- Unless you have a seamless gutter machine in the van in your driveway do not do your own gutters, except for cleaning and maintenance. Vinyl gutters are worthless pieces of junk! The fewer seams the less leaks, right? It only makes sense. Gutters are relatively cheap in the overall scheme of things. If you go to the home center and buy 5, ten foot long pieces of gutter, assuming you will get it on the house with the proper pitch, it will have as many as 7 seams in that run. Seven places for potential leaks. When you compare that to no seams except at the corners, it’s a “no brainer”. Reason- Long Term Maintenance, Leaks.
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#3- Tree trimming and removal- Are you out of your mind? Trying to take a 36” diameter maple tree down is pure numbskullism. It’s doubly ridiculous to attempt such a project if the tree is within falling distance of your home. Even if you are trimming a tree you can be hurt or killed while working high up in a tree without the proper protections and skills. If nothing else, the insurance will kill you! I saw a tree that fell on a house during a storm in Albion, New York this past spring. The tree crushed through the rafters and into the bedroom, coming to rest about 30” from the floor! Don’t risk it! Reason- Danger, safety, destruction.
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#4- Structural Repairs and Changes- When it comes to moving or removing walls, you may find yourself in a world of trouble. The question I get asked every week is, “can I remove that steel post in the basement so I can have more room for my pool table?” No, no, never! These design changes can only be made by an architect and a qualified and experienced contractor. While I have never seen a home that actually fell in on itself from this kind of stupidity, I have seen many sagging and settled floors and roof decks. A good rule to follow is “never cut a truss or a rafter, ever, for any reason”. Not that I care one bit what my town building inspector thinks, but this is one time he or she should be involved in your project. If you live in a larger town you may find an experienced building inspector an asset. If you live in a small town with a less experienced inspector, you may want to go outside the area for a final certificate of occupancy inspection. Reason- Danger, Value Reduction.
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#5- HVAC or Air Conditioning- Most of us have no idea how air conditioning works. And furthermore, most of us have no idea how to maintain these systems. All A/C systems should be cleaned and inspected by an HVAC professional every year. There is between 300 and 400 pounds per square inch of pressure in that copper coolant line going between your furnace and the A/C compressor cabinet outside. Do you have the equipment to test that pressure? Or to add coolant? Of course not! Make sure your system is inspected annually, usually in May. Reason- Efficiency, Comfort, and Value.
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#6- Exterior Painting- I wish I had a dollar for every time I saw a house where the homeowner had painted his house without much preparation work. To go through that much work and hassle to paint a house, only to have the paint peel off a year later is a shame. It’s all in the prep work! A professional painter is trained on how to deal with each particular problem a house could have, relating to paint and how to keep in on the home. While it can be expensive these days, a professional paint or stain job will most likely look better and last a lot longer than if you did it! Reason- Looks, Longevity, Wasting Money.
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#7- Replacement Windows- It would be a shame to install a vinyl replacement window only to have the air blow right past it! If you have ever seen a professional window installer, like the technicians at Comfort Window and Door, install a replacement window, it’s amazing how quickly and efficiently they do it. The window has to be sealed to the house. There is a higher degree of training that is required. Not to mention, how important it is to measure properly. A poorly installed replacement window can be a nightmare of leaks, both from water and air. How many times in your life would you measure an opening for a replacement window? If the window comes in and was made too big, you are in deep doo, doo! If for only for the warranty, it simply makes sense to hire a professional. Reason- Energy Efficiency, Comfort, Value.
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#8- Installing Pavers- Now, on this one I am a little biased I will admit. Three years ago I actually entertained the idea of doing my own paver driveway. Man, what a dope I was. I finally hired John Welch Enterprises to do the job. When I saw the equipment they used, and how deep the base was, and how much stone and tamping of that stone went into the project. I just thanked my luck stars I hadn’t been stupid enough to try that project myself. Not to mention the wasted time and product. My driveway looks great, and I love it! Installing pavers requires a ton of specialized training and just the right equipment. Face it guys; paver work is for young men or women, not old geezers like us. If I had done my own driveway job the pavers would have settled and become uneven and I would have been very upset with myself. This is one project that should be hired out in my opinion. Reason- Value, longevity, and saving your back.
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#9- Drywall Work- This is an easy one. What’s the first thing you see when you walk into a house? The walls right? As a professional home owner I see many, many signs of amateur workmanship. If 1 is the worst and 10 is contractor quality, acceptable amateur work should be in the 6 to 8 range. I see a ton of 2 to 5 drywall work, which is very unsightly, detracts from value, and lowers the amount of people in the “buyer pool”. If you want your home to be worth as much as it possibly can, don’t compromise. Anyone can read up on the proper way to install drywall, but when it comes to finishing it, hire a pro! Reason- Looks, Value, Embarrassment.
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#10- Attic Insulation and Ventilation- There are a few things at risk if you mess up the attic insulation and ventilation. First, you wind up cooking your roof, which dries out the shingles and causes curling and most likely violates your shingle warranty. Also, a poorly ventilated attic can cause your home to be too hot or too cold, that’s a comfort issue! Every home is different and requires a very specific plan on how to properly ventilate. The biggest mistake that homeowners make with fiberglass or cellulose is packing it into the overhangs. The soffits must breathe in order for air to pass from low to high and ventilate properly. Unless you are an advanced do-it-yourselfer, attic insulation and ventilation should be left to a professional. Modern insulation technology is closed cell polyurethane insulation. Throw out what you have learned about “R” value and replace it with “Air Sealing”. Foam is the way to solve those ice dam problems, reduce draft, and lower your heating bills. Foam insulation is rarely a home owner project. I hired JAG Construction to foam my lodge. What an unbelievable difference in comfort and efficiency, stunning! Reason- Cost, Efficiency, technology.
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Now here’s the deal. Many of you will read this and go right ahead and do these projects anyway. That’s fine, I never say “I told you so” to anyone. I make a very good living helping folks out of home repair jams. Feel free to call my office anytime at 585-589-5650. Remember; professional workmanship adds to value, amateur workmanship below a 7 to 8 on the scale detracts from value! You decide!
