Last Updated on October 16, 2024 by SampleBoard
If you’ve decided that 2024 is the year that you’re going to start that long-planned DIY project in your rented home, then good for you!
Creating a beautiful space in which to live and work is important for our general sense of well-being and can uplift every area of our lives.
But when is it a good idea to tackle the project ourselves, and when is it wiser to draft with professional help?
Use the guide below to help make a decision.
First of all, it’s important to be realistic about your level of skill and capability when it comes to the task ahead.
How confident are you - genuinely - that you have the time and ability to undertake the work to get the high-quality result you want?
For example, are there skills you’re going to need to brush up on or learn before starting work or research to undertake?
If this would eat into the time you have available for the project, could this end up in a rushed job with an undesirable outcome?
Perhaps you’ll come away thinking, yep, totally got this and are ready to get started. Or maybe, after a long, sober look at the project, you have to accept that laying new flooring isn’t your strong suit.
The truth hurts, but not as much as getting in a professional to rip up your efforts and start over.
If your DIY project involves any element of electricity or plumbing, get professional help, end of.
Trying to undertake such work yourself can constitute a major risk to your health, not to mention the health of your home.
A major leak, power cut, or electrical fire are just a few of the hazards of trying to undertake a rewiring or plumbing task yourself.
And when you’re arranging for a professional to visit to do the work, don’t forget to check you’ve got personal liability renters insurance.
This covers you should an individual suffer an accident or injury while in your home.
As part of planning a project, assess whether any heavy lifting will be required. It may be tempting to simply have a go at this yourself or enlist the help of a friend but think twice.
Injuries sustained as a result of heavy lifting - usually to the back - can cause long-term problems and just aren’t worth risking.
Trained professionals know the proper techniques, posture, etc, to make heavy lifting as safe as possible - and have access to a team of people to ensure that one person doesn’t need to lift something unwieldy alone.
If your DIY project will involve purchasing special tools to achieve a great result, you may want to consider hiring the services of a professional - unless you have access to a library of advanced tools, of course!
Tools can be very expensive and, as something you may never have cause to use again, maybe something you’d prefer not to invest in.
If, realistically, getting an expert to complete the work wouldn’t cost a great deal more than purchasing the specialty tools and equipment required to finish the project, you may want to reconsider doing the job yourself.
You’ve started a DIY project with great confidence, but things have taken a bad turn. It happens.
Whether this is a painting and decorating job that’s gone south or you’ve tried to install a built-in wardrobe and have knocked a few lumps out of the plaster, calling in the experts is a good move if things haven’t gone to plan.
Sure, it’s tempting to try and bodge a repair yourself or hide the mistake with a well-placed picture, rug, or piece of furniture, but resist.
When it’s eventually discovered at the end of your tenancy or during a standard property inspection, you could be faced with a very unhappy landlord - and the loss of your security deposit.
Planning a DIY project for your rental home is exciting and can be a great way to help make the space feel more your own.
However, it’s really important to ascertain when it’s doable to undertake the work yourself and when it’s wise - or even essential - to call in the help of professionals.
In general, anything that could result in a threat to your safety or, should it go awry, risk damage to the property should be the province of the experts.
But if you’re feeling confident, and are happy to learn the skills you’ll need to do some tiling, painting, shelf building, or similar, then feel free to get stuck in.
