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When you love home decorating, it can be easy to want to dabble in home renovations as well. You’ve bought new furniture for your living room, but now you’re realizing that it would look so much better against hardwood floors or laminate instead of your old carpet. Should you hire someone to do it, or can you do it yourself? Here are four things to keep in mind when considering home renovations.
You can handle certain renovations on your own, but you should hire a professional for remodeling.
In the world of home improvement, renovations and remodeling are not interchangeable terms. Renovations refer to updates made to the interior (or even the exterior) of a home. This includes new kitchen or bathroom countertops, and even replacing your front door. Remodeling is when the interior of the room is completely changed, thus involving some electrical and plumbing work. Adding an addition to your home is also considered remodeling.
There are, however, some projects that are considered renovations that may require the expertise of a professional.
Renovations You Can Handle
- Painting or wallpapering the walls
- Installing tiles, hardwood, or laminate flooring
- Switching out the hardware on cabinets
- Updating sink faucets and showerheads
- Changing door knobs on doors
Renovations That Require a Professional
- Installing new garage doors (this can potentially be done by the homeowner if it’s a manual door.)
- Laying carpet (this doesn’t necessarily require a professional, but special tools are required to install carpet, and buying or renting the tools can be expensive.)
- Window installations
- Switching out light fixtures
- Roof replacements
Almost all renovations involving electricity are best left to the professionals.
Revisiting home remodels, it was mentioned that remodeling often requires the work of professionals, and in the context of electrical work, an electrician. For example, if you want to tear down a wall to create more space, the wall may be connected to switches and outlets. Even small renovations can involve wires and other electrical sources, and there are a lot of risks associated with electricity. Improper techniques can lead to electrocution, burns, power shortages, and even fires if you’re not sure what you’re doing.
Some people are skilled and pretty knowledgeable when it comes to minor electricity-related projects, and most cities allow their citizens to do their own (minor) electrical work. It is, however, illegal to do electrical work for a friend or family member (living in another house) if you are not licensed to do electrical work. If electrical work is something you want to be able to do on your own, you need to get the proper education and training to obtain your license in your state for electrical work.
You don’t have to do everything at once.
The need to have everything done at once can be pretty overwhelming. You know exactly what you want your entire house to look like, and you want all of the rooms to be done at the same time. Renovations take time and money, so if you have both, then it’s okay to try and get everything done at once. Realistically, most people don’t have that kind of time or that much money.
Renovations that can be done without a professional can take anywhere from a few days to a few months, depending on the type of renovation and the number of projects you want to get done.
When in doubt, ask for help.
While there are plenty of home renovation projects that can be done without the help of a professional, DIYs and home improvements are not everyone’s strong suit. Laying tile or hardwood floors is simple for some, but it can be difficult for others. Some people would even prefer to pay the money to have it installed instead of spending time installing it themselves— and that’s fine too. Everyone’s strengths and weaknesses lie in different places, so don’t be afraid to ask for help when you can’t figure something out.
At the end of the day, you want your renovations to be done properly, efficiently, and safely. If that’s something you can do on your own, then go for it. If it’s something that you do not have the ability to do, then it’s okay to hire a professional such as roofing contractors in Northern Kentucky.
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