The Extreme Merits & Inconvenience of DIY
The truth is: home improvement costs more money than ever. So, of course, DIY is an avenue oft pursued, in an effort to save some cash. Homeowners across the country are complaining about the obscene costs associated with renovating— and they’re not wrong. If you’re newly considering DIY, it’s likely sticker shock is driving the impulse. Inevitably I’ll see a post by an utterly perturbed homeowner who lambasts the pitiful/shocking bids they’ve received, reaching instead for advice on how to do it themselves. There’s two standout camps: the cheerleading section that says You can do it! Here’s how! And, the contractors who push back and say: Well, do YOU have all the tools/knowledge/experience to do this in a proper & timely way? They chase each other’s tails in the comments section, not always too kind. Most homeowners just want a proper job done… but are learning what that takes… which unfortunately includes the pitfalls of going with the cheapest/most convenient bid. A proper job, done by a pro, will be fast & good, though not usually cheap — hence the sticker shock (unless someone is giving you a friends ’n’ family deal). A job can still be good -and cheaper- if you’re working with a hungry apprentice/not-yet-master/ moonlighter/ retired contractor… but it ain’t likely gonna be fast, especially if they’re moonlighting your project. And still, it might not be to code or industry standards or what you want, if they’re still learning. How long a project timeline can you tolerate? What quality do you expect/want? How custom/unique? What is your ACTUAL capacity to handle DIY? An HONEST assessment of these variables are at the crux of the DIY calculus.
When considering whether, or to what-degree DIY is for you, you should ask yourself how well you care about or want to observe codes and standards of building. The risk of selling down the line, and you never pulled permits, and you sorta knew what you were doing. Maybe you’re better behind the veneer, but finishing is too refined for your skillset/temperament. How would YOU feel buying this house, with your DIY-work? How well do you understand the order-of-operations? That’s a BIG tripper-upper. Easier for small, discrete fixes; much more layered, consequential, and detailed when more trades need to be involved to adequately complete the project. Do you have a full materials list, and can order everything you need, to be onsite BEFORE getting started? Not knowing/deciding or having everything on the front end (BEFORE demo/build/installation) leads to delays, sometimes years, I’m not kidding. What is your tolerance for living like a refuge adjacent a construction site? How good of a project manager are you? How well do you finish projects? How timely? How thorough?
DIY is famously fantasizing, so be wary of eyes that are bigger than stomachs! The trap of DIY fantasy can be very deep, indeed::: (for example) a new fridge too-big for the kitchen, so you take out a wall, and then another, and then you decide the hell with it, and tear it back to the bones, without a solid plan of where you’re going. So you stall, while you research and save more money. Years later, the kitchen once unraveled, is still hanging open with loose ends, all these details that take time & effort to see the project through. A project frozen due to any number of unknowns that need illumination before being able to proceed any further. An extreme case, I know, but when you want your castle, and want to DIY all the way, it can take a damn long time to figure it all out and complete the work.
Which is why it is helpful to consider the values and penalties of instead bringing in a contractor or two, to do some of the things you can’t (without great or painful effort). But discernment IS essential. If you’re supposedly paying a pro to do what you cannot, how do you know what to look for? To what degree is it worth taking the risk with a contractor, to meet your objectives? Some things you can maybe handle, or learn, or already know. Some things are more serious in their liability and should probably be addressed by a pro.
Turning to a pro is a whole other topic, one I won’t elaborate on here. But it is worth remembering that the building & housing industry (and the attitudes that go along with it, including property owners themselves), as a whole, are pretty gangster. Also analogous: how DIY has a dubious reputation, as any homeowner who’s purchased a “DIY/landlord/flip special” will likely grouse. Not far afield are the so-called “general contractors” who sub-out ALL the work to the cheapest, most readily-available labor that will get them a barely minimal viable product, while they’re out “managing” other jobs, hardly on-site. In this scenario, definitely expect that corners are cut, skills won’t be high-grade or even professional, details won’t be adequately communicated or observed, objectives won’t be clear, and at least one somebody is going to walk away feeling pretty bad about the whole thing. A wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am sub isn’t going to give a hoot about site protection, your layout, preference for this or that material transition, usability, or cleaning up. And you feel like they’re charging an arm and a leg for the trouble they might very well behind.
It is very tempting to reach for DIY.
DIY, while maybe cost-saving, is more accurately a state of mind and an orientation towards getting the space you want.
DIY is about thrift, control, industry, and a builder’s/maker’s joy. If these are already core tenants in your wheelhouse of life, DIY can be a very, very satisfying path. It is, indeed, an orientation for many people, including myself. DIY is the best strategy we handy people have to get the homes of our dreams, no matter how modest or undecorated! And remember: DIY can be á la carte. You don’t have to do it all. Even just SOME of your labor will go a long way towards a more satisfying project, and less money going to somebody else.
Top reasons to go DIY:
You already live a DIY lifestyle, so off-roading is familiar territory. You have the tools, the workshop; you already know, and make everything you can b/c you like it that way.
You’re in the biz of house-flipping, so you have your standard protocol. It’s DIY, but dialed-in. This form of DIY avoids rabbit holes/nuance/precision (not good for the business equation). The goal is turning a profit, so excellently-done work is rare. The work tends to get subbed out to the lowest/most ignorant bid, and that comes with all sorts of shortcuts.
You’re practical and enjoy the challenge of solving a puzzle. Your engineer-brain is confident in figuring out new fixes. It’s thrilling to easily solve technical issues, use tools & your hands. You build & fix because you love to & can. You maybe already know something about the building trades, or have some experience, and can easily transfer your skills to a new area.
You want a quality outcome that feels personal & soulful. You want to take your time to understand the decisions being made, select good contractors when necessary, and find the best & most economical finish choices. This form may not necessarily involve your direct labor, but you may instead choose to be your own GC/project manager/designer.
Hard to find quality contractors (this is annoying/ problematic/ pervasive/ real).
Save money (this is highly conditional/relative).
When “design-first” is a prime orientation, DIY can be glorious! Well designed spaces, when handled by an all-pro team, usually does come with an expensive price tag b/c you’re buying their product, not just their consultation & expert opinion. Doing at least some of the leg-work yourself, can yield big ROI by the time the project dust has settled. Thoughtful planning can yield a layout and functionality that maximize the objectives of the space. Superior and unique finishes, cobbled together through different shops and sources, is a great way to beat in-house design outfits that make their margins by how much of their product that gets sold. Excellent finds can be discovered secondhand (or with periodic sales) if you allow many months for product research & selection. Long runways are more likely to have better user & aesthetic design, once the project is eventually completed. A permaculture-like approach to the space (observing over seasons to discover what works best) may be impractical if you’re on a short timeline, but it helps to go through literally every household activity that you can think might take place in the space you are looking to refresh, and work out how best to lay things out. Don’t just abstractly or theoretically consider how much cabinet space you might need — really take a look at ALL the material objects that you want to have fit into the space, that meet the needs of the activities taking place in that particular space, and where they should live for the most ideal functionality. Blue painters tape to mark new locations, transitions, walls/structure, can be incredibly helpful to visualize and plan (MANY MONTHS IN ADVANCE).
When “cost-first” is a, or the, prime orientation, DIY takes on a different flavor. While cost-first assumes you can do it cheaper, it doesn’t mean faster or higher quality; it depends how complex the work is compared to your existing skill set and experience. While saving money might be possible, it really depends, and is relative to HOW LONG the project ultimately takes, how much it takes away from the rest of your life while everyone is waiting for you to finish, and how well the work holds up. Subpar (cheap!) materials that will breakdown shortly after all your effort, is a prime variable to be aware of. You can go through ALLLLL the tedious effort to prep & paint your place, but if you’re using fast-dry caulking + big box contractor-grade paint (and only one coat), you’ll have to paint again in short order; maybe you’ll get a couple years before things start looking cracked-out and beat again. Honestly, (especially if it’s YOUR home), it’s better to drop the extra funds on quality paint - and take the time to do that second or third coat— and that effort will last many years. The logic of: while you’re already there, you should just DO IT, does hold up, even if your wallet objects. And obviously, budget constraints are real, the timeline might be short, and capacity to find the best option for the best price limited… and so this often informs the budget DIY choice.
Of course, quality materials do not guarantee a quality install, but cheap hardware, fixtures, cabinets, dimmers etc. DO tend to leave a withering residue in short order. Most anything ordered on Amazon, in an anonymous-product, we-need-this-now sort of way (especially from company you’ve never heard of or can’t find a website or reliable reviews or product manuals), is a short road to disappointment. Better to cruise local showrooms (if available) to get a sense of the quality and functionality you prefer within the range you might be able to afford… find the brands & finishes you are most drawn to… and then activate the patient search of finding a discounted deal when the thing goes on sale, is discontinued, or being sold secondhand. Or when something similar pops up. Gotta become a regular cruiser, trying to spot treasure! Black Friday sales are great. Liquidation warehouses. Lots of remodels end up selling off product that wasn’t thought through, sat too long to be returned, so you can pick up the very item you were looking for, sometimes, for screaming deals on Marketplace, Ebay or similar sites. Some items/finishes you can get away with being cheaper, but if high-contact functionality matters (i.e. you want your kitchen faucet to just WORK GOOD EVERY TIME, FOR YEARS AND YEARS), being cheap is almost always an nightmare not too far down the road. Builder-grade tile, countertops, and layouts can also be bitterly disappointing if you’re person who notices/cares about such things.
Some DIY fixes are straight-forward and easily discovered on YouTube; others are a puzzle that require specialty tools, skills, nuance, and knowledge of best building practices. Some DIY is strictly practical, functional, and a discrete problem to solve. Some is tied to the functionality of adjacent elements or systems. Some is deeply design & aesthetic-contingent. Cost-first, while certainly a squawking consideration, is not the only important one. When cost-first drives all of your decisions, you are likely to have contractor-grade materials (LOWEST quality/uniqueness), an absence of smart/aesthetic layouts, and regret that other factors weren’t entertained during the decision-making process. Most certainly corners will be cut, details missed, cans kicked down the road. Horizonal considerations are an important part of the cost-first filter — it may be cheaper today, on paper, but how will these choices bear out in the coming years or decade, or two? Or heck — even next month, once you start actually using your newly renovated space?
DIY ultimately means having/borrowing -and- knowing/learning how to use the many tools required. It means being honest about your threshold for perfection (and what it takes to achieve something close). One step forward, two steps back. Constantly confronting what you don’t know. Transferring skill sets to a new realm. Making mistakes. Going to the hardware store a LOT. Ordering the wrong materials. Back-tracking previous decisions, or even ripping portions out to make way for a better plan. Pivoting and waiting, delaying while you hem and haw or take a pause to educate yourself about an unforeseen variable. It is the ultimate life-long learning. Which— if you’re up for it, can be enormously rewarding… as long as you don’t mind tripping over that pile of tools in your living room for the next month, or six… or longer!
