The concept of “doing it yourself” is generally considered when we are looking for ways to save money. After all, a professional is going to cost far more than if you simply did the job yourself, right? Well, it might not be as simple as that, and in some cases, DIY work, especially on more complex tasks, might end up costing you far more than if you got a professional to come and do it. To further explore this, this article aims to weigh up the pros and cons of hiring a professional carpenter or opting for the DIY route and which situation works for each choice.
When To DIY
It’s important to start off with the fact that DIY is not something that should always be avoided, even if the job is somewhat complex. While professional tradespeople would beg to differ because encouraging people to do their own work is going to naturally work against the trader’s best interests, there are a lot of jobs that are actually quite straightforward to do and will work out much cheaper if you do it yourself. Here are a few different carpentry jobs to consider doing yourself.
Simple Repairs
The first thing to think about doing yourself instead of hiring a carpenter is simple repair work. Of course, you will need some level of understanding of woodworking and using certain tools, so be prepared for that. However, there are likely going to be some jobs, such as repairing a broken shelf or reattaching or repairing a broken chair leg, that can really be done by anyone. It’s worthwhile developing these simple repair skills as they can come in very handy throughout life and will save you a lot of money on hiring a professional or even replacing those broken items.
Making Simple Things
If you develop some basic woodworking skills, you could even turn this into somewhat of a hobby. There are many basic things you could make as a woodworking hobbyist, from bird feeders to welcome mats, and this can be a great way to pass the time while also doing something productive.
Building Flatpack Furniture
Flatpack furniture revolutionised the world by providing ordinary people with the means to buy disassembled furniture and put it all together like a jigsaw puzzle when they got it home. Building flatpack furniture is probably not something you can truly consider carpentry, but it surely is a DIY project. And it should stay as a DIY project because, after all, these are designed to be built by just about anyone that can read and follow simple instructions.
When To Hire An Expert
There is absolutely no shame in hiring a professional to do work around your home, especially if you don’t have the experience or knowledge to do it yourself. You can search for tradespeople near you and hire a carpenter or joiner to do the work instead. There are many different tasks that these professionals can take on for you, and to give you an idea of this, we’ve listed a few options below.
Floors
Installing wooden flooring in your home is something that should really be tasked to a carpenter. Laying floors, no matter the material, can be a complicated job, and when it comes to cutting and shaping wooden floorboards and laying them in an aesthetically pleasing and practical manner, you’ll want an expert to do this.
Staircases
Similar to floors, repairing, renovating, or rebuilding a staircase is also a very complex task. Getting this wrong can also result in someone getting injured at a later date if the integrity of the staircase isn’t good enough. A professional carpenter can build you a staircase from scratch if you’re undertaking a full renovation project, or they can repair your current staircase to ensure it’s safe.
Major Repairs
Whether it’s broken furniture, damaged skirting boards and floors, or even broken windows and doors, a carpenter can fix or replace these items for you. Certain major repairs are going to be more time-sensitive than others, however. A broken door or window, for example, is a security risk and can also reduce your quality of life significantly, especially during the winter. In many cases, you can fin
Kitchen Fittings
Fitting a new kitchen is a long and labour-intensive process. One of the more complicated tasks during a project like this is measuring and fitting all of the cupboards and drawers. While you can fit a kitchen yourself, there are many things to consider during this time, and it can often end in tears of frustration, so it’s worthwhile getting a professional to do it for you.
Ultimately, a professional carpenter can be an extremely useful person to have around for many tasks. Of course, there’s no harm in attempting certain DIY tasks, especially those which are smaller and more routine, as learning these skills can be very beneficial. However, for larger, important tasks, you should definitely consider a carpenter or joiner, as you don’t want to risk causing further damage or wasting materials.