Home Remodeling: When to Call in a Pro
October 1, 2015If you’ve followed this blog for some time, you know that we like to renovate our house as a weekend hobby! We love to spruce up the curb appeal, update bathroom fixtures, remove old wallpaper and paint rooms with fresh colors! However, as much as we enjoy the DIY process, we also recognize that at certain times, hiring a professional contractor is a must! And so today, I wanted to share with you all some tips on determining when a home remodeling job is not a DIY job and should be handled by a pro!
Although we love to get our hands dirty and do some work around the house ourselves, we also know our limits and will happily hire a professional contractor to do certain jobs!
Home Remodeling: When to Call in a Pro
Home Remodeling: When to Call in a Pro
1. Does the job require specialty knowledge or equipment? If your job involves an element of danger (structural changes, plumbing work, electrical changes, etc.), it might be wise to hire a pro!
We wanted to replace our toilet in the guest bathroom and we even tried. But it didn’t take too long for us to realize we were in over our heads with this one! The flange in the floor was too low and this was not a job where a “good-enough” seal was acceptable! So we immediately called in a plumber to handle the situation! Obviously, we are so pleased that the plumber took care of this job for us and we haven’t had to think about it again!
2. Is the project too big or complicated to finish in an efficient manner?
We wanted to put up a fence when we first moved into this house. But it was the hottest time of Summer (95+ degrees) and we needed over 200 feet of 6′ cedar fencing installed. We were not about to experiment with installing that ourselves! Especially since the professional contractors who did this for us took only one day + one afternoon to get the whole job done! If we were foolish enough to attempt this one ourselves, it probably would have taken us two weeks, including removal of the old fence! Therefore, it was a no-brainer to call in a pro for the fence, because we would have been terribly inefficient at doing the job ourselves! We did wind up staining the fence ourselves, but that was an easy job.
Our Fence
3. Does this job pose a risk to you or your property if not done properly?
We are considering putting a second-story addition onto our house. This is a huge job with major structural implications. Needless to say, we will be hiring a contractor to handle this one from beginning to end. Whenever there is risk to human health or property if a job is not done properly, it’s a wise move to call in a pro!
So these are the points you need to consider when deciding whether a home renovation job can be handled on your own, or whether you should just call in a pro! If you decide to call in a professional, consider visiting the Contractor Connection to find a reliable, trusted contractor near you!
Here’s what I love about this site:
- Expert Contractors: All of their professionals have met a rigorous set of personal and professional standards, such as criminal background checks, proper licensing, proper insurance and financial stability.
- Warranty: The network of expert contractors is so proficient at their skills, they stand behind their work with a 3-year workmanship warranty! That’s an incredibly long warranty for this work! (And if the contractor does not honor this commitment, Contractor Connection aids in resolving the issue!)
- Single Source for Contractors: Rather than dealing with multiple contractors with different strengths, Contractor Connection will match you with one contractor for your job. That’s so convenient!
And if you were wondering, they can handle so many different categories of home repairs/renovations, including bathrooms, kitchens, exterior spaces, roofing, flooring, siding, plumbing, emergency repairs and special needs.
Services
So, are you interested in learning how the process works? It’s really quite simple!
- Visit their site and request a free estimate.
- Enter your zip code.
- A contractor will contact you within 24 hours.
- Set a time to meet with your contractor.
- Once you approve the estimate, work begins right away.
- Log in to the online project tracker to view progress & status updates.
Also, if you want to spruce up your home, but you’re lacking some inspiration, you have to visit their Design Gallery! You’ll find so many beautiful pictures of home remodeling jobs to get excited about. I spent about 15 minutes looking through their pictures, and now I seriously want to fix up a few more spaces in our home!
Contractor Connection Design Gallery
So, tell me what home remodeling projects do you have in mind for the near future?
Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Contractor Connection, but as always, all opinions are exclusively my own.
We bought a fixer upper a few years back and thought that we would be able to do a lot of the work ourselves. HOWEVER we ran into major foundation issues and everything came to a screeching halt. We know that we have no experience with foundations, so we are in the process of hiring a professional to handle this part.
Yes, foundation issues would definitely be something I happily pass over to the professionals! Thanks for stopping by, Elayne!! 🙂
Trusted sites like the one you mentioned are so important when looking for a pro. We need to replace our fence soon and I’ll definitely be calling in the pros.
Totally agree, Alli! Thanks for visiting and have a fabulous day!
When my hubby and I bought our home it was a fixer-upper and sometimes it was tough determining to do something yourself or hire someone else to come and do it . I agree that the best way to determine if it’s time to hire a professional is when you know you can’t handle it on your own
Yes, when it seems overwhelming, it’s time to call in a professional contractor! Thanks for visiting, Savannah!
Your fence turned out so nice. When we first bought the house I grew up in it didn’t have a garage so we had to hire professionals to come in. Sometimes it’s just less stressful to call in the professionals <3
Totally agree! When a professional handles a job, it’s so much less stressful!
Thanks for visiting, Angelic!
I feel comfortable doing small jobs. I would call a professional in for most bigger jobs though.
Thanks for stopping by, Maureen!
In our house the answer is that we should ALWAYS call in a pro. The person who lived here before us did some funky things so our doors are odd sizes and wiring is weird too…better and safer to leave the work to qualified people.
It’s always wise to let a professional handle things, especially when you’re starting off with strange stuff! Thanks for stopping by, Amanda!!
I am NOT looking forward to buying a house with my husband. I know he’ll want to fix everything but will takes years to finish. Call in the Pro’s asap I’d say haha!
Calling in the pros ASAP generally saves time and frustration, I have found! Thanks for your comment, Nancy!
oh we are there – right now at this moment – there is a leak in our ceiling and it does not look too good. Something in the upstairs bathroom is leaking and causing something – there is no way hubbie can tackle that one!
Ouch, that doesn’t sound good. Time to call in a pro! Check out Contractor Connection. Thanks for visiting!
I think it would be better to top a pro when it comes to re modelling. They can save you a lot of recurring expenses and would know the best deals.
Agreed, Franc! Thanks for stopping by!
This is a great post. If it was me I would call a pro immediately…I have a friend who is doing all kinds of DIY and remodeling in her first house right now!
Calling in a pro is a great idea- much less stressful!! Thanks for visiting, Kiwi!
I couldn’t agree with this more. My husband always thinks he can do everything, but there are some things that you just have to call a pro for.
Yep, it’s important to find a good contractor when you do need to call a pro! Definitely check out Contractor Connection if you need some work done around the house, Mary! Thanks for stopping by!
My husband is a carpenter, and I’d say that at least half of the work he does involves fixing a homeowner’s mistakes. It ends up costing them more in the long run, because they already paid for materials and such to do it themselves, and most of the time it can’t be reused because they messed it up too bad. Always call a pro.
Thanks for sharing your experience, Stephanie! I totally believe that many homeowners will mess up a job if they take on more than they can handle!!
I ALWAYS need to call in a pro, lol. Some people have the knack and some people just really don’t. I sadly fall into the latter.
Nothing wrong with always calling in a pro! Much less stress & you know the job will get done right! 🙂
Thanks for visiting, Rosey!!
My husband is no handyman. So, when there is a problem we tend to call the handyman.
I wish family understood this. My husband’s family is always like “Oh so-in-so likes to do this, have them do it!” and I’m like ” … I would rather use a professional” At least if something goes wrong, they will be responsible and it will not cause a family feud!
That’s an excellent point! You don’t want to put a family relationship under stress when you can easily call a pro!!
Thanks for stopping by, Tiffany!!
We are doing a kitchen makeover and will be hiring a plumber, electrician, and someone to install floor. My husband isn’t handy and I know my limits.
Really informative post. It’s always a struggle trying to determine whether it’s really worth the cost to call in a professional with home improvement projects. Great things to think about when making that decision.
Thanks for visiting, Adrienne!