DIY HOME RENOVATIONS

Doing DIY home renovations, how hard can it really be? This depends on the size and complexity of your home renovation in Calgary, but you do need to be up for a serious challenge! Do it yourself renovations can definitely be successfully accomplished, but you need to be really honest with yourself before you start and try to be realistic. I like working with my hands and have built a complete car as well as undertaken several home renovation projects myself, but from experience please do not under estimate the commitment you will need to see this through to full completion! Especially if you have not attempted this before, you really need to consider the following aspects.

DIY home renovations: Items 1 - 3

1. Permits

You may be experienced in construction and have all the right tools to do your own renovation, but one thing that you should not overlook is the required permits. Having personally applied for dozens and dozens of building permits at Calgary city hall, it is very easy to see why this can be a confusing and frustrating undertaking for someone who has done this before. Firstly you need to know whether and what you need a permit for, as the last thing you want to do is have a unpermitted renovation that when you come to sell your house causes a problem. If you are doing an extensive renovation you may well be looking at several different aspects which need to be applied for correctly and then inspected and passed by city inspectors. This may involve filling in a lot of application forms, have site and house plans, as well as providing details and calculations to back this up. If this something you do not know how to do, it's best to get help. In the case of having a very challenging permit to try and get through, it may also be worth considering a permit consultant.

2. Skill set

Try to be brutally honest with yourself, do you really have the experience and skills to do DIY home renovations? I know some of you really have, but if I am honest I have seen some attempts that result in very poor workmanship and worse of all have left very serious safety concerns behind! Being a skilled carpenter does not make you an electrician or a plumber, so if you are not experienced in all trades, just plan on doing only the aspects you are confident you can execute properly. Remember saving some money by not doing one aspect properly, may well cost you more if later on you need to fix a problem when it is no longer accessible. Also plumbing leak for example can be devastating, so always bring in qualified trades where you need to. Also don't put your own safety at risk! I have seen someone break several bones in an accident, because they were trying to save a few dollars on a $500,000 project!

3. Tools

To do good DIY home renovations, you will need the right tools! A few basic hand tools is not going to cut it and will result in slow progress with likely poor quality of work. If you already have a wide selection of tools needed then great, but if you don't remember the additional cost these may incur to buy or rent for your project! In an ideal world you maybe have a friend who can help you out with this, as tools really add up fast. If you have not operated or have experience setting up certain equipment before, spend some time getting training or practice until your are competent. I have seen some really poor finishing work in my time and those ugly big gaps in base boards or casings, will be staring you in the face every you sit in your armchair!. It's particularly important for work such as finishing carpentry, tiling, flooring, painting and other highly visual aspects of your renovation, that you can do this work properly. Just one really poorly executed aspect of work, can really take away from the overall impression of your renovation project.

DIY home renovations: Items 4 - 6

4.Time

The single biggest challenge that most people have in undertaking DIY home renovations is time! You could be the most skilled person in the world, but if you have a family and work a full time job, time is a very precious commodity. Finding enough time to do a renovation project is very hard and will likely turn a project that a contractor could complete in a few weeks, to something that can stretch to many months, or even years! We had someone come back to us after 4 years of doing his own project and said never again, so be please be honest and realistic with yourself! If you a certain you want to do this, trying and get someone to help you, as certain tasks can be very hard on your own and having others helps to make the project more fun and shorter.

5. Risks

The are definitely risks to doing your own renovation. Firstly you may have financial risk by not understanding all the work and costs involved and therefore blowing your budget. The maybe relationship risks and trying to live around a long term renovation and the stress it can place on family, can often lead to conflict. Safety is a major concern, so make sure your are not placing yourself and anyone else working or living through your renovation at risk. It is easy to make mistakes or have regrets when doing your own project, after all we can't all be experts and everything and projects are not really like HGTV! When dealing with trades such as plumbing, HVAC or electrical, don't create risks of future leaks or floods, fire or moisture problems by not doing things correctly yourself. Also you need to learn to deal with other real health risks such as asbestos or Radon. Now all risks can be mitigated with the right knowledge and plan, but just don't kids yourself, if you don't know please get proper help!

6. Should I attempt DIY home renovations?

This is a hard decision to make, especially if you are considering your first renovation project. Ultimately it is only a decision that you can make, but DIY home renovations are a very serious undertaking and should never be under estimated! This will serious test your patience and endurance, but if you can handle a massive challenge and have the skills, time and knowledge to do so, then why not. However to limit your risk and ensure your project keeps on track, always have a clear and well defined plan. Just starting and figuring things out as you go along is a recipe for disaster! If you don't have the confidence or knowledge to do this, let us help you plan your project effectively.

So are you ready for us to help you with your renovation project?

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