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Tina Martin
Home renovations are a great way to improve your home, but they can also be complicated and expensive. It can be difficult to decide between a DIY job and paying a professional to come out and complete your project.
Ruoff Mortgage discusses when it's a good idea to DIY or hire out and what kind of impact a home renovation can have on your house sale. Read on to learn more!
DIY vs. Hiring a Pro
Deciding between DIY and hiring a professional can be difficult. When it comes to small projects, such as repainting a room or installing window blinds, a DIY job is usually the best choice. It's not very complicated and won't take up a large amount of your time. However, hiring a professional can also be more cost-efficient in these cases because you can complete multiple jobs at once and usually get better quality for a lower price.
For larger projects, such as installing a new bathroom or kitchen, you should hire a professional to do the job. You could spend months DIY-ing and still not finish, plus your finished product won't be nearly as good as what a pro can do in that time span.
Why Hire a Pro?
There are many instances where it's better to hire a professional for your home renovation project. For instance, if you're not sure what is required to redo your kitchen or bathroom, then hiring a licensed contractor will provide the expertise that you may be lacking.
If you're doing the rehab to improve property value, a professional is most likely going to do a noticeably better job than the inexperienced handyperson. This will certainly affect the ROI.
See below for some other examples of jobs you should consider having done by professionals:
- Major plumbing and electrical work
- Foundation issues
- New windows
- Cabinet installation
When to DIY
If you're feeling handy or looking to save a few bucks out of pocket, two of our favorite DIY jobs are painting and kitchen updates.
Painting can be somewhat time intensive if you have a larger house, but it doesn't require many tools and it's easy to chip away at every day. Paint is inexpensive, but a fresh paint job can totally change the feel of a house.
Kitchen updates are another easy win. Kitchens and bathrooms are historically high ROI areas. Just updating cabinet handles and knobs can make a big difference. You can also install some more modern light fixtures and faucets to really set the room off.
If you're unsure about any aspect of a DIY job, YouTube and Udemy are two excellent resources for video instruction.
Home Renovation Tips for a Good ROI
If you're doing the work to improve your house's value, then it's important that you do some research first. You'll need to know how much other homes are selling for in your neighborhood. The best way to get this information is by looking at recent sales to see what those homes are offering.
Next, you can get decent estimates of costs for various projects. Finally, when deciding on a local pro, make sure they're licensed and insured. Websites like Angi are great for finding reputable local professionals across many industries. If you need a new fence installed, for instance, you can quickly find a reputable fence company in your area through the platform by comparing reviews shared by past clients.
Home Renovation Tips
Hopefully, this article was useful for deciding whether to DIY a project or hire someone out. If you're not sure which way you'd like to go, thinking about the outcome and ROI for each can help make the decision easier. And if you’re in need of financing for home improvement, make sure to explore Ruoff Mortgage’s solutions. Contact your loan officer today and happy home renovations!
