Project Management: DIY or Call the Pros?

We love old houses for their unique, vintage charm, but after a great number of years of excellent service they’d provided for us, a renovation becomes necessary if we want to preserve them. As the facade gets discouloured and flaky and some structural elements start to weaken, you’ll be considering a remodelling venture, making plans and getting ready to act before you know it.

One of the crucial aspects of this project is the matter of your motivation and expertise. There are some tasks you can handle yourself, while others are best left in the hands of seasoned professionals. Let’s review the main points of the restructuring process to answer this question more precisely.

Budget evaluation

Your funds don’t only affect the scope of your remodelling project, but they also determine the method of allocation. For smaller and modest budgets, it’s recommended to try and handle the majority of the work yourself and leave only the difficult and specific tasks to the professionals. On the other hand, if you’re wielding a generous budget, you should definitely hire a renowned company with the exceptional track record and sit back and relax while the pros do their job.

Lastly, be realistic when you’re drawing up your budget and make sure you take every little bit into consideration. A little secret of the trade is to up the estimated costs by 15%, and you should be covered for the entire project.

Devise a bulletproof plan

Once you delineate your budget, you should start crafting your master plan accordingly. Cosmetic makeover on the side, here are some areas that should be rated high on your list of necessary reparations:

• Electrical network, switchboard and related fixtures – if you’re faced with frequent power tripping and flickering lights
• Water and gas piping – if there’s a persistent leak
• Insulation system – if your electricity bill is over the top in high season

People with limited budget may decide to focus on superficial tweaks and repairs that will recover the house’s old glow and usually don’t require extra pair of hands or professional help. Unfortunately, this often doesn’t entail the reparation of major structural issues. However, if you can set aside a hefty sum for the house restructuring, you should definitely hire professionals to address the biggest problems right away and tend to paintjob and decoration later.

Motivation and skills

Projects are often done out of necessity, in emergency situations (roof collapsing, shaky pillars, etc.), which means the owners may get overwhelmed and stressed out, which can be quite a motivation killer. Also, starting up a redecorating venture may leave you without ideas and lead to project dropout. This should be a clear sign that professional guidance and assistance is the best solution.

Then again, you may be extremely eager to embark on the remodelling adventure, but you lack the right skills for the job. Don’t overestimate your abilities and risk hurting yourself or causing an even greater damage to the house by mishandling the equipment. Still, if you’re handling a small-scale repair you have lots of experience with, save some money by fixing it yourself.

Equipment matters

Finally, there’s a matter of essential tools and equipment required for the type of project you’re planning to carry out. For instance, paintjob and minor fixes will require minimal tool sets that are easy to obtain, as you can borrow it from neighbours or family or purchase it.

In other cases, you will need the services of a scissor lift, forklift or any heavy-duty material lifting device for bigger projects. It’s best to let the expert operate these machines and not worry about improper use or potential equipment damage.

There are quite a few things you need to settle before starting up your own renovation project. We have pinpointed the crucial areas to help you choose between professional assistance and DIY approach.