Taxes

To DIY or Not to DIY?

By Brad Tuttle | @bradrtuttle | November 4, 2010 | +

Go ahead and install a laminate floor. But complicated electrical work, pest extermination, and tree removal? It’s probably best to suck it up, hire a pro, and not do any damage to your home, or to the people living in it.

A WalletPop post on “8 Jobs You Should Leave to the Pros” recommends against DIYing oil changes, electrical work, tax prep, pricing heirlooms, representing yourself in court, tree removal, big printing jobs, and getting rid of bugs. In most cases, I agree, though with minor electrical jobs—very minor, like replacing a ceiling fan—and if it’s only a small tree—very small, like under 15 feet—there’s probably nothing wrong with saving the money and doing it yourself. As always, a handyman or handywoman has got to know his or her limitations.

Taxes? I’m not so sure. Of course, anyone remotely involved in the world of accountants recommends hiring a pro, but if your return is fairly simple that seems like a waste of money.

I used to regularly change my car’s oil back when I owned by beloved Saturn and it was an easy, straightforward job, but now I drive a Volkswagen and the oil filter is really difficult to get at. So out of some combination of laziness, convenience, and preemptive frustration avoidance, I’ve gotten into the habit of bringing it into a mechanic when the oil needs to be changed.

A Money Talks News post also deals with the DIY or not question, appropriately suggesting making use of the website (what else?) diyornot.com:

The best feature on this site is a price and time comparison: You can look up hundreds of typical home improvement or maintenance projects and get a breakdown of how much time and money, on average, it would take for you to do the job or for a pro to handle it. There’s even a poll for each project that lets you know what other people usually decide.

A link to an About.com home renovations page laminate floor install, toilet install, and drywall hanging among the projects approved for the DIY route, but I’m not so sure about the latter two. Maybe it’s just me, but I’m scared off by projects involving water because even minor mistakes can lead to major headaches. As for drywall, well, work done by amateurs often looks really amateurish, with visible bumps and crevices where walls don’t line up properly. Spackle only does so much. Ceilings are especially difficult if you don’t have special equipment or several sets of hands—and most amateurs have neither.

The Money Talks post offers a few good tips for things to consider before deciding to DIY or not. I especially recommend considering these two factors before putting on the tool belt:

Tools. Do you need a Phillips screwdriver and some needle-nose pliers, or do you need a tile saw? Specialized tools can be expensive, and if it’s a one-time project, you might not need them again. You could look for a used tool online, ask your buddy in construction, or find an equipment rental shop – but that means more time and potentially more expense…

Interest. Is this type of work you’d consider interesting and relaxing, or a chore? While everybody can take satisfaction from a job well done, the path to getting there can be enjoyable for some, a pain for others.

Related:
Home Improvement: Easy DIY Projects to Make Your House Easier to Sell or Just Easier to Live In
‘How a DIY Home Improvement Project Almost Destroyed My Marriage

Related Topics: cars, DIY, oil change, tools, Home Improvement, Real Estate & Homes, Taxes

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  • joeaverager

    I’d argue that if a person has the interest that they SHOULD pursue DIY projects – even if they have to purchase tools. Take on small projects first and build your skillset and your tool selection. Buying tools are always cheaper than hiring a professional.

    If at some point in the future you NEED those skills you’ll have them. Those skills can be marketable in times of hardship. The more skills and tools you have the less you have the spend on repairs or improvements. Until I make a significant income more than the guys I’d be hiring then my time to work for myself is worthwhile.

    The tasks can be a community builder as well. If you are a person miserable to be around while you work then maybe not but I have had some really wonderful times with friends and family painting or cutting down trees and stacking the wood. My father and I have shared some wonderful times during car projects. Friends and family and I have shared some great afternoons. We’ve traded help for help – cut a tree up for watching the kids while my wife and I go out on a date or sit the dog while we go out of town. Fix a car and then enjoy a meal together with the friend or family member. Gone seem to be the days of teenagers under the hood of a car together changing sparkplugs or changing the oil together. They’d rather play video games and text each other. Ugh!

    Over the years through DIY projects I have learned to weld, paint cars, do finish carpentry, do rough carpentry, basic “lumberjacking”, rebuild engines and transmissions, brake jobs, sheetrock work, concrete work, and so on and so forth. This was sometimes taught through the “school of hard knocks” (computer repair, valve jobs that took a week to get right), through self-study with good books and DIY forums, or tinkering that led to a desire for professional training (welding, machining, CAD).

    I have most of the tools related to these jobs as well so in a pinch I could do some handyman work to earn some cash. Yes – I don’t live in a state where absolutely everything is regulated – fortunately.

    Surely someone will mention the quality of a professional vs an amateur but don’t underestimate the dedicated amateur. Classroom study vs dedicated self-study can both lead to excellent results.

    Now some people have NO interest in learning these kinds of skills or learning anything in some cases. No interest in owning any tools. I’d tell these folks that by all means, if you can – hire out the work. Other people need the work!

  • http://sk8sonh2o.wordpress.com sk8sonh2o

    You should calculate the dollar value of your ‘free’ time. If you make $75 per hour at your 9-to-5, your ‘free’ time is probably worth $18 to $25 to you. The value of your free time can be considered by by asking how much you are willing to do to avoid paying that money to someone else, factored by how quickly the pro(s) can accomplish it vs. your DIY. So if your time for a nasty job is worth $25 but a plumber can do the job 4x faster, it’s worth paying him $100.

  • Brad Tuttle

    I totally agree. If you have the time and you have the interest, it’s really smart to take on some DIY projects and buy good tools — even if you’re clueless at first, you make mistakes, and you wind up spending more on the project than you would have otherwise by hiring a pro. As you learn, you’re saving yourself time and money when the next project comes up and you can handle it yourself, no problem. And there’s always another project that’s going to come up in the future.

    Fixing or building something yourself, with little more than your own hands, some tools, and maybe a borrowed book from the library and the advice and help from a friend, neighbor, or your dad, is also enormously satisfying — especially for a guy like me who sits in front of a computer all day!

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