“I can fix it, How hard can that be?” the statement said by many a budding DIYers and home repairers. Since the internet became so easily accessible over the past 10 years you can now find a guide to do almost anything, however many of these guides are written by experts with years of experience so it’s not quite as simple as following the how to and making the repair, there are many other things to think about, the biggest one being safety.
So we have put together a simple blog post on what are the top five home repairs you should avoid unless you are an expert in that field, I’ll walk you through the five jobs that you’d be better off to leave to a professional.
Plumbing Repairs
If it’s a very minor repair like cleaning a bath pipe of hair or changing the shower head you’ll be fine, but don’t think about modifying your plumbing system this requires professional help. Extending hot water pipes means working with copper which requires a blow torch and even with welding experience this is better left to someone who’s being paid professionally and is insured. A small mistake with plumbing can lead to water everywhere and cost thousands to fix.
Electrical Repairs
Any changes that require electrics should be taken with extreme caution. Changing a light bulb or the fuse of a plug is simple but as soon as you start looking at rewiring or replacing existing circuits you should be very careful. Hundreds of people die each year trying to do their own electrics and this is why professional take years to learn the safety regulations, not only do they have the right tools, but also the right clothes and the right procedures.
Asbestos Removal
Hopefully you have a modern home and do not have to worry about Asbestos, if you’re unfamiliar, it was a material used in buildings before it was found to be toxic (around 1980). So there is clear danger with asbestos removal not to mention the governing laws which need to be adhered to regarding disposal, better left to an expert.
Roofing Repairs
Roofing repairs can be done if you have the right equipment, it’s not just the tools to repair the roof its more about the safety of getting up and down and making sure you don’t fall off. Falling from a first floor roof has a high risk of injury or death and if you need to fix a second or third floor roof the chance of a more serious issue is highly increased. As with any profession if you don’t have the expertise you could end up causing more of an fault than your originally had creating more expense to fix.
Gas Appliance Repairs
This is probably one of the most dangerous of all home DIY tasks, a gas leak could end up with losing the whole house not just an injury or death. Several home appliances may run on gas such as the hot water, the cooker or a gas fire and often DIYers don’t think, if you need to move a gas oven it’s not a simple job even if you only trying to achieve a small change.
Gas leaks can cause carbon monoxide poising which kills hundreds of people each year, professionals have to be certified, so our recommendation is to leave it to the expert.
That’s it the five main DIY leave it to the professionals tips.