Doing it yourself?

Repeat the "know thyself" mantra.

When it comes to home improvements, experts say knowing when to do it yourself and when to call in a licensed, experienced professional is key to getting any home improvement job done right, the first time.

Otherwise, the cash you hope to save could get sucked into a money pit you create by insisting you can do what you can't.

Experts advise starting small and steering clear of major components.

"Do-it-yourselfers should never fool around with bearing walls, foundations or serious plumbing, electrical or mechanical work. These are areas for professional contractors only. The cost in potential damage can far outweigh any advantages," says Ken Willis, president of the League of California Homeowners, an online resource for home remodeling and related issues.

More doable projects include removing wallpaper, tearing up old floors, scraping paint, and many other tasks that require more time and effort than talent, the experts advise.

Other common do-it-yourself jobs are planting a garden, landscaping, stripping or refinishing furniture, painting and very minor bathroom remodels -- say putting up toilet paper and towel racks and a mirror, rather than ripping out and replacing the shower, tub, sink and toilet.

Get smart.

Don't begin even the smallest job jobs without some kind of education. Builder-owner classes, seminars, workshops, books and home improvement magazines provide wanna-be do-it-yourselfers with an embarrassment of riches in instructional materials.

Online sites, including the Do It Yourself Network, even offer video clips that walk you through projects.

On the job training is another option.

Hiring a professional licensed contractor or an experienced do-it-yourselfer who'll let you assist or inspect the work-in-progress is a hands-on way to improve your do-it-yourself skills. You are, after all, the boss when you hire contractors to work in your home and, in the name of quality work, it's up to you to keep an eye on the job at hand.

Find the time.

Do-it-yourselfers must also be prepared to invest chunks of time a working stiff doesn't always have. Learning about the project, purchasing the supplies and tools, prepping the area and finally doing the actual work all takes time. It's fast and easy to shop at Home Depot, Lowes or the neighborhood hardware store -- where you also can get lots of good tips -- but one-stop-shopping won't prepare you for unexpected turns of events, common on larger jobs.

Unintentional damage, installation errors, additional work discovered in the process and other factors all add more time to the job.

Too many do-it-yourselfers paint themselves into a corner by setting unrealistic deadlines, say to finish before a kid's graduation, vacation, or the holidays.

Unbudgeted time also bites into any savings you may expect. If you earn, say $1,000 a week and have to take time off work to complete the job, it may be cheaper to hire someone to do it. What may take a do-it-yourselfer eight hours to complete, could be completed in half the time by a pro -- and with better results.

Either, way, take the time to do it right the first time and the pay off can be invaluable.

Published: May 11, 2004

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Broderick Perkins parlayed a career in old-school journalism into a contemporary digital news service that really hits home. The award-winning consumer journalist, originally from Wilmington, DE, is founder, publisher and executive editor of the bootstrap DeadlineNews Group, a Silicon Valley-based editorial content and consulting service specializing in residential real estate, consumer news and related editorial consulting services. The DeadlineNews Group includes the website, DeadlineNews.com, offering real estate editorial content and consulting services, and its back shop, the Deadline Newsroom, an open house on news that really hits home. Perkins obtained his formal journalism education from University of Delaware and a journalism boot camp, the Institute of Journalism Education at the University of California-Berkeley. He went on to 20 years of service as a daily newspaper journalist at the Wilmington, DE News Journal and San Jose, CA Mercury News. Perkins covered housing on the San Jose Mercury News reporting team which earned a General News Reporting Pulitzer Prize in 1989 for coverage of the Loma Prieta earthquake. He has also produced real estate, consumer and small business content for the Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, RealtyTimes.com, Nolo.com, Better Homes and Gardens, the National Association of Realtors, Homestore/Move and Intuit/Quicken among more than three dozen publications. In addition to managing the DeadlineNews Group, Perkins most recently served as chief editorial consultant for Nolo's Essential Guide To Buying Your First Home, Nolo, and writes real estate television scripts for RealtyTimes.com.