More than ever, many homeowners are now handling their home projects themselves. The idea is facilitated mainly by the need to save cost on home maintenance expenses, and it is made easier by the availability of DIY guides online.
Home products manufacturers are also facilitating DIY. For example, paints are now packaged with color schemes that help buyers choose the right hues for their DIY projects. You can also get instructions from retail store staff on how to use certain repair tools.
As much as DIY can be fun and budget-friendly, there are some projects you should only attempt if you have the required expertise and experience. Any mistake can complicate the damage, cause injury, and kill you.
The technicality involved in these repairs is why most state authorities mandate that licensed professionals must handle them.
Below are some home repairs that might kill you if you use the DIY method.
1. Roof repairs
Roofs are one of the features of a home that you cannot ignore if it needs fixing. Depending on the material, they can last for about 20 years. Old roofs tend to need more repairs.
Meanwhile, roofs generally can be damaged by storms or rainfall if you have bad gutters.
It can be tempting to perform roof repairs yourself, considering that all you need is a ladder and a few tools. However, do not try it.
According to St Joseph’s Roofing, a firm with professional Roofing Contractors Fairfax VA, climbing up a roof while carrying tools and equipment for repair can be dangerous, even for professionals.
It is riskier when you have to walk around a slopped roof. Any mistake during the repair can also lead to more complicated issues, eventually costing you more to fix. To avoid this, hire professionals.
2. Trimming and cutting down trees
Trimming is crucial for the health of a tree and can also prevent it from damaging your home features, such as the roof.
It might appear easy, especially for homeowners with good climbing skills. However, it is a highly complicated and dangerous task. There have been multiple news reports of people dying while trimming trees.
Aside from being injured while trimming or cutting a tree, the felled trees and trimmed branches can hurt people and items on the ground. In a worse scenario, it can hit electrical wires, which can cause electrocution, and unfortunately, freshly felled trees contain a high amount of water, making them a conductor of electricity.
3. Plumbing repairs
Plumbing systems are complex and interlinked. The pipes may be behind a load-bearing wall. Removing it might compromise the foundation.
Also, some plumbing problems can be symptoms of a more complicated issue. For example, reduced water pressure might not result from a clogged pipe but a leakage only a professional plumber can figure out.
Fixing the symptoms and ignoring the main problem can lead to flooding or water damage, harming your building structure.
4. Electrical work
It is unsafe to fix electricity issues with DIY because of its complexity. It will amaze you that some online videos for electricity repairs are misleading. The project layout you watch might differ from how your home is wired.
Electrical fault repair is one of the most dangerous repairs in the home. Any mistake can get you electrocuted or damage your home appliances. The spark can also cause a fire which could burn down your house.
5. Wall Demolition
During home remodeling, homeowners may decide to knock down a wall. Any physically fit homeowner can handle this task, but not all walls in the home are the same. Some walls are load-bearing, and if demolished incorrectly, they can cause a disastrous effect.
6. Repairing gas line
Repairing a gas line never be on your DIY list, except if you are a professional plumber. Gas is highly flammable and can burn the home when exposed to a spark or flame.
It is also toxic. A gas leak can slowly kill you in your sleep.
7. DIY Decks and Porches
Deck and porches are features that can extend your living space. They make outdoor gatherings more fun and lively as you can, for instance, set up a grill n them.
It is not impossible to DIY decks and porches, but before you do, certain things need to be considered, such as the type of wood and the number of people it is expected to support.
You may be unable to estimate and decide these things efficiently. A poorly built deck and porches can injure you and anyone using it.
8. Garage door
Garage doors are weighty and have many moving parts, making their repairs complex for people without experience and expertise.
If improperly repaired, one of the many parts of the garage door can break, causing it to fall during repair. You can suffer a severe injury during such an incident.