One way to increase your home’s value is by replacing your windows. You’re excited about how much profit you can earn from a simple detail change. However, you know it’s no cheap venture to conduct home upgrades. In which case, you might think about DIYing your new windows instead.
See what DIY window replacement entails, so you know whether it’s a project you can tackle or not.
What to Consider for DIY Window Replacement
Before considering doing your own window replacement, you need to weigh a few pros and cons. In doing so, you can see whether it’s worth doing it yourself or hiring a professional window replacer to do it for you.
Pros of DIY Window Replacement
When you’re already doing multiple home renovations on your home, naturally, you want to save on costs as you’re doing so. It’s why the idea of DIYing your window replacement is appealing. DIYing your window replacement can result in cost savings by eliminating the labour costs of hiring a professional window installer. If you’re confident in your ability, you can easily make replacing your windows less expensive.
Furthermore, another good thing about replacing your own windows is the sense of achievement and self-sufficiency. There is no better feeling than successfully tackling a project without needing to call in for help. If you’re not handling anything too complex or takes too much time to do, you can certainly go for it. It will feel good to know you did a good job with your own two hands.
Cons of DIY Window Replacement
In handling DIY window replacement, you need to understand some disadvantages to see if it’s worth doing.
If you have never done any DIY work before, you might want to avoid trying to replace your windows. Some window replacement projects are simply beyond your skill set. For instance, you may have windows you wish to replace in hard-to-reach places. However, you can potentially put yourself into harm’s way by tackling window replacements from such heights. You can risk getting a serious injury from a fall or, in worst cases, death. Good DIY is knowing the dangers involved and being prepared for them. If you cannot assure yourself of that, hiring someone who knows what they’re doing would be best.
Furthermore, you may find hidden costs from DIYing your window replacement. Ironically enough, you have probably considered DIY to help reduce costs. However, the desire to pay less can backfire when you buy low-quality materials. It has consequences for having issues with your windows not fitting properly, which can cause drafts and leaks. In turn, this creates long-term costs you need to anticipate since it will lead to repair work needing to get done.
When you don’t have experience and you’re cutting corners on the cost using cheap materials, you can expect the work not to be the greatest. As a result, it can impact the home’s value if you’re planning to sell it. In which case, you’re effectively losing potential gains because you’re hoping to save money. Therefore, it would be in your best interest to simply call a window installer to do the job. In that way, you can ensure installation is done properly and can gain more for your home’s value.
Criteria for Window Replacement
Besides weighing the pros and cons of window replacement, you need to honestly ask yourself whether you can successfully complete a project like this.
Here are a few things you need to consider before deciding you should DIY your window replacement:
Skill & Experience
Have you done much handy work before? Or perhaps you used to have a job that involved window replacement? Then, you can safely handle a window replacement project. However, you might want to reconsider if you have zero experience in it. As much as the internet is a great resource that can provide a step-by-step guide, it’s sometimes not enough. After all, not all window replacements are the same. Depending on various factors influencing its installation, it needs more specialized skills to get it done than you wouldn’t have.
The Right Tools
When considering a DIY, you want to ensure you have all the right tools in your arsenal. Depending on the scope of your project, you might need more niche tools to get the job done properly. However, if you’re missing tools, it can impede getting work done. Furthermore, if you’re not willing to pay so much for tools, then DIYing your window replacement might not be for you. Instead, consider hiring a professional window installer. At least when you hire an expert, you can guarantee that they will have all that they need along with the expertise to get everything done on time and well.
Amount of Windows
How many windows will you be replacing? It’s a good question to ask yourself because installation can be time-consuming. In which case, you need to ask yourself if you can make the time to do so and do so properly. If you have one window, you can probably manage on your own. However, if you need multiple windows done, it would be best not to do so yourself. Replacing one window can be a lot of work, but many will take time and effort. You would be completely exhausted. If you don’t have the energy for it, it would be best to allow professionals to handle it instead.
Replacing your windows can certainly elevate the value of your home. However, DIY can risk lowering it because it is possible to do a bad job or use cheap materials. The pursuit of cost saving ironically becomes counterintuitive. In which case, it’s simply in anyone’s best interest to hire a professional to get the job done properly.