We’ve spent a lot of time this month talking about things to DIY and how to do them (and there are still a few days left).  But let’s take a break from that for the day and talk about when not to DIY.  Keep in mind as you read that these are principles, and where, precisely, the lines are drawn for each one will vary from person to person and situation to situation.

When Should You Not DIY?

When it would be dangerous/unhealthy

I alluded to this when we talked about DIY “doctoring,”  but there are several different reasons something might not be safe to DIY.  Of course when the “thing” in question is, itself, health-related and you lack the skills, equipment, or other resources to do what needs to be done, that’s one reason.  For instance, if you break your arm you’re not going to just wrap a bandage around it and go on your merry way.  If, on the other hand, you break a toe, there’s not really anything the doctor can do for it, either.

Sometimes the job would require exposure to something unhealthy, though, and you lack the expertise or the protective gear to handle it safely, as when removing asbestos or dealing with black mold.

And sometimes you just flat-out lack the skill needed to do something safely, like cutting down a very tall tree in your yard.

Of course there are exceptions to all of the situations I just mentioned.  If you’re in the bush, splinting a broken bone might be the best you’re going to get, regardless, so you can do that just as well as the next person.  If your job is asbestos removal or tree work, you might have the equipment and skills to handle those jobs, too.  But for the average person, there will be things that are simply beyond our ability to handle safely.

When the financial cost is too high

Let’s say you plan to install some fancy wooden flooring.  You can lay the floor yourself, but you need some crazy-expensive specialized saw to get the pieces you’re looking for.  (I’m totally making this up, as I’m drawing a blank on an actual scenario.)  A professional already owns this fancy-schmancy saw because he uses it regularly, so by the time you factor in all costs, it’s less expensive to pay the professional.  Unless you have some other reason to do it yourself (“green” materials, for instance), it makes more sense to just pay to have it done.

When it isn’t worth the time

Okay, sometimes you just want to learn a new skill because it’s fun, even though you know it will take you longer than someone with more experience.  Maybe you want to learn to lay tile, so you plan to redo your bathroom yourself.  But when you don’t have an interest in learning something new, remember to take the time into consideration when weighing out your options.

If redoing your bathroom is going to take a pro 7 hours, but take you 7 weeks, you might be better off hiring the pro!

Just remember that considering the value of doing a project yourself involves weighing all of these factors to determine what is a good value for you.