How much of my renovation can I ‘DIY’?
How much of my renovation can I DIY? This is the question that a lot of people wonder before renovating and the benefits of doing as much work yourself are obvious but it bears repeating - it will save you a stack of cash!
The term DIY or Do It Yourself sort of means different things to different people. To some people, DIY is a few minor decorating or mending tasks that don’t really require a lot of skill or planning, but really it’s a kind of spectrum and the sky is the limit for DIY, or in other words your limits are the limits.
What kinds of tasks can be done yourself?
Dab hand at a bit of carpentry/building work/decorating? Or a lover of renovation tools? Fancy yourself as an interior designer? How about taking on a new role as a renovation project manager?
Let’s assume you have no experience whatsoever, depending on you, some areas that are going to be easier to get by on could be:
Project planning/managing budgets
Creating layouts and colour schemes
Supplies/product sourcing
Basic building/carpentry/joinery/plumbing works
Painting and decorating
What kinds of tasks cannot be done yourself?
We’re not going to tell anyone they can’t learn to do anything. Some renovators get by just fine with a little bit of previous experience and calling in trades only where absolutely necessary. If you’re practically minded and can put a plan together, there are plenty of different tasks that people can learn on the job.
Going back to the idea of a ‘spectrum’, someone with no experience could probably find their way through a room renovation where there is only minor work to do. It’s those bigger projects and/or the ones where specialism is required where things start to get a bit interesting:
Architecture
Interior design
Construction
Electrical
Plumbing
Plastering
Surveying
Specialist trades/fitters
We had a friend who tried to plaster their ceiling by themselves and ended up with the sort of wattle and daub effect you might find in a 6000 year old cattle shed. Needless to say the professionals were called in. There’s a reason why trades earn what they do!
How much money can be saved doing it yourself?
Every project is different; location, quality of finish, scale of renovation, but a good rule of thumb is that 50% of the cost of a renovation is the labour alone. That said, it could be more and could be less, but clearly any DIY you are able to bring to the table, will bring those labour costs down. Remember, you might well have to invest in the right renovation tools to get the job done, which can get pretty costly.
Renovations - to DIY or not DIY?
There are a few different factors involved in the decision making process about how much you can DIY.
1. Your current skillset vs your ease of learning
What is your current level of confidence? Are you practical, logical, creative, fast learning?
2. The scale of your project
How big and/or specialist does your project get? Things like building, plastering, electrics, plumbing, carpentry require experience/qualifications, plus you need to ensure everything is done safely/by the book.
3. Your appetite for risk
How well do you cope with stress? Are you OK with the stress of making a few mistakes and potential rework?
4. Your timescale and your capacity
Most people have a lot of stuff on their plates, work, family, life commitments just don’t make it easy to fit in a whole load of renovation work. And how fast do you want this done? The more people you can have working on the job, the faster it can get done.
5. Your network
It’s going to be a lot easier for you if you have a few friends/family in different trades that don’t mind stepping in with a few favours. But obviously don’t expect them all to be at your beck and call.
6. Your perfectionism
Ultimately, can you live with a finish that might not be professional level? Will living with a few items where you “wish we’d done it this way instead” get on your nerves? If getting an Insta-worthy look is a priority for you, then perhaps leaving it to the professionals might be a good idea.
In Summary
We project managed, designed, budgeted, decorated our 1930s house renovation ourselves and still had some energy for minor carpentry tasks but we’re big advocates of getting the professionals in for the main elements of the project.
It’s worth noting that of course we’re a little biased since we run a blog where it is important that we get things as perfect as possible in this respect. Having no buildings experience at all meant that we weren’t going to take the risk in wrecking the bones of a very lovely 1930s house!
We hope you found this post insightful, please make sure to get free access our Survivor’s Guide to Renovating for more handy tips on getting your renovation running on all cylinders!
