When you look at your aging residence, are you convinced that it needs some serious improvement? If you have had professionals look at the work and give you prices, you may have been stunned into thinking that you need to do it yourself. Determining what is and is not within your capabilities can be a daunting process. Realistically assessing your skills can be difficult, especially when you are fueled by the power of the internet. What can you do to ensure you stay within your capabilities?
Talent
My grandmother used to say that the world needs ditch diggers too! It sounds harsh, but it means that not everyone should do everything. We each have gifts and abilities, some are mechanical by nature, some are not. Someone might be a brilliantly talented writer and speaker, but incapable of putting trim on a door frame correctly. You might stand there, looking at the casing, wondering how someone could install it the way he did when the casing was properly fitted to the door right next to it. Some people just aren’t wired for doing this work. Be honest with yourself before you swing that hammer.
Time
Do you have the time to devote yourself to this project? Once you tear your toilet out for that bathroom remodel, you can’t be distracted and put that job off until you get around to it. When you open up your house to the environment, will you be able to get it closed up before the weather changes and possibly causes damages to your home? Everyone underestimates the amount of time it takes to complete projects. Professionals regularly commit to timelines that are too aggressive for their good. As an amateur, you can guarantee that you will be the cause of some delay, either by mistake or by a lack of planning.
Tools
Being unequipped with the tools required for a job is surprisingly reasonable. Most contractors have had years to accumulate the equipment and tools for the work they do on a daily basis. Have a plan for how you will acquire the tools you need to do the job you are going to attempt. There is a lot of truth in having the right tools for the job. If you have to find a Ford dealership near you for a new truck to get the job done, maybe you should go for it.
Tenacity
Grit and determination are required to finish things when the going gets tough. When you have mistakenly precut all of you material short, and you have to repurchase replacement material and cut it all over again, that takes determination not to quit. When the weather turns bad and you have to stand under your gutterless eaves as cold water drips down your neck as you try to nail up siding with your frozen hands…that’s grit.
Teachers
You have to have a willingness to seek advice from others. You can save yourself a tremendous amount of time and effort by simply inquiring about how to do something. The internet and YouTube will take you a long way, but nothing compares to personal experience. Be humble, admit your level of ability, and earnestly ask for help. Then, be willing to either return the favor or compensate your friend or new acquaintance for their work.
