Many small businesses try to cut corners by doing everything themselves. Often that will end up costing you more money – not to mention the time and aggravation.
Almost everyone has some sort of DIY-related story to tell and some of them are understandably hilarious whilst others are positively scary to consider the damage that can be caused when attempting work you are not competent enough to do.
Here is a look at how to decide if the DIY work that you are attempting at home or in the office can be tackled by yourself or whether it is better to call in the professionals.
Knowing how much you can do
The subject of DIY is often the topic of many conversations and the subject of much debate, and there are even websites dedicated to sharing your own DIY disasters with the rest of us.
The fact is that many people are perfectly capable of carrying out basic repairs and maintenance work on their properties and can tackle tasks such as painting and decorating with a reasonable degree of competency.
Most of the restrictions that you face when it comes to DIY our simply down to time, energy and the level of skill that you possess to an acceptable standard, although there are or course certain legal restrictions too, when it comes to repairs involving electrics and plumbing for example.
Avoiding a DIY disaster
It is always advisable to make a number of properly informed decisions before you attempt to do any work that might actually end up costing you more in the long run if you have to call in a professional to put things right.
If you are setting up a home office area or ordering some more furniture for your business from a supplier, then most of the desks and furniture will either arrive fully assembled or require minimal construction, a task that is within the grasp of the majority of us.
Tackling other more complicated jobs will however require a greater level of consideration if you want to avoid a potential DIY disaster.
Be realistic about your level of competency and also consider the potential call on your time when it comes to preparing an area for decoration or committing to a repair that may take more than just a few hours or even days.
Put a value on your time and decide if it actually works out more cost-effective to employ a professional and earn enough money yourself to pay for the work that they are doing.
Insurance
An aspect of DIY that is often overlooked is insurance. It is best to not assume that your insurance policy will automatically cover you for any DIY work that you do. When it doesn’t you could be seriously out of pocket if you cause some damage that you are then unable to claim for on your insurance policy.
As long as you are honest with yourself, you should be able to gauge whether you are capable of completing the proposed DIY task to an acceptable standard, or whether it might be better to call in some professional help.
Tom Grant
I\’ve tried some DIY before and found it can be a bit hard but I found http://www.letsfixit.co.uk and there was a great guide on there to help my finish tiling my bathroom!
Like you said, knowing what your insurance covers is very important especially when doing DIY projects. Keep up to date with what your paying for or you will end up paying for more than you expected.
I have to say after several experiences myself and seeing my bro-in-law try to remold his own house, it is worth forking out the money in the beginning. One if someone else does it, you have someone that is liable that it was done right. That means you can go back and make them fix it again if it is not done right the first time. Second, without an expert there you might miss something important, or example the making sure the shower drain is connected (brother-in-law’s mistake) and then watch as your start shelling out money because the whole room is flooded. Of anything, if you are going to do DIY on your business, and otherwise too, make sure to get commercial insurance. Better safe than really sorry!
I tried DIY my car service , but it’s not worth it , it was very daunting for me and eventually I ended up with a mechanic
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Hello,
Yes you are right small business often prefer to do every task themselves but they end up with costing more. I really liked the funny video above.
Thanks
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