Home Improvements You Should Never Do on Your Own

05.03.2020 Home Hacks 0.0 0

home improvement

There is hardly a home fix that you cannot find the instructions for on YouTube. In fact, modern technology has created a whole population of homeowners that are crafty enough to perform most home repairs. In this sense, living in a world where knowledge is a click away is a good thing.

However, there has been and will always be a set of fixes that you should never attempt on your own. Here is a list of essential home improvements you should never attempt on your own, not even if you think you’re the best engineer in all of Sydney.

Repairing the roof

Working at height is always dangerous, especially if you lack the proper safety gear and training. In this sense, even beginners’ problems like replacing a single roof tile could turn into a disaster if you lose your footing. Although cleaning the gutters is a DIY job (that still requires caution), replacing sections of the roof definitely isn’t.

The safety aspect is important but replacing the roof requires skills that you probably don’t have because you lack the necessary experience. What would you do if you found out that the caulking is rotten once you take down cracked roof tiles you initially noticed? For all these reasons, it is wiser to hire professionals to replace sections of your roof.

Dealing with bedbugs

Opposite to what their name says, bedbugs don’t just live in your bedroom but they can spread throughout the house. They might be minuscule in size but these pesky insects feed off human blood so they are real-life vampires. Luckily, they are generally confined to tropical areas of Australia.

These critters have existed for thousands of years and they have developed a defensive mechanism that no home remedy can tackle. Unless you want to deal with an itching sensation that will last for days, better dial the number of a professional exterminator to get rid of bedbugs.

Repairing the HVAC system

We all know how to set the thermostat, turn the AC on and operate the kitchen hood. However, issues may arise when one of the HVAC systems gets broken or malfunctions. No matter how crafty you are, an AC unit is way too complex to be serviced by a layman. The same goes for ventilation and heating, as their repairmen should be left to professionals. What you can do is maintain and operate these devices according to the user manual.

Rendering repairs

House rendering is not all about the looks. Namely, a solid render protects the walls of your house against water damage and strong sunlight, which can be punishing in New South Wales. Furthermore, the render acts as an extra layer of insulation so the AC unit inside can cool down the house in summer more efficiently.

If any damage occurs to the render of the house, you should hire professionals to fix it because they were the ones who installed it in the first place. Professional house rendering in Sydney includes the use of high-quality cement that you cannot make on your own. Furthermore, you lack the pressurized apparatus to apply it to the exterior walls.

Stay off electrical projects

Changing a light bulb is one thing but messing with the electricity meter or a fuse box is a different kettle of fish. Like climbing up the roof, electrical work is not only dangerous but it requires the skills and expertise only a qualified electrician possesses.

If you start opening boxes that are under high voltage, not only do you risk getting tased or electrocuted but you risk a house fire. It is highly likely that you lack proper gear to put out a fire on an electrical device. During the present bushfire season that has ravaged Australia, a great number of fires were caused by fallen electric lines.

Removing the wrong wall

A house extension is one of the most common home improvement projects. Homeowners relish the opportunity to get extra indoor space and increase the market value of their homes but at what cost. In order to expand your edifice, you need to take down or alter several walls.

However, you’re not a mason so unless you have access to the blueprint of the house, you have no way of knowing which walls are supporting. In general, laymen shouldn’t dabble with wall demolition because they don’t know the statics of the entire house. The next time you want an open floor kitchen think twice before you swing the mallet.

The list we have provided here is by no means exhaustive but there are definitely the top DIZ projects that aren’t that! Messing with electric power, tearing down walls and rendering the façade are home improvements that require a touch of professionalism. This does not imply that you’re not a crafty person or a great handyman; just that some improvements are not intended for rookies.

Written by Ronald Wolf

About the Author

Ronald Wolf is a freelance writer and hobby designer with a passion for DIY projects.