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10 Home Jobs You Should Never Do Yourself

When it comes to jobs around the home, we all have a little bit of DIY from time to time. However, there are some things that you should do yourself, but there are other things you should absolutely never do yourself.

You can be an amazing person when it comes to installing curtains or changing light bulbs, but when it comes to removing load bearing walls or choosing to try your hand at cast iron pipe repair, it’s time to put that in the hands of the professionals. Your unqualified hands could do so much more damage than you think, and you may think you’re doing yourself a favor by saving yourself a few quid, but it’s not a good idea. Not only that, you could invalidate your home insurance if you try to do some of the DIY jobs yourself, and that could leave you in a very difficult situation along the way. 

So with this in mind, let’s take a look at some of the home jobs you should never do yourself.

  • You should never fix a gas leak. If you smell gas where you shouldn’t be smelling gas, then the first thing you need to do is shut the gas off and leave the house. You should then call the local gas companies to find out what’s going on and have an expert come out and check it. Attempting to fix anything gas related can have massive effects both on your health and the safety of others around you. There is no need to take any tools to a boiler or to any gas pipes because you are not an expert. 
  • You should never remove asbestos. Asbestos is dangerous and comes with serious health risks. The dangers of asbestos have been recognized for nearly 30 years, which means that all use of asbestos has pretty much been banned in most countries. To have it removed, you need to make sure that you have a qualified surveyor come out to carry out an inspection to find out how much asbestos is actually in your home. This can become quite expensive if your house is riddled with the stuff, but it’s always better to pay out to save your health than it is to try and remove it on your own.
  • You should never try to fit in a new bath. Whether you’re upgrading the entire bathroom as part of home renovations or you’re just having issues with your current bathtub leaking, installing a new one is something you have to leave in the hands of the plumbers. If you don’t, you could end up causing further leaks, and that’s not going to help you to feel relaxed in the morning. You want to make sure that the tub is secure in place and sealed correctly, and that means asking somebody else to come in and cast an eye over it for you.
  • You should never knock down walls yourself. It can be tempting to knock through the walls to create that open plan living space you’ve been looking for, but instead of swinging your sledgehammer, you need to call an expert to come in. Knocking down internal walls is easy if you’re an expert and you know how to do it, but knocking down load bearing walls without any steel reinforcement could cause the entire house to come down on your head. Are you able to tell which is the difference between a load bearing wall and an internal wall? No. Then leave it to someone who does.
  • You should never work on the foundation of your home. The most important part of your structure is arguably its foundation, and if your foundation is cracked and not solid, there is a problem. However, that doesn’t mean you should be the one to dig it out. There is so much more to your home foundation than you think, and good foundations are a lot more than just digging a hole and pouring in the concrete. It has to be exactly right for your home to stand still. Laying foundations can cost a lot of money and it also depends on the type of foundations you need. So call in somebody who knows what they’re doing already so that you don’t have to pay out too much.
  • You should never install windows yourself. Poorly fitted windows cause a lot of problems in your electricity and energy bills and injuries to yourself and those passing by. Your window installation may look correct, but what if the wind blows the wrong way and pushes the window into the house instead of keeping the wind out? Avoid the risks, work with a professional window fitter, and feel good about the windows of your home.
  • You should never cut down a tree in your yard. Cutting down a tree is very dangerous work, especially when you don’t know what you’re doing. If you lack the experience of removing trees as you should, and you do not have the right equipment to do so, you could end up with a tree falling onto you or your house, or even your neighbors house. That can get pretty expensive when that happens. Avoid it by calling a professional arborist instead.
  • You should never do your own electrical work. Yes, change the light bulb. Yes, install the Ring doorbell. No, do not upgrade the wires. No, do not change the wiring of the house. Similar to gas work, electric work requires a highly qualified professional and unless you are one, stay away from it.
  • You should never repair your roof. Obviously you need to have your roof repaired if there’s a problem, but you should not be the one doing it. Patching up yourself and working out a height when A) you are not used to it and B) you are scared of heights could be a problem. Getting up onto the roof is a risk to yourself, and once you’re there, there’s a risk that you’re not going to patch it up correctly and you’re not going to be able to get back down again.
  • You should never get rid of pests. You can put down traps and you can make sure that you’ve consulted with a pest control company, but if you have mice or rats in your walls, then you need to get a pest control specialist in to help.
Rania

rania@transpremium.com

I AM RANIA MERCHAK ANDRAOS, A CAREER MOM WITH A PASSION FOR WORDS, FITNESS & HEALTH, AND FOOD! STICK AROUND AND ENJOY THE RIDE AS YOU GET A GLIMPSE OF MY WORLD!

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