Granted in your mind, painting a room may or may not be a DIY project, but say you want to add a new roof, replace flooring, redo your plumbing or even the challenging job of replacing your heating and air conditioning.

If you start looking on-line there are a lot of reasons to take on very small projects, but to leave the more involved and potentially hazardous projects to the professionals.  That being said, when you pick the right contractor it needs to be done with your eyes wide open.

Pictured above:  Precision Flooring Installation with qualified, experienced and yes insured installers.

There are many considerations regarding the decision to DIY or not.  The factors will be a balance of risk, experience, quality and frankly personality.  An honest look at how much you want to be involved in the project also plays a key role in this decision.  Will your contractor have the patience to deal with you changing your mind mid project? Or even acting as the general contractor as some homeowners have done?  Be aware that the general contractor requires knowledge of the trades and the experience to know if and when to step in.  Many great contractors will step away from a job where the customer wants to be the general contractor. With all of that in mind, does the contractor have the right mix for your project and your style?

How to figure out what is the best mix for you:

How high is your ability to handle risk?

Some projects inherently carry more risk than others. Some of the smaller DIY projects carry less risk and if that risk is acceptable then the DIY’er can tackle them.  However, there are some projects attempted by DIY’ers that should never be a DIY project because of potential for personal harm or property damage.  They include but are not limited to electrical panel replacements, repiping, HVAC change outs or service, some flooring replacement and roofing.

These jobs require a skill level that takes years to develop and the DIYer just wouldn’t have the talent to do it without significant time on the job.  When the risk is higher many suggest hiring a professional – just hiring people that say that they are experienced really isn’t enough.  The local home improvement big box store’s parking lot is filled with people so desperate that they will say that they are experienced at anything.

No matter what your appetite for risk is, for the more difficult jobs and for your protection you really need to hire a contractor that is licensed and insured.  If the worker gets hurt on your property you may be liable for their injuries and that unfortunately may include the death of a worker.

About two months ago I myself had a job to be done in my home and it was a job that some DIY’ers tackle.  I hired a licensed and insured contractor.  The job required heavy lifting, brasing and soldering as well as electrical and piping.  The worker from the insured company hurt themselves pretty badly and had to go to the hospital.  I don’t know what I would do if i were alone and got hurt like that.  I knew my risk tolerance and it was confirmed right then.

Cold Craft, Inc. specializes in heating, air conditioning and refrigeration so, if you hear of any friends, family or coworkers that complain about heat, cold or noise issues associated with getting the temperature just right, think of Cold Craft, we are the comfort experts and we can help them enjoy a comfortable home.

You can reach us at coldcraft.com or 408.374.7292

If you need help with temperature, contact Cold Craft, Inc.

408.374.7292 or [email protected]