Forget the Bids Do It Yourself
Thursday, October 16th, 2008
I’ve talked about this in the past. We tend to want others to do what we can probably do ourselves, with maybe a little ingenuity. I’m not saying we’re all capable of skilled construction projects, and quite rightly a plumber should be called for the gushing faucet or the leaky stool. I’m suggesting we can outbid the contractors by learning some handy skills on our own.
A friend of mine recently had a $300 dollar garage door installed by a professional. When the installation was done, he had a nice door, perfectly installed. The problem was the bill exceeded $1,200. This was $900 of labor! It took the contractors a day to do the work, but for half that amount I would have gladly helped him install the door.
When it comes to things around the house, like installing a garage door, the question of convenience may come to many people’s minds. The project may be out of our league, some may say. Others may simply not have the time. When going into a project like this it’s important to consider the tools you would need (buying new tools would create added expense), the proper instructions or guides available, and the necessary amount of time to do the work. For a garage door, you would probably need an added helper too, but most of us have a friend who would help us out in exchange for our hand in a project of theirs later.
How do you get started on a project like this? The first thing is to do a little research. Google is your friend. You can find helpful guides online, most from licensed contractors themselves. And the worst thing that could happen is you have to call a contractor to fix the "fix", so to speak.
The general rule of thumb to use when doing work like this, always, always know what you’re getting into ahead of time. Do some research, and if you feel the work isn’t too much of a trial, then give it a shot. It could save you a lot in the long run. In the short run it might be inconvenient, and not relaxing, but at least you’ll have the satisfaction that comes from doing something like this on your own. That’s a good enough reward in and of itself.
The housing market has come to a screaching halt. Many homeowners have taken their attention away from selling a home to improving upon what they already own. This summer many homeowners will set out to roof their house, paint their walls, and manicure their lawns. What can they do to save money on these often expensive undertakings?