Fix it yourself vs Contractor

[kettlebellsc]

At when degree do you attempt to fix something your self (lets say home improvement) vs throwing in the toweling and calling a contractor to get the job done?

[Admin]

I would say that varies depending on the task at hand. If you don't know how to do it, look it up on youtube. If you think you can do it, give it a shot. The other factor is, what is your time worth? Give yourself an hourly rate and if a contractor is less than that, go with the contractor. For example, if I need to mow some weeds, and I can pay a kid $10/hr to do it, I will do it. My time with my family is worth more than that! It's not because I'm lazy, I just have limited time and want to spend it with my kids.

If you do hire a contractor because you don't know how to do something, watch him do it and learn. Most professionals take pride in what they do and are willing to share their craft. Or if you're a tight wad like me, I will have a contractor come out and give me a bid. These are free and when they are there, have them explain what they are going to do. If it sounds like something I can do, I will thank them for their time and tell them I will be in touch, then I will just do it myself.

Good luck.
-Admin

[norrisbuffalo]

I have to agree with "what is your time worth?"

I parse it out like this:
I can roof my own house but I have to round up materials, tools, hands to help, and take time off work to get it done right. By comparison I can go to work and earn $(X)/hour while paying an actual roofer $(Y)/hour to get the job done in a fraction of the time(f^t) it would take me.
For the mathematically minded among us I think the formula is (X*t)-(Y*t)*(f^t*X)=totally worth it
You can't argue with the math but you can, of course, argue with your contractor. You have to take an active management role in the operation to make sure they do the job you want and finish it without creating more work for you. Think ahead. Ask questions. Set goals. Communicate those goals to the people who expect to be paid.

[mynewunit]

For me, the balance is more between the personal cost/value. Obviously, there is a difference between what you make for an hour of over time and what you pay a laborer/contractor. The first thing is do you want to do it. I would gladly pay a neighbor hood kid to mow the lawn, or a laborer to paint my foundation. If it is working on the car, I have all the tools, I have the knowledge, and it feels good to knock it out even if it takes an evening. The other thing is no contractor will run pipe, like I want it done. So, I installed my heating system. I paid a guy to do the gas line, and punch two 6 inch holes in the wall for my fancy boiler.
So for me it looks like this. I wouldn't do my own roof, because I don't want to do it. I don't want the tools for stripping and installing a roof. I don't think I am going to do it better than the guy who does it everyday. The best answer is to have a buddy from church, the gym, the elks club, that could do it and pay them.
Do your own cable, IT, installation because there are no codes, you know where you want everything, and the guy who does it for the cable/phone co make a mess of the walls.

[J. Evans]

I unfortunately didn't read all the replies, however, another factor is the result of your risk assessment. Someone mentioned that obviously you should do a little research to gauge the difficulty according to your skills - common sense - but I definitely encourage giving it a shot.

But pertaining particularly to a fixit project: you also run the risk of making things worse if you end up not being as experienced as you thought. This being huge with mechanisms like cars where almost all parts are dependent upon each other and must be put back correctly.

Failure is one of you're greatest teachers.