DIY Fixes Can Save You Money: If You Do Them Right

My husband and I have started tackling a lot of our home improvement projects ourselves; it’s helped save us a lot of money, but we also know when we need to call in a pro. When it comes to renovation projects, my husband is really getting into it. A while ago I posted a blog about how we transformed our old, worn-out louver doors. My hubs was making his way through all of the different sets of louver doors in our house (there was a lot), ending with the biggest project – our bathroom in the master bedroom. I said I would update once they were done, so I’ve added it here, and I can’t believe how awesome they turned out!

The best thing is, the more DIY projects he takes on, the more we both learn how to handle different projects ourselves. This not only feels great, but it saves us money! The more things you can teach yourself and learn about small home repairs and fixes, home maintenance and other tasks, the less money you have to pay someone else to do it for you. That’s rewarding in more ways than one!

When we do have a pro come to do certain things, my husband pays attention and asks questions. Since doing this, he’s learned how to do several basic fixes that we otherwise would have called in a professional to do.

Of course, you only save money if you actually do the task well, so it’s also important to know your limits. For example, my husband does not take on many plumbing tasks. He recognizes that that is one area he’s better off calling in an expert.

If you try to bite off more than you can chew with a DIY job, you can actually end up costing yourself a lot more money than if you would have called in an expert in the first place. Therefore, know your limits, learn as much as you can to expand them, and practice, practice, practice! In the case of the louver door transformation, my husband started with the smallest, least-noticed doors first and ended with the biggest, learning as he went.

Never underestimate what you are capable of! There are so many ways to learn new skills; all it takes is some dedication and willingness to keep trying.

When we figured out the door project, what would have potentially cost us between $500-$650, ended up costing just a little over $100 for materials. This was for the bathroom doors, cabinet doors in bathroom, bar doors, and this skinny closet door.

You can see how he did the louver door face-lift here.

What home improvement projects are you going to tackle next?