While tackling home repair projects without professional help is a great way to save money and challenge yourself, there are some tasks you should let the professionals handle. The immediate cost savings of doing it yourself may intrigue you, but it can cost you more in the long run. Here are eight forms of residential repair you should leave to the professionals.
1. Plumbing
Performing plumbing repairs is a challenging feat. Even the most seemingly basic problems, such as a leaky faucet, may necessitate professional assistance. Some of these issues may seem easy to handle alone, but the slightest error can do more harm than good.
If you don’t have the right tools, trying to execute this residential repair can be difficult. Besides the frustration, you also risk harming yourself and damaging components in the process. A professional plumbing company will have all the tools needed to perform different repairs, including testing water heaters, replacing or repairing pipes, and unclogging drains.
Seemingly minor plumbing problems may sometimes indicate a more severe issue. What you may think to be a minor leak might start a serious problem for your plumbing system and the entire home. Professional plumbers can promptly evaluate these problems and determine how serious they are to recommend a solution.
The only way to safeguard you and your house from a catastrophic plumbing breakdown is to have prompt, professional plumbing repairs. Going to your neighborhood hardware shop to buy what you believe you need to remedy a problem may seem inexpensive at the time, but it will cost you more in the long term. Making the wrong diagnosis will cause you to buy the wrong tools and supplies, which will end up costing you valuable time and hefty repair fees.
2. Electrical Work
With the abundance of DIY tutorials and resources available online, it’s possible to perform almost every residential repair without the help of a professional. However, simply because you can do something doesn’t necessarily make it the best option. Electrical work, in particular, should always be left to the pros.
Electrical work poses some serious safety hazards. Unless you’ve undergone training and are certified to work on electrical systems, leave any repairs for the pros. Even a seemingly minor electrical job can lead to injuries or even fatalities if you don’t know how to work safely with electricity.
One of the primary reasons homeowners consider DIY electrical work is to save money. While this may be the case for upfront costs, DIY electrical repairs will cost you more in the long run than hiring a professional electrician. Damage resulting from improper electrical work can run you up to thousands of dollars in repairs, but the small extra cost of seeking professional services can prevent that.
A house fire is one of the most crippling occurrences a homeowner can experience. According to Cape Fear, they occur 51 thousand times each year. Faulty electrical repairs are the leading reason for those issues.
Attempting to perform your electrical work can result in exposed wires or risky configurations where excessive power may flow via a single outlet. Anything that potentially triggers a short circuit poses a fire hazard. Some of these damages can even stay hidden for years before finally causing damage.
3. Tree Removal
As a homeowner, you’re likely already aware of the value that landscaping adds to your investment. When you have a landscaping project to tackle, you want to take care of it as fast as possible and correctly. While certain home maintenance or beautification tasks are ideal for a DIY project, tree removal as a residential repair isn’t one of them.
When performing a tree removal, the safety of those involved is a top priority. The tools and equipment required for the job, including stump grinders, wood chippers, cranes and cables, aerial lifts, and chainsaws, pose a serious safety hazard when misused. There’s also the risk of taking down electrical wires, being struck by debris, falling from heights, or damaging other important utility structures, like gas lines.
Your health insurance coverage will help you cover medical bills for different health issues. However, if you suffer injuries while trying to perform tree removal on your property, this insurance coverage won’t help much. A professional local tree service will typically have insurance for their employees and equipment, guarding you against liability.
4. Pest Removal
Do you notice unusual smells or sounds in your home lately? Perhaps your floorboards are groaning and creaking more often than usual, or you’ve spotted weird bug-like sacs in different home areas. These things are often the result of a pest infestation.
The key to addressing this issue is prompt action. Pest removal will help preserve your home’s structural integrity, keeping you and your family safe. For the best results, hire professionals for this residential repair.
To try to get rid of pests, homeowners often experiment with several insecticides and pesticides. While it’s understandable, this approach does more harm than good. For example, experts link regular pesticide use to a higher risk of health issues such as Alzheimer’s and cancer.
These hazardous substances can also cause harm to the endocrine, reproductive, and nervous systems. They’re even more dangerous to animal systems. Seasoned pest removal professionals only turn to insecticides and pesticides as a last resort.
Pest infestations are often the result of bad habits on the homeowner’s part. Simple things like failing to throw away expired foods or leaving fruit on the counter encourage pests to enter your home. The longer you keep these habits, the more frequently you’ll experience pest infestations.
Professional pest control services such as a rodent removal service can also help in this case. These experts remove pests from your home and give you valuable advice on how to avoid infestations in the first place. They’ll educate you on the behavior of pests and what attracts them to the home.
5. Roof Repairs
Regular and timely residential repair and maintenance of your roof will extend its useful life. You should inspect your roof at least twice annually and after a period of bad weather for any repair needs. While the DIY concept is becoming more popular among homeowners as they seek ways to cut costs, attempting to repair your roof without the assistance of a professional will only result in more issues.
You risk getting hurt when you get up on your roof to perform an inspection or roof repairs like shingle replacement. Injuries can occur due to slipping and falling, stepping on a weak roof spot, or even injuring yourself while using repair tools. According to EZ roofing, there are 2 thousand fatalities caused by roof falls annually.
To avoid roofing accidents that can lead to serious injuries, hire a professional roofing contractor for all tasks. These experts know how to perform roofing work while maintaining balance and have in-depth knowledge of the protective gear and safety precautions to take to prevent accidents and injuries on the job. Additionally, a professional residential roofer will have insurance in the event of accidents related to their line of work.
Workmanship and expertise are essential for a reliable and effective roof. When you conduct roof inspections and repairs without a professional’s help, you risk missing underlying concerns, such as issues with the roof structure. By hiring the pros, you can be sure of a comprehensive and accurate evaluation and working solutions that’ll improve your roof’s health and longevity.
Most manufacturers offer warranties on roofing materials; however, they’re only valid when professionals handle the installation. Attempting repairs without professional help may damage roofing materials, voiding any warranty. A seasoned roofer will also assemble a report of the maintenance and repair work should you ever need to use your warranty.
6. HVAC Repairs
The likelihood of failing components increases the older your HVAC system gets. On the other hand, newer systems have more complicated repair needs. It’s advisable to let qualified HVAC professionals handle the residential repair job rather than tinkering with the delicate circuitry to prevent further damage.
Your HVAC system completes relatively simple tasks to maintain a comfortable temperature in your home. However, it uses parts like chemical refrigerants and electrical wiring, which you must handle carefully. Fiddling with electrical equipment while trying to perform heating repairs puts you at risk of fires and electrocution, while refrigerant gases like Freon can impair your ability to breathe when deeply inhaled, so leave the job to the professionals.
Without a properly functioning HVAC system, getting through seasons such as winter and summer can be tough. Prolonged use of a system with damaged components will only result in further damage and more expensive repairs. For this reason, hiring a competent technician for ac repair is in your best interest.
HVAC equipment installation, maintenance, and repair require specialized tools. Professional HVAC service experts have all the necessary tools for different jobs. You would otherwise have to purchase or rent equipment, which can be expensive.
7. Foundation Repairs
The ability to discern between minor foundation issues and failure requires training and years of experience. Whether new or old, a home may exhibit one or more foundation distress signs, such as foundation, floor, and wall cracks, tilting home components, water leaks, windows and doors that stick, and bowing walls. While you can identify these problems, only a professionally educated foundation repair specialist can accurately assess the extent of the issue, identify its underlying cause, and suggest the best course of action for repairs.
Any repair you need will require specialized equipment. While several DIY foundation repair kits are available, they’re only effective for fixing non-structural cracks. If your foundation experiences structural damage, you’ll typically need a unified hydraulic jacking machine, hydraulic jacks, cribbing, piers, and beam to perform this residential repair.
Unfortunately, the average homeowner doesn’t own or have access to this equipment. You’ll either need to rent or buy equipment, which can be costly. When you hire a foundation repair company, they’ll come with any equipment necessary for your foundation’s repair needs.
Some foundation issues are easy to address. Others, however, are more intricate and require a complex solution like underpinning or piering. These solutions involve the installation of several piers to level, lift, or support a failing foundation.
Depending on the extent and type of damage, your contractor may combine this repair method with other processes. For example, slabjacking is pumping cement grouts into the spaces that occasionally appear underneath a foundation. In combination, they create a more stable and solid substrate that’ll carry the home’s weight better.
8. Garage Door Repairs
As one of the most used components in the home, your garage door experiences a lot of wear and tear. According to Borneo Team, the average homeowner opens and closes their garage door at least 1,500 times annually. Even with frequent use, your garage door can last for up to 30 years.
However, this depends on how well you keep up with its maintenance needs. Part of maintenance is ensuring prompt residential repair for your garage door when something goes wrong. You should always hire a professional for these repairs to ensure you don’t miss anything.
Considering the weight of garage doors, a faulty component that causes you to lose control of your garage door could result in serious injuries. Your fingers can get caught between the folding panels, or the garage door could hit you on its way down. Your best chance of avoiding garage door mishaps and maximizing safety is to have a professional garage door company fix your garage door.
Even if you’re an avid DIY hobbyist, you likely don’t have the special tools necessary to fix a garage door sitting around in your workshop. Professional garage door repair companies invest in all the necessary tools. This way, they can address all foundation repair or maintenance needs efficiently and quickly.
There’s no denying that the DIY route offers some great benefits. However, some residential repair tasks are complex and require professional attention. Use this read as a guide for residential repair tasks you should let the professionals handle.