DIY Is Not For The Weary
Home Renovation Addition
Don’t Be Deceived by Social Media Influencers.
The internet misleads ordinary people into believing they are capable do-it-yourself home renovators. Many misconceptions regarding DIY projects are not openly shared with the utmost transparency.
It has become the norm to develop and establish inspirational ideas from influencers on the internet. Most people’s homes are designed and created from original ideas shared by innovative influencers affiliated with one or many social media outlets.
We are often persuaded that it is cost-effective, timely, and adds value to our homes. I have even fallen victim to this DIY idealistic scenario that if I do all the hard work, I will eventually be rewarded or compensated for my creativity.
But instead, I am left with an empty bank, cracks in my walls, and about five projects that have remained unfinished for two years. I bit off more than I could chew, and I’m sure this is a classical occurrence for people like me who are stimulated by the transformative process of DIYs.
This is not to say that some people are more than capable of accomplishing home improvements on their own. But the process rarely remains smooth, and at times, it is not worth the gravity of stress it carries over to the homeowner.
According to Forbes Magazine, social media and television DIY home reno projects look easy, typically if you’re an expert who appears on HGTV. “The best-case scenario for most DIY projects is a loss of money and time. The worst is a trip to the hospital.”
Forbes suggests that many proficiently skilled experts in this construction field are” contractors, craftspeople, and artisans.”
Ordinary people who are limited to desk jobs, or possess skills unrelated to DIY, may experience beginner’s luck until they grow pretentious and find themselves revealing pipe exposures which could ultimately result in an expensive repair or damaged property.
So Why Di WHY?
According to a survey by Clovered, out of 1,015 homeowners, 85.2% attempt DIY home improvement projects to save money.
This was the case for me and many others who prefer to save every buck of their dollar. However, what about those looking for cost-effective cosmetic DIY upgrades because they cannot afford professional help?
Could potential DIY mistakes end up doubling or tripling the project’s cost in repairments? According to Clovered, “On average, people spend $137.50 fixing mistakes made during DIY home improvements.”
For some, this may be the only realistic option they have based on the reality of affordability. But with a lack of experience, mistakes are almost inevitable, and the irreversible cost will total more than it would have to have had a professional service the projects.
It is possible to experience minimal issues, especially if the homeowner is religiously following the directions of the influencers, which will contribute to money savings and successful upgrades.
But transparency is essential in understanding the pros and cons of DIY projects inspired by pressured influencers who sell themselves as victorious home developers. Just don’t be fooled.
Are There Benefits?
Jordan Schneider, a married mother of two, part-time Occupational Therapist, and fixer-upper enthusiast, believes there are far more benefits even with the persistent struggles of DIY.
Schneider feels “it’s so hard to capture every nuance and detail that a project requires, in addition to the extraneous hidden costs. On Instagram, you see a wall treatment go up, and then bam, it’s painted and beautiful.”
Often, many behind-the-scenes finishes take place that is not shared by influencers or on television.
“But the finished work is often the most time-consuming part of a project, and it’s not often that you see much of the tedious sanding, caulking, and filling of nail holes that goes on behind the scenes,” said Schneider.
Inspired by HGTV and Instagram influencers, such as Jenna Sue Design, Schneider knew she wanted to buy a fixer-upper with her husband, Cody Schneider when embarking as new home buyers.
“Social media definitely does not highlight how challenging and at times costly DIY can be. But if you desire to have a home that you love and you feel you can’t afford to hire projects out, you can absolutely find a way to achieve your goal through creative DIY,” said Schneider
In August 2016, the two bought a three-bedroom and two-bath home that could be labeled as a fixer-upper.
“We watched a lot of HGTV while I was in grad school and were inspired. Those 30 minutes episodes sure made a renovation look easy,” said Schneider.
The couple had no experience renovating but could rely on family, her father, and uncle, who have more knowledge, skills, and expertise in home DIY restoring.
Schneider understood the balance of their capabilities and hired a professional contractor “to install quartz countertops and a plumber to come to resolve a water line issue.”
With at least 25 projects completed, some of their primary work overtime was a complete kitchen renovation and replacing all the flooring and paint.
As one could imagine, timing is of the essence, and working weekends and nights up until the morning hours were essential to finish these projects.
“In the beginning, we worked every weekend and every night when we got home from work. This meant we were often up until midnight doing projects, even when we had work the next day,” said Schneider.
But eventually, after a grueling and exhausting process, the couple was able to take more sustainable measures to complete their projects.
Overall, Schneider made it clear that she does not regret the blood, sweat, tears, and love put into their home. Despite the many pros and cons of DIY home renovating.
According to Schneider, “Pros: cost-efficient, able to achieve your own vision for design, you are in charge of the quality of the work done and not relying on contractors that have no vested interest in the project.”
She suggests the cons are that, as assumed, the projects can be timely, but they also require fundamental knowledge, skills, and supplies to which not everyone has access.
“Projects always cost more than we anticipated. We were pretty good about pricing out materials to know what the cost would be; however, tools and miscellaneous were hard to predict, think: caulk, painter’s tape, drop cloths, paint rollers, etc..,” said Schneider.
Although the journey was long, it was entirely worth it for the couple. Now, as parents of two littles, Schneider anticipates that they will consider hiring some help to complete the challenging projects in the future but will still save specific tasks for them to sprinkle some love into.
Forbes shares a similar stance, finding the balance between what you can do and what you should hire someone to do.
“The key is to find a happy medium. While many people feel intimated to ask for help, streamlining the process with some assignments prevents major problems and stress,” according to Forbes.
It’s Not as Easy as It Looks
Getting caught up in the delights of saving money while creating a home you love and desire is appealing. However, as we’ve learned, it’s not as easy as influencers want us to perceive it to be.
Many complex details do not make the cut. And you often spend time asking yourself if you should have committed to a process that requires more time and money than you have to offer.
The best advice I can give so you don’t get left with unfinished walls, little to no money, or visibly amateur finishes:
· Don’t be overzealous. Know your boundaries.
·Commit to one project at a time.
· Challenge yourself without biting off more than you can chew.
· Leave wiggle room for unplanned costs and mistakes.
· Accept that you might need help.
· Have all the essentials necessary to complete and finish a project.
· Social media can be deceiving. Please don’t believe everything you see; it’s not as it appears.
