I've learned that you really have to do research before any project--techniques, choices, costs and quality of materials vary greatly. The good news is that there are a lot of resources out there for those of us who do not have home improvement genes handed down from generation to generation. YouTube videos are an awesome source of research material and are great at showing how to do a part of a project. Just be sure to watch several on the same topic in case one well-meaning video leaves out a particular detail--probably because the detail is so obvious to the person making the video but not at all obvious to those of us "not handy dandy" people. DIY Network is a great help along with HGTV. Many home improvement stores also have videos on their sites to teach you how to do a project as do some sellers of building materials on eBay. Sometimes there are local classes you can take. Check on community thrift stores or local community classifieds that sell building materials to save money. Ask about discontinued or "closed out" styles/colors. Make sure you invest in the tools needed to do the work--consider that a part of the project budget which will then improve your inventory of tools that you will, no doubt, need in the future.
Always plan to:
- Spend a bit more money than you estimated
- Take a lot more time than you estimated
- Need more trips to the local home improvement store than you estimated
Most importantly, do these projects with a sense of humor and take pride in your accomplishments.
DIY home improvement is the way to go, so long as you have a clue as to how to do things. When in doubt, I turn to the HouseLogic site. Do you have any DIY sites you frequent??
ReplyDelete-Jon