I spend a lot of time fixing things, for myself and others. (Computers, electrical, plumbing, etc). While I learn a lot, I wonder sometimes if it would be better to pay a professional and do something else for which I am more ‘valuable’. Do you do the same, and do you find it worthwhile?
It varies.
In most cases it’s more a question of “What is the risk if I do this myself?” and “If I completely fuck this up, is it going to cost more to fix than just calling someone who knows what they’re doing before that happens?”
If the answer to the above doesn’t involve a fire in my walls or serious water damage like with electical or plumbing, and the cost to fix mistakes is low, then sure, I’ll try it myself first.
Interesting, my dad is often complaining about the opposite, what is the risk if he let’s it do someone else? It’s because he has reasons to make things in a particular way which some professionals dismiss and do differently. And then he finds out way too late and then can’t really do what he planned or it involves a lot of extra work to work around the limitation.
I get this too. However, you’ll usually be able to tell the professionals your end goal during the quoting process and if your requirements are reasonable, they’ll work with you.
If they won’t do that, then you get to ask yourself the next question:
- Do they have a good reason to refuse? (safety [either theirs or yours], regulations, etc)
If not, then you can just refuse the quote and work with someone else.
More often than not, the professionals know what they’re doing and will be able to work around your requirements, and if they can’t, they’ll have competitors that can.
