DIY is becoming increasingly popular with homeowners and renters alike to beat the cost of living crisis, help them design their own homes in the way they want without the considerable expense of hiring contractors, and help people learn new skills that can be used in many aspects of life.
Statistics show that 73% of millennials are DIYers, and around 3 in 4 people who try their hand at home renovation tasks are homeowners. With this in mind, read on for tips on making the most of your DIY experience so it doesn’t become a disaster worthy of its own TV show.
Know Your Limits
Before you do anything, know your own skills and limits before ripping down walls or building a new kitchen or bathroom extension. When it comes to DIY, it’s a bit like baking cake. You must learn the basics, follow the rules, and get your skills down before attempting bigger jobs. Start with smaller, simple tasks to help you get used to using different types of tools and equipment. Once you build your skills, you can then expand your capabilities.
Safety First
Always use the correct safety equipment for the job at hand. Look online to see what equipment is available and ensure you use the right supplies to keep your home safe. This includes things like wearing personal protective equipment, using safety measures when operating heavy or dangerous equipment, working at height, or doing anything that can cause you or others harm.
Find Tutorials
For beginners, using tutorials is paramount for the best results. These days, thanks to social media, you can find DIY tutorials in written form and multimedia options so you can read and watch along to see what you’re supposed to be doing and how it’s supposed to look. This will give you better ideas of what can go wrong or identify where you’re going wrong.
Alternatively, ask family and friends who are more experienced at DIY to help you or give you pointers on doing things correctly.
Invest In The Right Equipment
It pays to ensure you have the right tools and equipment before attempting anything. As a minimum, you need a complete tool kit with a hammer, screwdrivers, measuring tape, spanners, pliers, utility knives, and spirit levels for starters. From here, you can expand your tool kit and equipment as your experience grows. Depending on your project, this can be moving up to electric saws, drills, welding consumables, sanders, and more.
Know your Home
While this point isn’t so important when making cabinets or upcycling items, you need to know your home if you’re stepping into more extensive home changes. You need to know where the pipes and wires are running in the building. Which walls are load-bearing, and what walls can be removed?
Be aware of any legal limitations to changes to your home or what type of planning permissions you might use for more extensive DIY tasks. This will help you avoid any major disasters and cause even more issues than you initially tried to resolve.
DIY is an excellent skill to have and can help you to improve your home on your own terms while allowing you to improve your skillset and add to your repertoire. Follow these suggestions to help you get started and put the right foundations in place.
